I don’t have that strong of an attachment to call New York my eden nor do I fear it so much as to call it my inferno. When I think of New York I don’t think of a dream city that would be so amazing to live in. I think of it in a more practical point of view. Instead of thinking of the attachment people have with the glamorous city lifestyle, I see more of the physical attachments that one can have with New York City. I see my city for what it is and nothing more.
What is New York City for me? It’s a location. It’s where I’ve lived my whole life. (I have lived in Queens my whole life. All five boroughs count!) It’s where my family is. When I think of why my family and I have lived in New York City for so long I can only think of one reason. It’s where we all started our journey. My parents immigrated with their family and later my brother and I were born. We always lived here and if family moves away they move nearby. New York remains the center of our family. New York will always be home because it’s where family is.
I can understand why people are mesmerized with New York. Immigrants are mesmerized by the diversity that might provide an easy transition from their country to the United States. Businessmen and capitalists see money, money, and more money to be made in Manhattan’s financial district. Artists find their home in New York because it feeds their ambition to pursue their dream of becoming a professional artist. These examples all have something in common: the ambition and desire for success. Ambition is something that is felt all around the city by all types of people. This is why I think New York is a great city. It brings all type of people together that all have the same goal of success. These people will go to great lengths to be successful and this is the city to do it
With that said, being a New Yorker is hard work. If you come here for the first time the lights and the taxis might thrill you for only so long. If one doesn’t come to New York with a strong purpose they will definitely fail. If someone comes to New York without realizing what it is they might think it’s their eden only to realize that it’s their inferno. When the time comes for me to live on my own I would only choose to live in New York if I had a purpose being here. If I do decide to stay in New York I would know exactly what I am getting into. I don’t see a dreamy place or an evil place. I see a huge group of hardworking people all in one place. I can easily become one of the crowd, but if choose to move somewhere else I think I’ll begin to appreciate New York City even more.
