Thursday, September 10, 2009
Summer in the city: Saturday in the Park with Tylon
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
If you are upset with the rainy weather, inability to get away, the economic situation, tough decisions on health coverage – relax and enjoy your perks, you live in the most desirable part of the greatest city in the universe (as we know it).
Before or after Labor Day, Union Square is the destination of choice for natives as well as tourists, guaranteed to show you something new and exciting, and cheer you up. Literally thousands of people flock here, to admire and be admired. Saturdays and other market days are the best, for fresh groceries, a bite to eat, and to see the vendors offering art, souvenirs , political tracts and tee-shirts, or engaging in political discussions or testing your skills at chess-for- pay.
A week ago I was passing through, stopping to look at a tall black athlete doing flips and contortions in the large forum-like plaza at the south end, with several rows of spectators surrounding the spectacle and a drummer accompanying the action. He was starting a new session, asking for volunteers. An embarrassed but brave teenager was soon cajoled to the center stage by the contortionist, who introduced her to the crowd and warned her of hazards, while folding himself into a human frog, walking on his hands with legs folded behind his shoulders and gesticulating with his toes. The hazards ? Well, he was going to jump over her head, and any unexpected moves would cause injuries. Having cleared the runway, with willing aid from the intrigued crowd, he made some test runs and declared Tina would flinch, and therefore should turn her back to the jumper. She did, and Tylon (I found the names later) easily somersaulted over the five foot three inches tall girl, to drum rolls and applause of the crowd. When she tried to leave, he made her stay and declared that he would now jump over eight volunteers. Intrigued, seven more youngsters came forward, were aligned and warned not to move, under any circumstances. While they got comfortable, Tylon moved through the crowd with a huge blue pail, collecting donations for the forthcoming adventure. The thrilled spectators gave willingly, singles and even a rare fiver, and, a hundred dollars richer, Tylon revealed his secret. The kids were made to cover their eyes by bending down, a grownup was added at the end, and Tylon flew over the sequence, with an imperceptible pushoff on the end man, to complete the somersault. We were left breathless, after a near hour of suspense, and a quite a few admirers came to Tylon with handshakes and more dollar bills.
Visiting Whole Foods or Trader Joe would have been anticlimactic, and I chose to turn towards Strand Bookstore , to check the records for high jump and broad jump (eight and twenty-nine feet). Tylon was well up for an athlete, and exceptional for performing in a carnival environment. What was really exceptional was finding that the Strand’s thirty or so outside bookcases, filled with thousands of titles ($1 the volume, forty-nine cents for pocketbook novels) were surrounded by three dozen browsers, polite but persistent, some carrying armfuls or shopping-baskets full of selections. Inside, a more controlled large crowd was lined up at the ten cash registers (mine was serviced by a Pre-Raphaelite looking brunette, recent Cambridge grad with a Masters in fine arts, looking for a theatre or museum opportunity). At least, America should not worry about internet damaged unfocused students as long as they are still devouring books en masse.
Sunday noontime in Union Square was quiet, the Greenmarket spaces unoccupied in the dull sunshine, sales booths for art and tee shirts duly in place, and early brunch crowds busily chatting at the Coffee Shop and Blue Sea Grill’s outdoor tables. Today the Park’s south end plaza was occupied by brightly colored tents of Sabra Hummus Company food wagons and service tables, offering free samples of Classic Hummus, the chick pea and ground sesame-based spread. It is basic food in the MidEast, and Israelis travel cross-country to the old Crusader town Accra’s Arab quarter for its best home-made taste. Park visitors received sampler packs, and were served with plates of humus, mixed with yogurt and other taste enhancers, plus pita crackers, as dip or appetizer.
On most afternoons the plaza is host to music groups, local as well as travelers from faraway places. New Orleans sound has been noted, on occasions. The political groups with their banners also come late, eager to engage visitors in debates about economics and the Palestinian issues.
Speaking of economics, there’s another new store on 14th Street, helping stem the recession – Rainbow, a junior, kids, plus and petite specialty apparel chain offshoot. New to us, although active since 1980 as Kidspot, 5-7-9, Foxmor, Plymouth and Caren Charles, they have 1,000 plus stores in 38 states. Rumored to be paying $48,000 rent for the location of our former main source for housewares, the Bloom and Krup spot, they are making a sizeable bet on 14th Street’s future.
If you are upset with the rainy weather, inability to get away, the economic situation, tough decisions on health coverage – relax and enjoy your perks, you live in the most desirable part of the greatest city in the universe (as we know it).
Before or after Labor Day, Union Square is the destination of choice for natives as well as tourists, guaranteed to show you something new and exciting, and cheer you up. Literally thousands of people flock here, to admire and be admired. Saturdays and other market days are the best, for fresh groceries, a bite to eat, and to see the vendors offering art, souvenirs , political tracts and tee-shirts, or engaging in political discussions or testing your skills at chess-for- pay.
A week ago I was passing through, stopping to look at a tall black athlete doing flips and contortions in the large forum-like plaza at the south end, with several rows of spectators surrounding the spectacle and a drummer accompanying the action. He was starting a new session, asking for volunteers. An embarrassed but brave teenager was soon cajoled to the center stage by the contortionist, who introduced her to the crowd and warned her of hazards, while folding himself into a human frog, walking on his hands with legs folded behind his shoulders and gesticulating with his toes. The hazards ? Well, he was going to jump over her head, and any unexpected moves would cause injuries. Having cleared the runway, with willing aid from the intrigued crowd, he made some test runs and declared Tina would flinch, and therefore should turn her back to the jumper. She did, and Tylon (I found the names later) easily somersaulted over the five foot three inches tall girl, to drum rolls and applause of the crowd. When she tried to leave, he made her stay and declared that he would now jump over eight volunteers. Intrigued, seven more youngsters came forward, were aligned and warned not to move, under any circumstances. While they got comfortable, Tylon moved through the crowd with a huge blue pail, collecting donations for the forthcoming adventure. The thrilled spectators gave willingly, singles and even a rare fiver, and, a hundred dollars richer, Tylon revealed his secret. The kids were made to cover their eyes by bending down, a grownup was added at the end, and Tylon flew over the sequence, with an imperceptible pushoff on the end man, to complete the somersault. We were left breathless, after a near hour of suspense, and a quite a few admirers came to Tylon with handshakes and more dollar bills.
Visiting Whole Foods or Trader Joe would have been anticlimactic, and I chose to turn towards Strand Bookstore , to check the records for high jump and broad jump (eight and twenty-nine feet). Tylon was well up for an athlete, and exceptional for performing in a carnival environment. What was really exceptional was finding that the Strand’s thirty or so outside bookcases, filled with thousands of titles ($1 the volume, forty-nine cents for pocketbook novels) were surrounded by three dozen browsers, polite but persistent, some carrying armfuls or shopping-baskets full of selections. Inside, a more controlled large crowd was lined up at the ten cash registers (mine was serviced by a Pre-Raphaelite looking brunette, recent Cambridge grad with a Masters in fine arts, looking for a theatre or museum opportunity). At least, America should not worry about internet damaged unfocused students as long as they are still devouring books en masse.
Sunday noontime in Union Square was quiet, the Greenmarket spaces unoccupied in the dull sunshine, sales booths for art and tee shirts duly in place, and early brunch crowds busily chatting at the Coffee Shop and Blue Sea Grill’s outdoor tables. Today the Park’s south end plaza was occupied by brightly colored tents of Sabra Hummus Company food wagons and service tables, offering free samples of Classic Hummus, the chick pea and ground sesame-based spread. It is basic food in the MidEast, and Israelis travel cross-country to the old Crusader town Accra’s Arab quarter for its best home-made taste. Park visitors received sampler packs, and were served with plates of humus, mixed with yogurt and other taste enhancers, plus pita crackers, as dip or appetizer.
On most afternoons the plaza is host to music groups, local as well as travelers from faraway places. New Orleans sound has been noted, on occasions. The political groups with their banners also come late, eager to engage visitors in debates about economics and the Palestinian issues.
Speaking of economics, there’s another new store on 14th Street, helping stem the recession – Rainbow, a junior, kids, plus and petite specialty apparel chain offshoot. New to us, although active since 1980 as Kidspot, 5-7-9, Foxmor, Plymouth and Caren Charles, they have 1,000 plus stores in 38 states. Rumored to be paying $48,000 rent for the location of our former main source for housewares, the Bloom and Krup spot, they are making a sizeable bet on 14th Street’s future.
Labels: Tylon Moore
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 7:19 AM 
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Great article! Tylon is indeed an awesome dancer and athlete. His antics are not particularly well-documented on the internet, but you can find some great videos on his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/2bpb.
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