It
was a photo opportunity that could not be missed. Why else would I be doing
this? Typically, I was a very cautious person. But, there I was, with a friend,
standing in a short line waiting to have our photo taken in this
precarious-looking spot. I looked around me. The view was simply stunning. I
could see why this was a popular photo spot.
I was nearing the front
of the line. When the people ahead of me reached the front of the line, they gave
me their camera, took a few steps forward and posed. I took their picture and
returned their camera to them as they passed me by. Then, it was my turn. My
friend and I passed our cameras to the people behind us and took our places a
few steps ahead. Separately but quickly, our photos were taken and it was the
next person’s turn. Before I left, though, I could not resist taking a look at
where I had been standing. I briefly turned to face the late morning sky, which
was cloudless and blue. The rocks, in various earth toned hues, lined the
horizon. The flat, rocky ledge on which I was standing extended less than three
feet behind me before abruptly ending with no railing to mark its edge. Then, I
looked down, my eyes following the jagged edges of the rocks until they ended
in the riverbed . . . at the base of the Grand Canyon.
We had been walking for about forty-five minutes, making our way from Manhattan’s South Street Seaport to the Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street. When we were within fifteen blocks of our destination, some of my companions decided that we should complete our journey by cab. Despite my attempts to convince them to keep walking, they were insistent. The trip that ensued was a true New York experience. After a few minutes of trying, one of my companions was able to hail a cab. However, we wanted to go north. The cab that stopped was going south. It did not seem to matter, though, as my companions still got in the cab. One person sat in the front while I slipped into the backseat, between the other two. Hardly before the doors could close, the driver had fought his way into Manhattan traffic. Without warning, he took a sharp right turn onto a side street and began to head north, steadily increasing his speed. Within seconds, the cab was weaving a...
In a time of so many corporate run forms of entertainment, it's easy to forget that there are still many places where if one forgets oneself it can result in, well, death. Just ask the last guy who thought it'd be fun to pet the "tame buffalos" they keep at Yellowstone Park.
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