An Appreciation of Columbia Heights

Now I walk a lot. That is probably obvious by now. And I walk at a pretty brisk pace as well. I don’t know if it’s my New York upbringing but, you know, I have this illness where I have to be on the move. I also sometimes hallucinate but that is neither here nor there. What I’m writing about is the fact that today I actually slowed down. I got to an interview about an hour early and just sat down near 13th Street and Kenyon. If you ever forget how awesome Columbia Heights is, I suggest you do the same. The diversity of people who walked by me was staggering. While surrounded by incredible rowhouses, I heard some amazing Spanish music. I saw folks walking by with Yoga mats rolled up and hung across their backs. I saw, perhaps, some of the cutest kids on the eastern seaboard. I saw folks in their Sunday finest. And the language too. I heard people speaking Spanish and I also heard some very course street slang that was no less beautiful and poetic to my ears. People from all walks of life sauntered past me and the one thing they had in common was that they were all happy, which was a beautiful thing to see.