Free coffee
Today, at 9:00am, I went to the 23rd station at 6th avenue to offer some free coffee to people. This was one of the three options you guys have voted on, and it won by far. It’s easy to understand why, though. Here in New York, we are always in such a hurry that it’s hard even to find time to have a coffee before going to work!
I wanted to offer commuters the opportunity to enjoy some coffee without taking them away from their routine. Besides, I wanted to bring the factor of trust and test if people would be inclined to accept drink from a stranger and also analyze their reactions.
I was raining when I got at the station. I went with my small table, balloons and, of course, some coffee. My friend Luiza Trigo helped me recording.
As usual, New Yorkers were very suspicious at first. Why would someone be offering free stuff!? People would just look and keep walking.
Until someone looked back and must have thought, why not!? That guy was the instigator. After that first cup served, many others started lining up for their own cup of coffee.
I wanted to offer commuters the opportunity to enjoy some coffee without taking them away from their routine. Besides, I wanted to bring the factor of trust and test if people would be inclined to accept drink from a stranger and also analyze their reactions.
I was raining when I got at the station. I went with my small table, balloons and, of course, some coffee. My friend Luiza Trigo helped me recording.
As usual, New Yorkers were very suspicious at first. Why would someone be offering free stuff!? People would just look and keep walking.
Until someone looked back and must have thought, why not!? That guy was the instigator. After that first cup served, many others started lining up for their own cup of coffee.
It was a very good experience, people were very receptive and kind. One guy asked me: – Why? Why are you doing that? Nobody here does it! And my answer was: That’s exactly why!!!
Another girl mentioned, jokingly: – Wow, that could be the beginning of a love story! Well, it was not a love story in the sense of boy meets girl, but I did fall in love with doing this type of intervention.
I, personally, just like to imagine that in someway I can affect those people’s day and, by doing that, start a new chain of something good! : )
The guy who gives away free newspaper asked me to exchange a cup of coffee for a newspaper, which I thought it was amusing and pretty fair! I took the deal, obviously.
The fact that I actually was able to get some New Yorkers out of their away, wait in line to accept a liquid from a stranger and even thank for it, makes me feel this was a very successful intervention.
I was really happy to have done that and kept wondering if I could have, somehow, had affected those people’s day in a positive way. I was certainly much more cheerful all day long.
One of the guys said to me: “– I’m so glad you’re here!”. Me too, sir, me too!