I am California born and bred, but a current resident of Portland, Oregon. I am a west coast gal. Naturally, my east vs. west debate has always been very biased because while I truly felt my coast was best, I had never been to the east.
This past week I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the east coast, and specifically New York City. My best friend has lived in The Bronx for about a year now, so I wasn’t traveling with a fellow newbie or tourist. During my visit I found my mind opened by traveling even a small distance. I learned things about myself as well as about traveling.
1.) Nature is necessary
I do not claim the title of woodsman or even an “outdoorsy” person, but as a west coaster I need my big trees and fresh air. NYC offers neither. I found myself suffocating in the humidity and smog and not finding any abundant wilderness.
2.) Tourists are actually cool
Hear me out before you start rioting. I understand that feeling of being annoyed by tourists in a place that you live, but being in these crowded areas surrounded by people, I realized tourism is kind of amazing. Different people, from all walks of life, are congregating in these few specific places and are so excited about where they are they want to take pictures and commemorate the event. That is amazing! Tourist attractions bring together groups of people who would never be found in the same place otherwise, and that’s beautiful.
3.) Never be ashamed to take photos
I love photos. I am in love with the idea of capturing a moment in time and having this evidence that you experienced that moment. Photos allow us to relive moments long since passed.
I understand the argument that we should be experiencing the world and not worrying about taking photos, but I think that there is nothing wrong with experiencing something and then snapping quick photo. Because our memories will fade away and we will forget some of those experiences, so why not have a piece of physical evidence to bring back that experience once it’s seemingly erased from our memory?
I am always scared to take photos because I don’t want to look like a tourist or be judged for whipping out my phone every three seconds to capture something. But screw that. Have no shame in wanting to capture something you love, it isn’t “not experiencing the world around you,” it's appreciating it even more.
4.) To get ahead you have to be a little self-centered
New York City, without a doubt, is the capital of the world. The United Nations, The World Trade Center, and Wall Street all reside in this city of only 322 square miles. Politics, money, culture, and fashion all happen in this city. So while the focus of the city is effecting change on a national or global scale, the people who are living there have to be focused on themselves. People in NYC even travel as though they are the only people who matter.
New York City is a high energy city with people constantly thinking about getting themselves from point A to point B as quickly as possible. This is in direct opposition to the “west coast vibe” where enjoying the journey is just as important as the destination. The people of NYC have places to go and decisions to make and their own agenda is king. This is not a criticism of that lifestyle because these people are the ones who are creating all of the amazing things this city produces, it is simply very different from the west coast approach to things.
5.) If you want your personal space don’t go to NYC
Personal space will be violated from time to time no matter where you go, and cities are especially notorious for this. However, I have been to San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle and never have I found my personal space so casually and frequently violated.
As mentioned, New Yorkers are very fast paced and self-involved when moving about the city, so it seemed that their surroundings are not a huge consideration. But more than that, everyone is so busy doing their own thing that even in a situation where they could move over just a little bit to provide space between themselves and the person next to them on the subway, they don’t. To this west-coaster, it seemed to be because that would take extra energy and it didn’t bother them enough to exert that.
NYC was a totally new and exciting experience and while I could never live there, I do appreciate it for what it is: hectic, busy, and beautiful.
East may be beast, but it will never be best.
