A component of Chapter 2 of Jane Jacob’s novel that I found a little vague was the section about Boston. First of all, in all of my IDC classes, I don’t think Boston has come up once, because it lacks many aspects of a city that New York City excels in. This would be in the same sense that the author mentioned Los Angeles, and compared it to a suburb. The vague component was in regards to the safety in the North End of Boston. When discussing the North End, the author claims it’s a very Italian area. Then when discussing Roxbury, which isn’t safe, she doesn’t mention any ethnicity at all. I was wondering if she did this to describe an ironic aspect of the North End (because Italians would imply an unsafe area) or if she was using them to add credibility to the safety. Personally, I’m from the most Italian town on Long Island (Massapequa), and it is also one of the safest.

I also believe this is my third IDC class where E.B. White’s Here is New York is featured. I find his breakdown of the three cities within New York to be timeless, because they all still accurately describe our citizens. Being a settler, I felt that he nailed the excitement and thrill of coming to New York on the head. I’ve been here for a year and a half, but I’ll still get butterflies in my stomach when I can feel just how vibrant and alive this city is. It’s always eerie to read his description of the threat of planes, but he was also right in describing what New York does despite tragedy. We maintain a “steady irresistible charm” that nowhere else in the world can replicate.