Val's Second Dérive
March 23, 2018, by Valentina
Unlike my last Derive, this time I got a chance to start somewhere I don’t find myself often: the Lower East Side. I was pretty excited to begin another adventure in an unexpected area, so I even took a photo to remember the glorious fish by the Delancey Street F train station. My starting point was an apartment complex by East Houston, between the Baruch Playground and Drive and Columbia Street—which notoriously becomes Avenue D after crossing the border.
Once I reached my starting point, I was ready to begin the adventure, which began easily enough. The first card simply told me to Turn Right, which resulted in me entering the building complex that coasts along Baruch Drive. I never really thought the Derive would bring me to a residential area, but it looked somewhat lively even at dusk. I found myself particularly compelled by the Williamsburg Bridge), which I was able to see from the back, or front of the buildings. There were a few children playing in the background that seemed to be enjoying themselves, and even if this area was considered very much a questionable place to live, it seemed like plenty blue collar families had been living down there without any overt signs of peril. The next card proved to be somewhat trickier to deal with, as it encouraged me to Meander in the direction of a Green Car. The Baruch drive area seemed to have plenty of parking spaces, so I felt like it would have been fairly easy to encounter a green car. Nevertheless, I shot myself in the foot for not walking back, where I had found a very, very green car!
Eventually, I settled for a teal-ish color, after I felt like I was wandering way too close to actual apartment complexes. It’s green, I swear. . The next prompt was… weird. Weird and very complex. It prompted me to Meander until [I] found few people taking a break. Noticeably change [my] pace, as if [I were] in a panic, moving into the first street on [my] right. As someone with somewhat severe social anxiety, acting like a complete lunatic was not something I was particularly looking forward to. On my path, I found some interesting glass sculpture close to an area known as the Rock Zone. It is always a delightful experience to come across new, interesting details of the city, and this was definitely no different.
But, alas, I had to get to the running in a panic. Finding a significant group of people seemed to be the most challenging part, because most of the ones that ‘seemed’ to be ‘taking a break,’ they were mostly children, whom I didn’t really want to traumatize! Eventually, I turned towards Baruch Park, still in the Baruch Drive. Finding myself near a High School, I was able to spot a group of security guards, who seemed to be relaxing outside of the entrance. That’s enough of a break, right? To preserve my identity, I decided to partake in my running from the other side of the road. Turning right after audibly sighing led me to Columbia Street.
To my surprise, even the next prompt was excruciatingly detailed. It invited me to, Look for broken infrastructure. Take photos in an officious manner and look discombobulated. Shake [my] head and take the next right. As I proceeded straight through Columbia street, I noticed it turning into Avenue D, where the only technically piece of broken infrastructure seemed to be ripped paper from a nearby CVS. I did my best to look absolutely discombobulated as I captured this peculiar gap. Relieved, I rejoiced when the next prompt was a simple Follow A White Car, which was only a mere meters away, between 4th and 5th Street.Definitely made my life easier for a while.
The detailed prompts came back to haunt me immediately after, as I was asked to Find [myself] a quiet spot. Contemplate [my] surroundings and take the busiest exit. The closest real tree in sight was back by the Baruch Playground, so I went back towards my starting point and noticed some people standing by the tree. We, together, seemed all much in pure contemplation.
I was then invited to the most appropriate prompt for the gritty East Village: Search for construction. It was definitely not hard to find, as any direction I could have headed towards would have led me to some kind of scaffolding. I was able to find one by heading back and crossing through 6th street. I sat by a very bright light, and I was able to capture it very well!. The next card was somewhat complex, as it exhorted me to Look for someone wearing red shoes. Take notes and directly afterwards, take the first left. I put on my eyeglasses and began searching for crimson footwear. It took a few minutes, but seeing as the scaffolding was right next to a Walgreen’s, the people traffic did eventually catch up to me. As notes, I made sure to write down, “shoes have thick black stripes that remind me of AC Milan, my favorite soccer team back in Europe.” It was quite the sight. I then turned left on 6th street.
I headed back to the construction when the next card asked me to Look for a line. Follow it until it ends, or until [I’m] done. I remembered this card from my last derive, and I recalled the construction being somewhat linear. I followed it until it came to a natural end. Then, came the time to Move West, which was already in the direction of the line. To end my second derive, I was asked to Walk south for a few block and look for something handmade. Right by an Italian restaurant across the street, I stumbled upon an old school display of mortar and pestles!. As an added bonus, by moving West I ended up right in front of a Brazilian restaurant I am a big fan of.
