Um, well, this is a difficult question. I’m not too sure. My image of an Eden is somewhere that is flawless, preferably white, clean, and meeting my every need. It is a heaven where all feelings of pleasure and comfort are met. My image of an Inferno is a torturous, painful place full of discomfort and agony. In terms of these definitions, New York City is neither of these yet it is both.
NYC is far from heavenly, to say the least. It is not perfect, but neither is anywhere else. It certainly has flaws and thrives to play on my nerves, but in terms of my needs, it certainly meets them. I have not looked for something and have not found it in NY. Transportation is of the upmost ease, with many means of which to travel, food can be found in a variety of price ranges, and entertainment is as simple as walking through the streets. New York has everything; great sources of education, many creative opportunities, as well as many social advantages. The entire world gathers here; this diversity allows for uniqueness and yet lets me fit in at the same time.
Is it my inferno? I don’t think that it is, though I cannot say that it is not. New York can be so frustrating to the point of absolute disgust. The subway stations are the farthest from clean as it can get. Now, I’m no germophobe, but sometimes it can get ridiculous. And the crowds! Don’t get me started on the pressing throngs that can suffocate you to no end. I despise the 6 train during rush hour for that reason. And the audacity of some of the riders, thinking I’m absolutely vile because I so much as bumped into them or because I can’t make room for them simply because there is no room.
The endless construction that is now a permanent part of the image of NY manages to sadden me further as I think of this city as a place to eventually settle. Always the constant change, an upgrade to what’s better. It has become a permanent mentality; we always want what is bigger, better, more expensive, never mind that what we have may be perfectly fine. New York is never satisfied with itself, always needing to change and reconstruct as if to impress someone. What are you, a teenage girl?
Though I have a lot of negative remarks about the ways of our city, I’m not ready to bolt any chance I get. I could see myself settling here and beginning a family; it is not an unpleasant thought. Yes, leaving is also a large possibility, as I want to travel outside the bubble that we tend to build around us. I guess NYC, to me, is a cross between the two, a sort of neutral ground, earth (since earth is between heaven and hell). It is my home base, somewhere I can leave and return to, but not anywhere that I can completely reject or completely embrace.
