Streetlife

Walking up 1st Avenue yesterday evening, on my way to the L train and home, I had a funny encounter.

I was walking just behind a guy and a girl, together, and the guy was on his cell talking to someone else.

"We're going to Tile Bar?" he asked into the phone. "Where's Tile Bar?"

I piped up behind him - "1st Ave and 7th Street" - and the guy on the phone turned towards me, seemed to size me up, and said, "1st and 7th, says the mustachioed man behind me."

As I passed the couple, I caught the still-on-the-phone guy's eye and pointed up the street to Tile Bar, which was within view. I sped up walking and began to pull away from them when I heard the guy ask into his phone, "Is there food there?"

"No!" I shouted back.

The guy looked again at me and said into the phone, "Goddamn, this guy ahead of me is so on point...."