Despite knowing the evils of New York City, my dreams and fantasies have always situated themselves in its great eclectic environment. In fact, the character of New York City has been drilled into my persona so powerfully, that it plays a dominant role in shaping my greatly aspired future dreams. Unlike most of the nation, my American Dream resides in the busy metropolitan streets of NYC and hence, NYC is definitely my Eden.
The urban and fast paced nature of NYC has raised me into a human that cannot survive without its unique atmosphere moving me through life everyday. NYC’s lively and moving personality can very well be my shot of caffeine, because if my town were to be quiet and asleep at 8am, you can expect me to stay in bed as well. I speak from dreadful experience and confidently know that I cannot survive in unbearably dreary ambience that exists in rural areas or even other cities. I truthfully reveal that even my decision to stay in New York for college was heavily driven by my personal zeal for the city itself. Thus, although the city sinks in garbage, rodents, and poverty at many areas and intersections, the life of NYC blows life into me. I am willingly to, and presently do swallow the flaws of New York to make my Utopia come to life in this bustling city that does take pride in making so many dreams come true.
To add onto the homely and needy feeling I get from NYC, I must confess that I’m a true tourist painted in a dweller’s costume. The physical beauty of NYC still forces my jaw to drop and my eyes to widen today. I gaze at the city’s skyscrapers as if I’ve never seen such wonders. The bright splendor of Times Square still leaves me speechless, running around taking pictures. I get goose bumps when I see the annual Independence Day fireworks or the New Year’s Big Apple. I love staring at NYC’s skyline from the bridge and the water that runs by it. I can taste, smell, and see the cultures of the world in this small yet, diversely gifted city. I am so amazed at times, that I can’t come to believe I’ve been born and raised by the very city that inspires such awe within myself as well the entire world. Of course, just like all humans aren’t perfect, my home city does not claim to stand immune to flaws. However, there obviously is a lot that NYC has and offers for which tourists, commuters, and even dwellers are enticed to it. Unlike so many cities, NYC gives opportunities to rise from poverty and this fact alone should be capable of changing many ‘Inferno New York’ viewpoints into those of ‘New York, the utopia’.
Realistically speaking, why would so many ethnic people chose to stay in New York City, if the city was indeed inferno? Aside from its countless luxuries, New York City provides basic necessitates in the most convenient way. Subways and buses run daily so you can get to work without needing a car. Schools and colleges pack the city so you can afford and attend with having to travel too far. Ethnic shops and restaurants occupy the streets so you can feel like you’re home despite being in a foreign country. All sorts of stores, brands, shows, and events take place in NYC so you don’t miss out on anything. NYC is not the dream of millions for no reason. Considering all of this, I’d be a fool to call NYC my inferno. Although I say that I’m still in the process of reaching my life goals and thus reaching Eden in that sense, I am already in Eden seeing that NYC gives me so much. Perhaps the character of New York City clicks with mine too well or I talk from complete ignorance of the supposed peace that exists in rural towns, I confidently label NYC as my Eden because it is a place that gives me peace.
