ABOUT ME:
My dad was born in blue collar Brooklyn to a first-generation Irish American mother (whose father was chased out of Ireland for being in the IRA in 1922) and a German American father. My mom was born in London in the mid 50s, but grew up in what was then Yugoslavia (currently Croatia) and later moved to Astoria Queens. My twin brother and I are born and raised New Yorkers from the Lower East Side. I spent nursery through eighth grade in Catholic school (despite being an atheist) and another four years at Saint Vincent Ferrer High School (which is three block south of Hunter). I have had the same best friend since kindergarten and I am currently double majoring Mathematics and Environmental Science.
One thing that I love about living in New York City is the sheer number of people located in such a small area. There are roughly 8.4 million people in the five boroughs according to the United States Census Bureau (2013). People from almost every country and background are currently living and sharing their ideas and themselves, which in turn makes New York a globally cognizant and diverse city. This constant exposure to different people, ideas, ideologies, and life styles helps to connect New Yorkers with one another as well as make them aware of cultures outside that of the United States or their own backgrounds.
While the large and diverse population has helped to create a mostly accepting and (in my opinion) interesting environment, it also instills a sense of anonymity that can hinder forming close social networks. In a smaller town, it is easier to connect and get to know your neighbors on a personal level. In a large city like New York, it can be difficult to know the people in your own apartment complex, let alone everyone on the same block. This anonymity can make one feel isolated if they don’t have means or opportunity to connect with people outside of work or school.
Another thing that I like about New York City is that it has a number of beautiful parks. From Battery Park to Fort Tryon Park, there appears to be a patch of green grass or a few trees within walking distance where one can escape the concrete and hot asphalt of the city for a little while. The parks also provide the city’s resident with areas for recreational activities like sports or outdoor plays.
Another repercussion of New York city’s large population is the number of pets. Specifically, the number of dogs in the city. While I love animals, and am always ecstatic to see a cute dog walking along the street, one thing that I have noticed is that New Yorkers tend to be lackadaisical about cleaning up after their pets. Despite the numerous signs reminding people to “Curb your dog” and to pick up their waste, it is common to see the flow of humanity walking down the sidewalk part around a pile of dog poop in the middle of the block.
One last thing that I greatly enjoy about living in New York City is the amount of information, art, and history that is readily accessible. Not only do we have the New York Public Library system, we also have the American Natural History Museum, the Met, the Frick Museum, The Metropolitan Opera, The Museum of Modern Art, the Cloisters, the Brooklyn Science Museum, the Tenement Museum, and a multitude of other museums and galleries! George Washington took the oath of office outside Federal Hall and Alexander Hamilton is buried in Trinity Church. The history of New York predates the founding of our country and fixtures from the past stand side by side with our homes, schools, and local Starbucks.
MY TRANSIT EXPERIENCE:
The New York City transit system is both the arteries connecting all the boroughs together as well as a seemingly separate entity with its own reality and rules.While people cram into the middle cars by the entrance to the subway, the last two cars are usually empty. There seems to be at least one line with delays during rush hour and the local buses and trains sometimes outpace the express. While New York City buses “supposedly” have a schedule where a bus arrives every 10 minutes or so, it is not uncommon to see 3 m101 buses at the same stop and then not see another one for over an hour.
Two transit experiences that best sum up our city’s metro system occurred during my first two years of high school. Since classes started at 8 o’clock, I usually had to get up at 6 and leave the house by 7 in order to catch the 7:10 bus. One thing I noticed was that the same people seemed to be at the bus stop every single morning. There was “The Guy with the Cactus Bag”, “The Girl with the Black Purse”, “The Old Man with the Cap”, and “The Kid with the Backpack”. It became such a habit for me to see these people on my bus that I could usually tell what time it what based on who was at the stop (“The Guy with the Cactus Bag” was usually the first person at the stop while “The Kid with the Backpack” showed up just as the bus arrived).
My second interesting experience with the New York City Transit system occurred on my way home from school in freshman year. I was sitting in the back of the bus reading a murder mystery when the person next to me tapped me on the shoulder and excitedly informed me that the book I was reading was the basis for one of their favorite horror movies and then asked me what I thought about it so far. This encounter in turn lead to a 20-minute-long discussion about horror movies (of which this person was an enthusiastic fan). While I was a little weirded out by a random adult bouncing in their seat while discussing their favorite horror films, I feel like this experience highlights how people from all across the city connect, no matter how briefly or tangentially, with one another while traversing our city.
