• The gothness of the black McDonald’s flags in NYC.
  • The fabric shops on 38th Street and all their gaudy, sparkly fabrics.
  • Receiving a New York Times alert about the measles state of emergency in Williamsburg minutes after getting off the train in Williamsburg.
  • How painfully obvious it is that I—scrawny, wide-eyed, Midwestern—am a mark when I’m walking on the street in NYC.
  • The man who picked a pigeon feather off the ground, lovingly inspected it, and then stashed it in his pocket.