Recently, I spent a week in New York, crashing on a friend’s couch, for vacation. I had a few activities planned (an improv show, a play, a taping of The Colbert Report), but other than that, I spent much of my time wandering aimlessly through the city, which helped remind me of a few things:
1. Not Having Regular Access to a TV is Weird: Although my friend I was staying with had a television and DVR, I wasn’t going to mess with his setup just to watch the shows I wanted to watch. Instead, I kept up with a couple of shows via my iPad, which wasn’t so unreasonable. Given how much television I actually consume, however, it did feel a little strange to not have access to the programs I ordinarily consume within 2-3 days of when it airs.
2. People are Awesome: This may seem like a strange lesson to learn, but in Los Angeles you rarely have an opportunity to strike up a conversation with a stranger – we’re always in our cars, and all that separation from one another via metal and glass (combined with the general stress of having to drive everywhere and being cooped up in traffic and HEY WILL YOU FREAKING MERGE ALREADY?!?) makes us unwilling to open up to random strangers (other than perhaps to give them the finger).
But when you walk and ride the subway, it’s different somehow. You’re forced to make eye contact with people, even accidentally. You end up in situations where a person is going to talk to you and you can either be a dick, or you can chat with them for a few minutes and learn something. I was lucky enough to end up in a few different places where I had the chance to meet total strangers, and they were interesting, unique, and inspiring (if nothing else than as a character I can attempt to portray someday in an improv scene). I met a (former) graffiti artist, and a rabbi (not the same person) whose six month stint in NYC turned into 43 1/2 years.
3. You Need to See More Documentaries: One thing about the NYC film scene – there are even more documentaries available to watch than there are in LA. I took some time to check out The Revisionaries and Brooklyn Castle, two excellent documentaries that really should be seen by more or less everyone. The former explores the Texas School Board and their effect on national textbook standards, and the latter profiles the struggles of the top Intermediate school in the country for chess as they deal with budget cuts. Both documentaries are eye-opening, thought-provoking, and well-crafted. Both are worth your hard earned money.
Or at least a couple hours of your life when they hit Netflix streaming.