"One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years." —Tom Wolfe
I haven’t been to many far-off places in my lifetime. I have yet to visit any iconic sights worth humbly bragging about. I wish I could travel and see all of the breathtakingly amorous places this world has to offer, but traveling doesn't seem to be in the cards for me anytime soon. Yet there is one place I feel is more magical than any other city out there. I can heartily describe the one place I DO know for sure; where many young women dare to dream about when they picture being an it-girl with a fantastic wardrobe and a boyfriend in an indie-rock band. Yes, in all of its desired glory, New York is certainly the place to be. In fact, I live in "New York's backyard." I’ve taken countless trips to and from the city, and it only gets better and better each and every time I’m there.
New York is a whirlwind. It’s the hustle and bustle of the people that keeps it busily crowded with seamlessly never-ending day-to-day activities. The only time the city is asleep at night is when heavy snowstorms leave streets void of life; when the buildings have the chance to whisper to each other the newest gossip about what they’ve most recently heard as the streets are blanketed thickly in white like it’s the set of the next Narnia movie. But on any given day, there are always people. Always noises of taxis whizzing by, hissing steam from underground, or chatter on cell phones. The atmosphere is electric and vividly alive. Sometimes, the sky bleeds the prettiest sunsets that leak through the skyscrapers. Historical landmarks are aptly all over the place. Lights are luminous, yet never blinding. The graffiti tells the stories of all kinds of people and feelings. You consistently hear all different languages swirling around you. Unless you see it in person, pictures can’t do NYC justice. And you can’t say you’ve had good pizza until you’ve come to the city. New York is everything I’ve ever wanted and craved for.
New York City has taught me valuable life lessons that many nonobservant people would just overlook as they continue onwards to their next destination. I remember waiting in the sweltering underground heat of Grand Central Station on a scorching summer day. I had fifteen dollars in my pocket from my original twenty, which was five dollars less due to paying to get onto the train. My friends and I were going to some fancy car show, and I watched my reflection blur in the windows of a passerby subway train. My friends were in the restroom and I stood alone. A few feet away from me was a boy no older than 23 playing soulful music on his nicked-up acoustic guitar. I approached him as he played a solo concert for no one in particular. I watched as his fingers glided up and down the frets effortlessly, and his hard-shell guitar case laid open on the dirt ridden ground next to him. It had a few quarters and singles in it, but nothing more. “He should be famous,” I thought to myself. But in that moment, something struck me. Here was this boy- pouring his heart out through notes on a guitar, and he only got a few bucks worth out of it. Hardly anyone stopped to admire his incredible talent.
I realized right then and there that the city does not take pity, nor will it ever hold your hand through a rough-patch. You are on your own amongst the wolves to fend for yourself. Sure, it offers endless romanticized opportunities, but you are one fish in an ocean full of millions. And if you don’t pick yourself up off a subway floor or pull yourself out of your head and actually pursue your goals and dreams, then you won’t wind up anywhere other than the backseat of a taxi that takes you home to a dull apartment that you can’t even bring yourself to call “home.” I saw this all reflected in a random stranger playing made-up songs on a subway floor. I threw the only money I had left into his guitar case, then walked away and didn't look back.
What I find to be most fascinating about New York City is that people emerge from various walks of life in this one specific place. It’s a city full of go-getters and fantasists; the ones who purposefully walk to work while they live out their dreams vivaciously, the ones who get lost along the avenues while they cling desperately to their fleeting dreams, or the ones who’re tourists with their heads up, smiles wide, and cameras ready. But there always seems to be one common understanding amongst the people on the streets: every single person has their own reason for being there. Whether it’s a businessman on the phone talking about elaborate dinner plans with his wife on his daily commute home, the artist who has chunky glasses with paint spots on their jeans and currently up to their elbows in college debt, a single mother tiredly working three different jobs to feed her babies, the tourists who plan to make this city their home, or a lonely guy giving it his all on a subway floor just to make an extra buck so he can pay rent; everyone has their reason. The grandiose New York City is quite the portrayal of how everything is in motion and forever changing, all while staying the same and never changing one single bit.
I’m hopelessly in love with New York. Perhaps that’s a bad thing, but I couldn’t picture myself living anywhere else. Maybe you think you can get these same vibes by visiting any other city in the world and that I’m limiting myself, but I promise you’re surely mistaken. New York City stole my heart, and I don't want it back. People flock from all over the earth to feast their eyes upon a city I’m fortunate enough to live a half hour away from. This little fact makes me realize how truly lucky I am to live right in the backyard of the best city in the entire world.
With love, by Ari.
