Hey everybody! Today I just wanted to share my thoughts about the grand New York City. To tell you the truth, I don’t visit the city often so I’m not so acquainted with the myriad of activities that take place there. If I were to visit the city, it would probably be for attending a school or family event. Maybe my reason for not frequenting New York City as much is due to the relentless traffic and bustling activity that occurs there (I enjoy peaceful areas where everyone is not in a hurry to do something). Nevertheless, from what I have seen in New York City so far through my experience in traveling via subways, attending events and what not, I can definitely say wealthy New York displays a lot of grandiloquence and simultaneously, poverty.
I remember when I traveled to the city with my family one time to have dinner. While seated in the restaurant (forgot which one), I was perusing through the menu to see what was available and was astonished to see the exorbitant prices of meals. In my head, I was thinking only the wealthy must feast here. Then came the moment when I turned to the burger section and saw the whopping price for an ordinary cheeseburger deluxe: $29.95! I can get a delectable burger for $8.95 at the Diner, I thought. Regardless of the price, I decided to try out the cheeseburger to see what made it so “special and costly.” After the meal, I was utterly disappointed because the cheeseburger tasted the same as other burgers I previously had and was burned. In fact, I felt my mom even made tastier burgers at home. However, I noticed that the beautiful environment the restaurant provided for its customers compensated for the expensive items on the menu, and things became more lucid for me.
In addition to my anecdote above, I feel that Uptown (wealthy) New York really shows the unequal distribution of wealth among the different social strata. For example, the powerful business magnates and other elite groups make up the majority of the wealth, despite being composed of the smallest percentage of workers on the list. I recall seeing several people in the city wearing their lavish business attires and polished shoes and then witnessing the destitution of the city by people begging for money on the subways. This illustrated to me the juxtaposition between the rich and the poor and made me have an epiphany, which was extreme poverty persists even in a city as affluent and modernized as New York. Through all the enormous skyscrapers, extravagantly dressed people, and large business corporations, many instances of impoverishment can still be seen with the homeless and jobless people living on the streets. New York City may be a dream destination for many people, but even in a wonderland like New York imperfections exist.
Furthermore, whenever I hear “New York City” I imagine about the beautiful display of lights throughout the city, the innumerable, yellow taxi cabs hurriedly sending people to their destinations, and all the activities that occur. But, I also think about the poor people who are struggling to find stabilization in their lives and are making that attempt to reach the upper part of the social class. After feeling out of place by all the “wealthy” individuals on the roof exhibit of Anthony Caro, I knew how the lower class people must have felt.
When everyone hears about “New York City” they think about the opportunities available, the grandeur and spectacular shows, and the delicious banquets and fancy parties. Little do they know that New York is also a place where millions are still searching for jobs and making every effort possible to support themselves and their family. Overall, if New York City is a place where many dreams are fulfilled, it is also a region where the most desirous of dreams vanish gradually into the thin air, never to be seen again.
