New York City refers to the five boroughs surrounded by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. Arguably, this area is one of the most culturally diverse regions in the world. I love New York City and everything that comes with it. We have endless portrayals of Manhattan specifically, from "Seinfeld," "Friends," "Sex and the City," "Gossip Girl," and "Suits." From Times Square to SOHO, to Wall Street and United Nations, Manhattan has become one of the leading financial centers in the world. This borough stretches from the prestigious Columbia University on the Upper West Side to the elite New York University in Lower Manhattan. This global city has unimaginable beauties from the picture perfect skyline to images of snowfall across Central Park. Thanks to J.D Salinger, we have the famous question from Holden Caulfield, “By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?" This will always remain a great mystery for the Big Apple.
To quote one of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits, “New York, New York," “These vagabond shoes/ are longing to stray/ right through the very heart of it.” New York City exceeds 8 million people with over 1.5 million living in Manhattan alone. Anyone who has ever walked along these city streets knows how unfriendly New Yorkers can be towards one another. Most of us seem to walk the streets and not acknowledge anyone besides us. New Yorkers fall into a certain stereotype which borderlines impatience and discourtesy, but I wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for the world. Sometimes being one of many is not such a bad thing.
The phrase "New York minute" seems to be an accurate description of the fast-paced city life. Urban dictionary defines this as, “the interval between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the guy behind you honking his horn.” Everyone knows unless you’re a cab driver, you shouldn’t be driving in the city. That is, unless you want to be stuck in two-hour traffic trying to travel from uptown to downtown. The subway will be your best bet.
The one who has conquered the subway map system will always be the same one who deserves a certain type of praise. The 7 line is Queens’ only access to the city, a simple bus ride away for most of us. The Long Island Railroad always seems to be a sufficient option, if I want to spend $20 round trip and arrive on 34th Street. Taking the 7 to the Q train will leave you at 55th and 6th, and there will be possibly the greatest Halal carts you will ever find. Thus, the subway system does wonders.
Everyone who lives outside New York City refers to Manhattan as just that, Manhattan. Anyone else from a surrounding area simply calls that island, the city. Now, we have the surrounding boroughs outside of Manhattan, which include Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Staten Island. Despite Queens being on the outskirts of the city, the borough has quite the similarities to the fast-paced lifestyle. Growing up in Queens meant being able to walk to my friend’s house and not having to acquire my license until I was 18. Being less than an hour from the city, Queens remains a nice medium between the luxurious Hamptons and the cosmopolitan city. As a teenager, work was never more than half a mile away. Traveling from my house to the local gym, I come across at least six pizzerias, given my gym is barely a mile and half away. Despite taking the bus home from middle school, the less than two-mile walk was, nonetheless, manageable. With public transportation around the corner and the local supermarket practically down the street, I had no desire to take driving lessons. However, if I wanted to go the mall — that was another story.
With Queens being home to the World’s Fair on several occasions, the New York Mets and the Belmont Racetrack, there’s always excitement. Living in Queens meant there was always something to do in my spare time. Although, I’ll admit if someone handed me an apartment in Greenwich Village, it would be quite hard to say no.
Living in Manhattan may be an ideal situation for someone in his 20s. An apartment alongside Lexington or in SOHO will be an undeniably great experience. Unless I turn into the new Harvey Spector living the life of luxury on 5th Avenue, you’ll find me elsewhere.
One day when I leave New York City, I will have some form of detachment from New York pizza and bagels. I will miss the ability to find countless Starbucks locations within a mile from my home. I will always enjoy how quickly someone walks, whether in Queens or Manhattan. Not having to remember street names and simply understanding the grid plan will be one of my greatest missed pleasures. When someone questions my address because it has numbers instead of a name, I only seem to respond with how I never need a GPS to travel to a friend’s house. A smile will always cross my face as I cross the George Washington Bridge or see the “Welcome to New York City,” sign. Thus, I will always call this place home.
Despite my love for New York City, I plan to leave it. I don’t expect to raise a family in such a lifestyle. My parents picked the perfect location and I would not trade any moment of my childhood to live anywhere but here. I loved having three public high schools within a five-mile radius with a graduating class close to 1,000 students each. I enjoyed not knowing everyone in my grade and not running into people I knew on a daily basis. I loved the easy access to the city, streetlights everywhere, and constant opportunities. However, this is not a life for everyone. At some point, everyone needs to move somewhere warmer and relocate to a place where movie tickets aren’t the same price as a full tank of gas.
I will not miss the tourists taking pictures on the red steps in Times Square with the overpriced Olive Garden and Forever 21 nearby. Alhough, the Toys "R" Us does have a nice Ferris wheel and amazing Broadway theater exists just blocks away, I will not miss the over-hyped Times Square area. I will not miss the expensive sandwiches and overpriced fitness centers everywhere. Unfortunately, sirens come at all hours of the night. I’ve been accustomed to this sound, however, I could live a life without car alarms going off early in the morning. New York City will always be magnificent. Between the diverse cuisine and endless opportunities, why would anyone want to leave? Maybe one day, after I start a life for myself and have a family of my own, I will decide to move back to the city.
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and beauty in the world.” At that’s just it. You'll become caught up in the city life and your accent will begin to define you. This place will consume you. New York City will always be a city of wonder —a city I will not live in forever.
