On 191st street in Manhattan, there is a tunnel of graffiti connected to the subway after exiting the turnstiles. I had never heard of this specific tunnel before, but I’m always open to exploring.
Last weekend, a friend visiting from New Jersey came home to have a good time. So after two hours of being lost in the subway, we made it to Smorgasburg. Post eating at many of the stands and walking along the pier, she brought up this tunnel.
We headed back on the train, not realizing how many stops it would take to get to 191st street. Hell, I didn’t even know we could go that far up. But, we did. I nodded off to some music, and only occasionally awoke to make sure my friend was doing all right. In one instance, I opened my eyes to see the train above ground. The sun was slowly setting over the water, and I was given the chance to see it right out the window. It’s moments like those that remind me that I have a good life to live, and I’ve got a long way to go.
She shook me awake when we arrived at a fairly empty station. Being myself, I was skeptical. Google maps was not kind to us that day, thus, we had grown accustomed to getting lost. It was getting dark and I grew worried that we wouldn’t be able to find the tunnel before the sun set.
Upon exiting the turnstile, my friend’s phone vibrated and told us we had arrived. Arrived? Where? All we saw were stairs and a – oh! There it was, right beside us.
We read the sign hanging on its entrance gate, explaining what this tunnel was and the six artists who contributed. As we walked through, we could see little words of pedestrians written alongside the graffiti. Usually, they were names of couples or Instagram usernames, but that never took away from the meaning of this tunnel.
One thing I love about the city is that people can turn anything they touch into something beautiful. That is how I strive to live my life. I wish to go out and explore but spread beauty in a way that inspires others to do so as well.
The art presented along those walls was trippy and inspirational. Towards the end of the tunnel, phrases were painted beside each other.
“Today is your day”
“Bright lights big city”
“Big city dreams”
“Seize the day”
And my personal favorite, “Estoy aquí!”
I can only describe the feeling of seeing those phrases as breathless. It felt as though the artists that painted these walls knew everything I felt. It was relieving in a sense, to see that others needed to see these words too. As cheesy as they were, it was a reminder. I am here. I am alive. I am breathing. I am a human that loves to create. I love to laugh. I love to see the happiness in others…
We go through our lives like it is one big schedule. Wake up, work, eat, sleep. It is something we learn from infancy. Often, we fear the unknown. We fear what happens if we break the schedule. But it’s okay. It’s okay to step in the tunnel and breathe a little bit.
The beauty of humanity is that we have the capability to create with such passion and evoke that passion in others. There are times where we look at the world, or even the current place in our lives, and can’t help but be disappointed or even a little scared. And although this is just a tunnel, it’s screaming like the rest of us.
I am here!
Gia Raquel 
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