New York City for the Uninitiated

I have lived in New York City for four and a half years now, and I am still in awe of it. There is a sense of pride that comes with being so close to the most iconic city in the world; being surrounded by details I first learned about in reverence from afar, only to find my life shaped directly by them now. Despite the concerns that New York is becoming homogenized, it remains a very special place where things happen that you cannot find in any other part of the world together, interacting peacefully. It is because of this pride that I feel the need to describe this city, through the eyes of a newcomer, to everyone who has never experienced it before.

Let me open up by admitting that I've never been to the top of the Empire State Building, I've only been to one New York museum and I've only seen one show on Broadway. If you're a tourist, you may not appreciate much of what I have to say, because my appreciation for New York comes from the charm of interacting with its inhabitants, not necessarily its landmarks.

To contradict that point, I will start the praise with my favorite landmark; Union Square. Located at a central point between the campuses of several different colleges, Union Square is a stage for everyone to use. A statue of George Washington looks down upon an open ground that has seen countless performances, protests, and gatherings. This is where people gather before they march. This is where they petition for a better world. This is where they mourn in public. This is where the strange is the norm. Last year, I attended a silent rave held in Union Square. A few hundred people showed up with their MP3 players and danced together, to their own music. Weeks later, a public water fight. After that, a pillow fight. It is where a wandering parade of pandas gathered to start Pandamonium. Even when there is nothing going on, it is where people sit and rest, to watch everyone else. Last night, for instance, I watched a small crowd engrossed in a rapping battle, right there in the square, beneath the statue's proud gaze.

I moved to New York because I saw it as the center of the universe. It is a city of people who came to paint a new picture for their life with the stories of others; where they each bring their own unique tastes and influences to contribute to the palette. They dip their brushes in the unique colors that they see in the city around them and each make their own stroke upon each others' canvas. They come from London, Los Angeles, Cape Town, Warsaw, Minneapolis, Prague, Seattle and Little Rock. The sharing and acceptance of culture from all over the world creates knowledge within every citizen here that you cannot gain by staying home.

There is an opportunity for everyone within the city. When I first arrived, one of the things I found most welcoming about living here was that there was always something for me to do if I knew were to look. You can take the wanderer route and stumble into a bar on any night and see some talented musician put on a show. You can join a club for just about any activity by searching through craigslist or meetup.com (I'm a member of a writing group that meets weekly). You can take a class on any subject at any of the hundreds of schools, centers and institutions around the city. The key, though, is that every citizen of this city has to take control of their life and choose how they want to spend it.

I come from Los Angeles, which is a city of faceless people. The only viable mode of transportation through the city is by car. As the song goes, nobody walks in LA. Because of this, there are several drawbacks to living there, or anywhere else where cars are necessary. When you go out, you can't drink too much because you still need to get home in one piece. When you can hop in a cab, bus or subway train to get back, you can drink as much as you please. When you drive a car, your social interactions are limited to the two end points of your trip, in comparison to a subway ride, where social interactions happen at every moment. It spices life up a bit and exposes you to humanity. You will see things you like and things you never want to see again, but you'll appreciate the stories you'll have to tell afterward.

The city has taken me in and taught me all about diversity and tolerance. We adopted New Yorkers share a sort of pride that comes with having learned the lessons that living in such a colorful city can teach. As we walk, block by block, and see our landscape slowly transform from neighborhood to neighborhood, we realize that we live in a city that represents the lives of everyone; from rich to poor. No matter what kind of life we live with in the city, we must face all sides of it, and we grow with every exposure.

Some recent sights in the city:

- A guy bashed in the front passenger-side window of a car parked outside my apartment building. He reached inside and grabbed something from the front seat and bolted across 2-way traffic, almost getting hit in the process. I notified security.
- For two weeks in a row, I've sat near guys on the subway who happened to be bleeding from their head all over themselves.
- A gathering of about 14 fashion models (male and female) lounging around in Central Park, taking an afternoon off during a fashion festival.
- An impromptu concert in the middle of the street, with the musician using GameBoys to create his music.
- A 3-block-long line of people waiting to order a hamburger. (Gotta love Shake Shack.)
- Free admission if you check your pants at the door.