The Arts in New York City
Coney Island and the High Line are products of different centuries and yet serve the same purpose of being a resort. I think that New Yorkers can be essentially described as “…a reservoir of people existing under conditions that require them to escape occasionally.” (koolhaas 30) Constantly being part of the hectic lifestyle associated with the city life and surrounded by buildings and technology can be suffocating. It’s no wonder that New Yorkers want a place of escape, where they can just relax and take a break.
Although Coney Island and the High Line each have their own distinct background, they both serve as a form of relief from the city life. It’s a place that people of all ethnicity and ages can enjoy and it’s not only limited to New Yorkers. Every year, these locations also attract thousands of tourists who are looking for entertainment. It’s a place where families can spend quality time with each other. They can take a stroll together and look at the scenery or just take a moment to talk to each other. It’s an opportunity for them to enhance the parent-children relationship, something that they might be too busy for at home. It’s a place where couples can meet and get to know each other better. It’s also a place where people can go by themselves and take pictures. These places allow people to unwind and take a break from their city life. Although both Coney Island and the High Line serve as a resort, there are differences in how they entertain their guests.
The High Line, built in the twenty-first century, embraces the city life and incorporates the ocean, traffic and tall buildings into the scenery. The background is constantly filled with sounds of traffic and construction. As you walk along the High Line, you are able to see both sides of New York, the past and present. If you start at the beginning of the High Line, near 17thstreet, there will be worn down and abandoned brick buildings and various construction projects. This is perhaps a representation of what New York used to look like, before new designs were introduced. However, once you reach 25th street the view changes drastically. Instead of the brick buildings there are now glass buildings, glass elevators and marble flooring. This provides a representation of modern New York, the result of technology and advancements.
In addition, the High Line is tailored to meet the taste of different people because it’s an assimilation of various environments. For example, there are beach chairs with flowing water on the floor that mimics the beach for those that enjoy spending time there. There is also a large grass field for children to play catch, do cartwheels or roll around on. It even has empty platforms for people to express their creativity in forms such as plays. People also express themselves through abstract and realist paintings of t
he city architecture. These paintings are available for sale on the High Line. The High Line can best be described as “… a series of manipulations and transformations performed on the nature “saved’ by its designers.” (koolhass 23) After all the majority of the High Line, down to its infrastructure is artificial. For example, the High Line is built on an elevated railroad track that’s held up by steel structures, all man made. The plants on the High Line are also planted and organized by the designers. There aren’t even any natural animals on the High Line. Several pigeons were on the rooftops of buildings near the High Line but there weren’t any on the High Line itself.
Coney Island, on the other hand, is built in isolation from the city life. The only evidence of the city is the tall buildings in the distance, but besides that it’s just the ocean, sand and amusement parks. The background in Coney Island is filled with sounds of the ocean waves and screams and laughter from those on the rollercoaster rides. Unlike the High Line, Coney Island creates a more historic atmosphere that evokes childhood memories. It’s filled with arcades, roller coasters, flee markets, street performances and carnival games that make you nostalgic.
These types of entertainment are more interactive with the audience and evoke more intimate emotions such as fear, excitement and joy. Even the food there, such as Nathan’s and cotton candy, contributes to the festive carnival atmosphere in Coney Island. Aside from these, there’s also the beach where people can swim, sun tan and build sand castles. People can also go further down the boardwalk to go fishing or crab hunting. Both the beach and fishing provide a full escape from both the city and technology. In both these activities, people can revert back to the old times and use simple equipment for enjoyment. Both these activities can be enjoyed by family members of different generations because it’s one of the few things that hasn’t changed with time. Unlike the High Line, Coney Island is focused more on the arts. The walls and even the garbage cans along the boardwalk are filled with paintings of the sea life. The garbage cans, in particular, express environmental friendly phrases such as please don’t liter and New York pride.
Although both the High Line and Coney Island have different forms of entertainment for the audience, they both serve as a resort for those that want to take a break from the city life. They are places where people of all gender, ethnicity and age can enjoy. However, it seems that Coney Island is no longer being faced with the problem of “ …inordinate number of people assembling on the inadequate acreage…” (koolhaas 35) While walking throughout Coney Island, the place was practically deserted. Most of the arcades and even parts of the amusement parks were closed down. It seems that Coney Island has lost its popularity as people seek other forms of entertainment, such as the High Line.
Works Cited
Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York. New York: Monacelli Press, 1994. Print.
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