Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 525

"What’s your greatest struggle right now?"“Trying to put...

"What’s your greatest struggle right now?"

“Trying to put together a new dresser from IKEA."

"You better snap it quick, because I’m jumping on the...

"You better snap it quick, because I’m jumping on the first thing that comes down this track."

"He’s an engineer, and he always thought it was stupid to...

"He’s an engineer, and he always thought it was stupid to have a bed sitting in the middle of a room. So when our ceiling collapsed during a flood, he took the opportunity to build our bed into the ceiling. Now we have much more space, and when we’re ready to sleep, we just flip a switch and the bed lowers to the ground." 

"Hey HONY! I got blocked from your page!""You did? What did you...

"Hey HONY! I got blocked from your page!"
"You did? What did you do?"
"I’m not sure, exactly. But I think it’s because I was writing ‘first’ on every post." 

"What was the happiest moment of your life?""When my daughter...

"What was the happiest moment of your life?"
"When my daughter was born."
"Where is she now?"
"She was raped and murdered, along with my wife."
"Oh God. Were you there at the time?"
"Nope. I was at work. I was a paramedic."
"Were you the one that found them?"
"Yep."
"Did they catch the guy?"
"They did. But I had a nervous breakdown and got committed. After that, I wasn’t allowed to be a paramedic anymore."

"I’ve been trying to set limits on my sixteen year old...

"I’ve been trying to set limits on my sixteen year old brother ever since our mom died, but it’s tough. He’s really intelligent, but he thinks he’s too smart for school, and just doesn’t seem to care anymore. He thinks: ‘I’ve lost my mom, so what’s the point?’ All I can do is keep working and try to set an example."
"Where’s your dad?"
"Who knows."

"Everything I’ve given her, she’s given me back, and...

"Everything I’ve given her, she’s given me back, and more. It started when we first met. We were living in the same building at the time. I told her that I was going to hire someone to clean my apartment, and she volunteered to do it. When she finished, I tried to pay her, but she took the money and bought me things. I tried to pay her again and again, but each time she used the money to buy me more things."

A 16 year old girl named Katherine Jung just sent me a song she...

A 16 year old girl named Katherine Jung just sent me a song she wrote about HONY. It. is. gorgeous.

Pavement
And footprints
Of blackened burdens
From broken men

Skyline
And sunrise
For battle cries
From hopeless women

And suddenly
You look the same as me or he or she
And in a city second
You’re eyes are opened to the

1 2 3 4
All the humans of New York
5 6 7 8
A thousand lives in every face
9 10 say it again
I’ll be, you are, they have been
1 2 3 4 
All the humans of New York

Street lights
At nighttime
When all our demons 
Come back alive

Neon
And our song
Of revolution
Coming alive

And suddenly
You look the same as me or he or she
And in a city second
You’re eyes are opened to the

1 2 3 4
All the humans of New York
5 6 7 8
A thousand lives in every face
9 10 say it again
I’ll be, you are, they have been
1 2 3 4 
All the humans of New York

Would you have hope?
Would you gain a little closure?
Would it help you cope?
Would you step a little closer?
Would you see yourself
In a mirror made of pictures?
Would you find yourself
In a beautiful stranger?

Would you have hope?
Would you gain a little closure?
Would it help you cope?
Would you step a little closer?
Would you see yourself
In a mirror made of pictures?
Would you find yourself
In a beautiful stranger?

1 2 3 4
All the humans of New York
5 6 7 8
A thousand lives in every face
9 10 say it again
I’ll be, you are, they have been
1 2 3 4 
All the humans of New York

"We’re late for a wedding."

"We’re late for a wedding." 

No time like bro time.

No time like bro time.