“Summertime, and the livin’ is ….leisurely” especially in Bryant Park as the trees provide relief from the hot sun and allow for soft summer breezes. I sat on a green slatted lawn chair sipping iced coffee and web surfing when I heard “How are you going to keep ‘em down on the farm after they’ve seen Paree?” drifting across the open spaces. My mind was in the 21st century as I was doing internet research for an article on finances but my heart was being tugged by the romantic music. I packed up my computer and followed the sentimental tune to a 19th century Victorian carousel with ornate carvings and massive sculptures. The animals were horses, frogs, and cats, with exaggerated details; the cat’s saddle had the wings of Mercury.
I saw children’s dancing knees and faces of expectation as they waited impatiently waited for their turn. As soon as the ride stopped, and before the children who just finish riding departed, the new group descended on the carousel in an effort to secure their cherished animal.
The bell rang and the ride began. The platform began to rotate, slowly at first and then faster, and the critters began to rise and fall on their shiny brass poles. Younger children held on to the poles with both hands; but the older ones used only one. Once the younger brood and saw the bigger kids riding with only one hand they decided to do likewise. There were babies sitting on horses with their mothers firmly holding the toddlers in place. The mother’s knees went up and down in unison with the movements of the stallion.
I placed my laptop on a table and sat down to continue to research mutual fund prospectus when I notice Lenny, the carousel operator, take a sip of water and stare off into space for two minutes and forty seconds, between rides. (Being an accountant I just had to know how long the ride was.) I decided to talk with Lenny between rides and he told me he is a retired fork lift operator from the General Motors. He runs the carousel on Saturdays and Sundays during the warmer months. He also said that at least one child per ride screams and cries at the end of the ride because he or she doesn’t want it to end. The parent usually relents and pays for an additional ride.
I returned to my computer to study stock risk analysis when I saw two girls wearing off white frilly party dresses, black patent leather shoes, white tights, and a pink ribbon slowly loosening its grip on their hair. They ran toward the horses, jumping their right feet in the stirrup and in one motion throw their left leg over the back of the mare. They totally abandoned their lady like persona and became tom boys in taffeta. Their mothers’ jaws dropped, they shook their heads and rolled their eyes at their daughter’s behavior.
At the end of this ride there was an angry shouting match between another mother and Lenny. The mother refused to take her daughter off the frog. She screamed something about a free ride and shoved a small piece of paper in Lenny’s face. Lenny calmly shook his head and tried to tell her that they can’t stay. All the fun stopped as the children and parents watched the commotion. The music stopped. My research stopped. The atmosphere became eerily silent. Finally, Lenny shook his head, walked away, and pushed the button to start the ride. The bell rang and “Daisy, Daisy, give my your answer true…” began to fill the air. The girl was still on the frog with her mother at her side. Lenny was so cool about this woman’s behavior.
Next, the tax exempt bond analysis tables were interrupted by a dad teaching his son to do the Indian war whoop by making an extended “who” sound and them quickly placing his hand over his mouth and releasing it creating “whoop whoop” sound. The boy quickly caught on, was grinning at his accomplishment, and had that mischievous look on his face which seemed to say “Wait ‘till mom hears this.”
Later, there was only one passenger on the carousel, a boy about three years old.
The horses, frogs and cats chased each other in a circle almost all by themselves without the other children to give them life. The boy’s face was expressionless and he looked to be in deep thought to the sounds of “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee” It is almost as if the livestock comes to life in the movie “Toy Story.”
I decided to put the computer away and talk with Lenny some more. He was obviously more interesting than standard deviation tables. Lenny says that things are not always rosy at the carousel. “This is New York after all and the parents can be pushy at times often complaining that they didn’t get their money’s worth or that they are due a free ride.” I asked what happened with that lady a few minutes ago and the girl on the frog. He said that she was just trying to pull a fast one; she was there yesterday for a birthday party hosted by someone who rented the carousel for an hour. Because she arrived late for the party she thought she was entitled to free rides at a later date. He let her get away with it because it wasn’t fair to the other children to hold up their fun. Lenny said he wonders what kind of example she was setting for her children.
This carousel reminds me of the image of small town America a hundred years ago not sophisticated New York City. The setting for the carousel is in such contrast with the surrounding skyscrapers and office buildings, providing the writer with many examples of the contrasts with this 19th century carousel in 21st Century New York. My favorite contrast is that as I sat not more than ten feet from the carousel, I could research mutual fund prospectus on the web in the 21st century and slip into 19th century America at the same time because Bryant Park is completely wired for internet access.
