Yesterday the Plaza Hotel’s Retail Collection was opening at noon, so I took my time getting to work. L train to the G to the A to High Street. I ascended to Cadman Plaza and headed through the park to the stairs leading onto the Brooklyn Bridge. The only people in sight were a crew of volunteers scrapping the black ice from the walkways. No tourists. None at all and when I got to the bridge’s pedestrian way I was surprised to not see a single person on the span, but reaching the wooden slatted section of the walkway explained the dearth of humanity, for the surface was covered with a slick layer of ice rendering any passage nearly impossible. I continued carefully to the center of the bridge, where several workers were dusting the pathway with dirt. I stopped to walk with them.

“Years ago I wanted to go skating at Wollman’s Rink. The sidewalks of the East Village were slippery, but nothing in comparison to the glazed entrance of Central Park. I guess it was colder in the park than the East Village. People were dropping like they were on greased banana skins, so I put on my blades and skated through the park helping people to their feet.” I didn’t mention anything about stopping with a schuss of ice dust in the faces of bankers.

“Yeah, maybe we should get a toboggan run on the bridge.” One of the workers suggested, then his partner said, “Don’t give anyone ideas.”

I bid them farewell and negotiated the rest of the way to Manhattan holding onto the support wires to avoid getting sent to the emergency ward with an SOI or Slipped On Ice injury.

Still I did try a little sliding.

“Watch out below.”

see this URL: https://www.mangozeen.com/2008/10/14/life/one-small-step.htm