Back in NYC

Some observations and random thoughts from my two weeks in NY in August, after not having been there for a year....

I wish I'd taken my camera with me every time I went out, even at the risk of looking like a tourist. Then I could have documented the scene in Central Park when I went to a salsa show put on by students of one of the teachers I used to know, Carlos Konig.

The crowd on the "dance floor" (a concrete surface in front of the small bandshell) included a man dressed up like George Clinton, wearing red, white and blue glasses without actual lenses (hard to describe, kind of like 3D style), sitting on a huge motorcycle (also decked out with colors and flags and all manner of bling). I asked him if he leads or follows, given that he was on the dance floor. He replied that he "just goes."

At the same place, there was a middle-aged Asian man, salsa-ing by himself on roller blades while listening to an iPod.

Gotta love NY.

I danced just once, but had shoe issues and had to stop. There were people I recognized from more than 10 years ago. *They* looked older (not me!).

At one point Tito Puente's "Hong Kong Mambo" was played, and I appreciated the Asian reference while in NY, now that I live in Korea (which I realize is not Hong Kong, but in the same general part of the world) but still consider NY home, at least for now.

Carlos performed a beautiful solo to one of Chuchu Valdez's compositions and I was reminded of how much I enjoy dance and resolved to find a way to get back into it now that I'm in Seoul.