The wind through her strings

The goal of our trip to Big City Like No Other was to listen to some jazz. Shaggy Hair Boy plays so much jazz piano these days — music is definitely his niche — that I wanted to give him a taste of the city jazz scene. And it was excuse for me to visit Brooklyn Friend, who is always telling me I’m welcome to come sleep on her couch. When we arrived Sunday night, Brooklyn Friend had already chopped up vegetables and was ready to cook us dinner. More importantly, she’d had her piano tuned. Shaggy Hair Boy made himself at home by sitting down at the piano, while Brooklyn Friend and I talked.

The best way to see any big city is to visit with someone who has lived there her whole life. Brooklyn Friend obligingly took us to all the tourist attractions, beginning with the Brooklyn Bridge. Despite the winter weather, the bridge was filled with people — some talking as they walked, some stopping to take pictures, some hurrying along in silence. The views were lovely and the architecture is impressive, but coolest thing about the bridge is that stream of people, all moving constantly, talking in different languages. Every once in a while, Shaggy Hair would nudge me and say, “Get out of the bike lane” and a kid on a bicycle would go zooming past, pedaling like crazy. Below us, I could hear the rush of traffic. I could feel that energy waking me up as we walked.