“And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them; and whatsoever the man would call every living creature, that was to be the name thereof.” (Genesis 2:19)
As someone who has always learned Bible in school, the comparison of New York to Eden brings up some interesting imagery in my mind. The verse above refers to Adam naming all the animals. Although God had created them before, and they had been around, Adam was given the job of assigning names to each creature. In a strange way, this immediately reminded me of New York. Although structurally the city has been around for quite a while, it’s up to man to “name” it. The city is what people see it as. Times Square could be a quasi-Red Light District, or a tourist mecca. TriBeCa could be an area for factories, or a new trendy neighborhood. The Village could be a place for artists, or a college town. Our views of New York are ever changing and subjective.
That being said, on a less literal note, New York is definitely my Eden. As a kid, going to New York was a fun and exciting activity. Sure, we might have to visit my great-grandmother (which at the time felt like a chore), but after we could walk around the streets, get a Mr. Softee ice cream, maybe find an interesting fair going on.
As I got older, New York was an escape from suburbia. Rather than being stuck in Bergenfield New Jersey with very few options, groups of friends would make the trip to the city. Bright lights always greeted us as we exited Port Authority and the possibilities seemed endless. (Although I will say these outings usually ended up consisting of shopping and eating, things we very well could have done in New Jersey).
Family trips to New York also became more exciting as we learned about Student Rush Tickets. Over the years, I have been to more Broadway shows than I can remember and I have loved every minute of it. For the low price of $25, I watched shows in awe, bopping my head to the music, trying to guess the plot twists, and coveting every costume.
Even now that I live in NYC, the magic hasn’t disappeared. I love exploring new places that Macaulay sends me. This year, I’ve seen even more theaters, finally got to go inside Lincoln Center, and spent a lot more time in Midtown than I would have guessed. Because NYC is so big, there are always new places to explore and interesting things to discover. Just today, I was in the Financial District for the first time. Walking around I saw adorable restaurants, buildings, and even a bar that’s been around since 1817.
I think New York can be compared to an Eden in that it holds everything you need to survive. It is filled with a variety of food and entertainment. It is an almost universal dream to live and New York and just be able to take advantage of all that it holds. If I could spend every day wandering through the city finding interesting art, food, performances, and history, I would be so happy.
