03/18/2026
My apartment has the peculiar distinction of being positioned on a direct line to Central Park, about 30 blocks, cutting cleanly through Times Square, up 6th down 7th. Each time I ride it, I have the unsettling sensation that I am visiting "New York", rather than living in it, which feels a bit like discovering you’ve been a long-term guest in your own life. This is despite the fact that I’ve lived within two miles of this route for 30 years, which, in cycling terms, is roughly the amount of time it takes for one Times Square light to turn green. This idea got me sketching.
The Times Square Resort is printed in deep red on a bright white resort shirt, the whole thing is covered with a hand-drawn map of the city, not the official version, but the one cyclists carry in their heads. Brownstones stacked like Lego towers. Subway signs pointing uptown. Riders slipping through traffic with that specific New York blend of caution and swagger.
