The Arts in New York City

“I want to be a part of it, New York, New York…” Well Frankie Boy, I gotta admit, I completely agree with you there. I mean, honestly is there anywhere else in the world you’d rather be? I grew up on Long Island, been to Albany, Binghamton, and now I live in queens. I have to admit, I am simply infatuated with New York.

As a musician, businessman, actor, writer, whatever your profession, if you want to make it, come to New York. It’s the epicenter of all things great, the true place of opportunity. A place where struggling, out of work musicians aren’t looked upon as lazy, but as the norm! So come on hippies, bohemians and beatniks, and unite!

But it’s not just because of all the connections and jobs one can attain just by standing on the streets of New York City (and no, not that kind of job, but there are plenty of those here too), but it’s also because of the magic that hangs in the air. There is the statue of liberty, the empire state building, the centennial ball, the tree in Rockefeller center, approximately three million museums, madison square garden, and, my personal favorite, the NYC Subway. With a swipe of that mystical yellow card your shuttling off at unimaginable speeds to any of the aforementioned places.

I know that I am relatively new to New York City having only lived in Queens since September, but regardless I am still a little kid whenever I hop onto the subway (so much fun!) or step onto a bus (okay, not so much fun).

I remember the first time I went onto the long island railroad and exited into penn station. Everyone was running around, headed to some destination at a speed unreal to a mere mortal such as myself. I had to force myself through the throng of businessmen and women, giving alms to every singer in the place because I was not yet accustomed to them. To me, Penn Station was chaos, pandemoious and complete awesomeness rolled into one. But it was nothing compared with the streets of manhattan.

I remember the first time I was on a subway, and one of my closest friends lost balance and fell on top of me, causing me to slam into the crowd of people in front of me and causing a domino effect on the C train.

I remember the first time I went to Carnegie hall, touching the stage with the hopes that maybe some of its magic would rub off on me.

I remember going to the planetarium, and shuttling off into space.

I remember how amazing it felt to sit in the audience of my first broadway show (which was by the way The Producers, if you have never seen it, you should probably do it because it is a fantastic show!)

I remember, I remember, I remember…

All of my greatest memories take place in New York, whether it be in the city or in my hometown of mastic. Sure, I may be biased, living in New York my whole life, but I’ve been outside the state and trust me, it doesn’t get much better than this.

So, yeah, It’s safe to say that when I wear one of those infamous shirts sporting the logo I love New York, it’s because I truly, truly mean it.

OK, so in class I said that none of the movies we’ve seen represents “my New York”.  That’s because in all the movies we watched, the people all lived in New York, but I’m from Long Island and I’ve lived there essentially my whole life, meaning I’m just a visitor.  I actually was born in the Bronx and lived there until I was three, so I have vague, random memories of living in an apartment; mainly of cutting my own hair while watching Cinderella and subsequently hiding in the hallway.  There was one scene in a movie that I really related to, though, and that was the scene from In America when Christy and Ariel first see New York—the fabled lights, colors, and sounds that just enter your very being when you first see them.  That is my New York.

I have so many wonderful memories of New York throughout my life, mainly because going into the city was always a special occasion.  My earliest memory of going into Manhattan is when I was in fourth grade or so and my parents took me to the American Girl Store.  It was a little girl’s paradise—or Eden, if you will—and I even remember picking out a skirt to wear especially for the occasion.  As I’ve gotten older my New York experiences have changed as well.  The summer before seventh grade my parents finally decided that my brother and I were old enough to appreciate going to a baseball game, and we went to Yankee Stadium for the first time.  You never forget the first time you see that impossibly green, perfectly manicured grass.  For my thirteenth birthday I was in my huge Beatles/John Lennon/phase, and I made a special request to go to Strawberry Fields.  (For the record, I now believe Paul McCartney to be the superior musician).

When I was in tenth grade I entered my Broadway phase, and my first show was Hairspray with my mom.  I had also begun my enduring love of all things Monty Python, a love I inherited from my dad, so he and I went to see Spamalot.  For Christmas my brother Tommy gave me my greatest Christmas surprise ever—tickets for the two of us to see Wicked!  Then in March my English class went to see In the Heights, and in May I saw Hair for my sixteenth birthday with some of my friends.  I must’ve exhausted the family funds, because I haven’t seen a new show since (unless you count 2 years ago when I saw West Side Story with my English class, but that was so wretched that I try not to).

This year I’ve begun some completely new New York experiences—mainly having to go to the city versus wanting to go.  In August I actually began to have some serious doubts about whether I was cut out to go to a school that required going into New York so much.  I cried every night for a week before I moved in to my dorm and wondered why I didn’t go to Marist or something else in its own little bubble.  I had never even taken the Long Island Railroad without my parents or friends.  But over the summer I began to learn my way around and I’ve been getting better at it each time I do it—although I still hate buses, and I think I always will.

Despite my hatred of the MTA, I’m still (to borrow a word from Zohar) enchanted by New York City each time I go.  It just has this magic feeling about it, like this is the place to be if you want to get something done and make an impact on the world.  I feel like being in New York City brings out qualities in people that they may not have known they had.  I know that for me, having to go in for school on a regular basis has given me a much better sense of direction, as well as feelings of accomplishment an independence.  And it’s not just regular folks like me that feel that extra little swagger in their step!  Just look at Jackie O!  When her second husband died, instead of kicking back in Cape Cod, she decided it was time to really do something with her life.  She moved to New York City and became an editor/activist, and you can see the lasting mark she left on our city every time you walk into Grand Central Station.  Even her style changed and became more confident—pantsuits, scarves, and her famous sunglasses replaced the A-line dresses and pearls she wore as First Lady.

Like in any relationship, New York and I are sometimes at odds.  There are definitely times when I feel like too much is going on and I would rather stay home in my little Long Island cocoon.  But when I really sit down and think about all of the memories I have in the city, and all of the things I still want to do, I really couldn’t picture myself living anywhere else in the world.  Despite our little fight over the summer where I probably would’ve called it the most horrible inferno I ever deluded myself into thinking I could live in, I think it’s pretty safe to say that New York is still my Eden.