Up Bunker Hill

She loved when the city looked new to her, when those same streets suddenly glow with an unseen, beguiling wonder. That was exactly what happened to her that day, on an unseasonably cool August morning. The sky provided a soft grey canvas, upon which the colors of the city appeared muted, as if still waking and stirring for its 8-hour shift ahead.

"I am here," it cried out silently.

Behind the one of the oldest and most respected buildings in the city, at its very heart, lies a corridor leading to a staired-passage way that takes one up and over to the hill leading to the bank building food court. She traveled through this corridor frequently on her way to one of many jobs. As she stood waiting to cross the 5^th street intersection, as crowded and overwhelmed with traffic as ever, one opposing skyscraper seemed to call out to her. Any other day, it would have appeared as any of the other sentinel structures in this city. A somber mix of earthen brown, steely grey and deep blacks, and polished to an impressive, lustrous finish. Its windows still dimmed from a lack of occupants so early in the morning. And yet, despite all its generic, typical qualities – as generic as a giant can be – it seemed to call out for attention on this August, dreary day.

“I am here,” it cried out silently. And she, hearing its beckon, paid heed to its vertical prowess. Tall, indomitable, steady, and imposing – it stood out pompously gazing down the drop of the avenue to one side, and peering above the rise of the same avenue to the other.

Captivated and awed, she had discovered an unanticipated magnificence. Not novel or innovative, but accustomed, historic, and well-acquainted. She smiled, sometimes this city forced her to acknowledge and respect its beauty.

The crossing signal turned green, she continued on.

Reaching the stairway, but opting for the escalator, she made her way.

Grand Central Library

Looking back from the slowly assenting stairs through the corridor, the Grand Central Library, the nostalgic runt among these modern-day behemoths, sprawled out before her. Its mosaic-tiled roof and spire coming just to her eye level as she reached the top of her ascent.

She thought, ‘Such a wondrous city, to appear so new amongst such familiarity.’ 

And she continued her walk up Bunker Hill.