Everyday I see the city from at least two or three vantage points most natives and visitors never get to experience. Between those points I walk and ride the same paths millions take and which I've taken a thousand times. One hour I'm 18 stories above the FDR Drive and the next hour I'm 32 stories above lower midtown. I see buildings torn down and lots built up, their property lines divided from neighbor’s next street over by greasy alleys and historic brownstones, refurbished tenements and converted factories. The cohesive distant city takes on a makeshift patchwork quality up close. The doorman hailed a taxi for the stuffy dowager, her fur collared coat indistinguishable from two of the dog walkers many charges. She lifted her leg as she entered the cab. I waited a moment while the man with the shopping cart fished deposits out of the waste basket. I tossed my empty coffee cup in at the buzzer and headed for the subway.
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