You're dying? But I gotta great parking space...

The High Line, a new park on an old elevated railway line — photo from New York Times

This morning, around 7am, I was walking over to the Hudson River on West 17th Street, crossing Eighth Avenue, then Ninth... The neighborhood — Chelsea, of course — was beautiful in the early morning sunlight.

I was heading to the river to take a few photos, and also hoping to find New York City's newest park, the magnificent High Line, open, though it wasn't.

But then I saw an incident: someone had been hurt severely at the Projects across Ninth Avenue, and there was, starting with farthermost vehicle first: a police car, then two ambulances, rear doors open; then closest to me, another car, barely moving forward, just idling...

Medics came running out of the project building with a person on a stretcher, and put them into the second ambulance. Two building workers looked on, shaking heads sadly. The ambulances both took off at speed. The police car then drove away as well.

And the other car? Well, the driver now felt comfortable to drive up a little and... ease his car parking space previously occupied by the ambulances.

Oh, New York!