January 27, 2009

Dispatch from NYC: Drawn and Quartered

Subway art

Silently slipped onto the subway seat next to me last night. Caption: Please tip if you like the drawing. Gave the artist my only cash, 85 cents in change. He smiled, graciously deflecting my apologies.

A college friend has set me up on her couch in Kew Gardens, Queens. It’s quiet here, and peaceful save for the little old ladies pushing and shoving for seats at the crowded deli. A half mile in the other direction, I can listen to latin radio while eating eggs at the 10-seat diner that rattles beneath the Jamaica Ave J stop. Still hunting for a place of my own, but for now this is starting to feel like home.

posted by in art, cities, culture, food | * | 10 comments 

comments

  1. Andrew Simone on January 27th, 2009 at 11:55 am

    I wonder how much he makes a day (and I am glad you sound like you are doing well).

  2. Deron Bauman on January 27th, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    hey man, that’s great. please keep us posted. get it?

  3. Michael Smith on January 27th, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    I’m glad it’s going well.

  4. Phil Bebbington on January 27th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    Great news, Mike – it takes time for that sense of place to develop – things sound very good. I’m very happy for you.

  5. Rick Neece on January 27th, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    Wonderful story. I first saw the title of this post rolling down the comments bar without the context of your picture. Scared me for you for a second.

  6. Michael Grant Smith on January 28th, 2009 at 10:01 am

    Great story and title, great drawing.

    The important thing is that you gave him everything you had.

    I’m glad things are working out for you in the big city.

  7. Droplet on January 29th, 2009 at 8:07 pm

    We have one of these in Chicago. She drew my husband on the el shortly after we met. I shook her off once myself. A couple months later she was in the bar I worked at, struck up a conversation with a woman and walked off with her Heineken.

  8. Sheila Ryan on January 29th, 2009 at 8:35 pm

    Could be she’s the new Lee Godie. One never knows, do one?

    (No snipe at Lee Godie intended, nor at Droplet. Just an observation about art and the market.)

  9. Phil Bebbington on January 30th, 2009 at 10:35 am

    Sheila, I had never heard of Lee Godie but sure enjoyed reading about her.

  10. Droplet on January 30th, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    No swipe taken, but that’s not her. Definitely would’ve given the Heineken to her.