Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 359

"I’ve got a lot of troubles. I’ve had a lot of bad...

"I’ve got a lot of troubles. I’ve had a lot of bad luck. But God is getting me back on my feet. God is telling me things."
"What sort of things is God telling you?"
"He’s showing me that I can do things on my own. They used to send a bus to take me to the hospital. But now I get there on my own. Even though it takes longer, God told me I should do it on my own."
"What does God say when he talks to you?"
"God doesn’t talk to me. He puts an inspiration in me. And it doesn’t go away until I’ve done it."

"My husband was an editor at the New York Times, so he’d...

"My husband was an editor at the New York Times, so he’d work really late nights, and I’d sometimes get lonely. So I started letting this tomcat into our house everyday. But my husband was horribly allergic to cats, so right before he’d get home, I’d let the cat back out again. But one night it was raining so hard that I refused to let the cat out, and my husband stayed up all night sneezing. And that’s how I got a puppy!"

"What’s your greatest struggle right now?""The death of my...

"What’s your greatest struggle right now?"
"The death of my husband."
"How’d you meet?"
"I was at a party on Fire Island, and this man walked in. I was about 25 at the time and recently divorced. I thought: ‘He looks interesting, I should get to know him.’ We ended up talking all night long. The next morning we were engaged, and two weeks later we were married."
"So what did he say when he asked you to marry him?"
"He didn’t really ask. He just said: ‘Let’s get married.’"

"We’re the Eco Adventure Club! Everyday we go on an...

"We’re the Eco Adventure Club! Everyday we go on an adventure to learn about plants and animals in the city. Today is our eleventh adventure. We’ve been to Prospect Park, the Botanical Gardens, and today we’re learning to use maps on the High Line. We’re even growing our own garden. Everybody say Raaassstttaaaffaaarriii!"

Today in microfashion…

Today in microfashion…

"He wants to go home."

"He wants to go home."

"I want to make electronic music and perform in Japan. But...

"I want to make electronic music and perform in Japan. But it’s tough to stay motivated. At some point you forget your original intention, but you still have to keep doing it every day."
"What do you mean by ‘original intention?’"
"When you start something, your motivation comes from a really strong feeling of inspiration. As you go on, it gets harder and harder to remember that feeling."

"My friend came up to me and said: ‘Alfredo! There’s...

"My friend came up to me and said: ‘Alfredo! There’s some guy over there jerking off in front of women and kids.’ So I ran up to this guy, and I said: ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing? Put your shit back in your pants and get the fuck out of the park!’ And he stood up, and he got in my face, and he started to say: ‘Fuck you!’ But after he said ‘fuck,’ and before he said ‘you,’ I clocked him right in the face and knocked him out. When the cops came, I told them the story, and they said: ‘You better get out of here before the boss gets here.’ So I left the park, but this guy’s tooth was lodged in my hand. And he had some sort of infection. Cause two days later, my legs swell up like balloons, and I’ve barely been able to walk since."

"That’s the Grandmaster in the back. He doesn’t...

"That’s the Grandmaster in the back. He doesn’t speak much English. He was number one in China back in 1980, so I knew of his name long before I met him. He’s very humble. A true gentleman fighter. He’s 68, but I’ve seen him put a spear against his neck, and use it to push a car."
"So at what point can you call yourself a Grandmaster?"
"A Grandmaster doesn’t say he’s a Grandmaster. Other people say it for him."

Seen in Chinatown

Seen in Chinatown