My ever so rare outings to the city these days are getting bizarre..having lived here for 20 years I've just discovered an underground city downtown..a ped way linking hotels and upscale highrises, stores, restaurants, businesses. It blew my mind ! Not so much a mere fact of its existence but its surreal emptiness underneath all the heat and hustle and bustle, there was no one there..Vast, empty spaces, dark and cool..the entry way strait out of "Stalker" followed by what looked like an abandoned Hotel California..or Titanic, complete with dusty grand foyer and an open bar, no people in sight.
When I finally got out of there I was passed by a creature so eery I was afraid to photograph it..Mind you, it was 100 degrees outside, scorching, blinding city sun and there she was, a young woman all dressed in black, coat, boots, and a top hat, brim covering eyes so one could only see her smile, ear to ear, this dead frozen grin..she walked back and forth, aimlessly, not a muscle twitching in her face, a doll face..Then there was a bunch of butt-naked gay men all looking like the Village People, spilling out of some dungeon..They were delightful and the girl disappeared somewhere in tunnels, to my great relief.
All night I felt her presence though, and not just hers. Some day this will probably be me, a lost ghost with some unfinished business wandering city streets..no peace..judging by this random-fired shot on the go, it will look like this..
