Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made

Being born and raised as a New Yorker meant that I was growing up with a mentality that a child from a small town wasn’t. It meant that I would grow up knowing how to move fast and think on my feet. I am eternally grateful to have been born here because this environment taught me how to be my own person. New York is the city that preaches open-mindedness, acceptance, and independence, all of which are values that are important to me.

E.B. White, in his essay Here is New York, draws attention to some atypical aspects of New York life. He immediately points out the loneliness factor that the city provides. People from outside of New York see it as the capital of the world, the city that never sleeps, and the place with the most action going on at any given time. Locals on the other hand, witness the loneliness aspect of city life because with such a populated and busy city, people don’t have the time to stop for just anything. White voices that New Yorkers have a tendency to keep living their lives and moving at the very same fast pace regardless of what is going on around them. White proposes that this particular “quality in New York that insulates its inhabitants may simply weaken them as individuals” and that perhaps it is “healthier to live in a community where when a cornice falls, you feel the blow” (698). I strongly disagree with this because I think that it is because of New Yorkers’ ability to keep going, regardless of their surroundings ,that this city is able to thrive and prosper the way it does. Living here enables individuals to gain a sense of resilience and this resilience enables the citizens of New York to keep the city up and running no matter what.

Times Square is without a doubt one of the busies places in the world. There is not one dead moment in that area because the city waits for no one. New Yorkers know how to keep a fast pace and it is this pace that enables them to get back up so quickly after a fall.

New Yorkers feel a very particular type of way towards tourists most of the time. They usually tend to resent them and think they are in the way, which most of the time they are. I laughed at White’s description of a tourist’s time in NYC as a “series of small embarrassments and discomforts” (701). It’s funny for me to see people from across the country coming to New York and acting like people here speak a different language. They walk at a rate of -27 mph and then they get to Times Square and they get all:

I can safely say that one of my favorite things about New York is the diversity. I love walking down Broadway and looking at people and acknowledging that no two people look the same. The diversity in the city plays one of the most important defining roles in what makes New York the place that it is. New Yorkers grow up as accepting people because how can they not be? Without its citizens having an open mind, New York would “would explode in a radioactive cloud of hate and rancor and bigotry” (707).

I love this image and find it particularly appropriate when talking about the people that compose New York. No one is unwelcome and that’s just what gives the city its nickname as a melting pot.

Towards the end of the essay, White expresses his concern that for the first time in a while, the city is destructible. He proposes the possibility that at any given moment, a plane can “quickly end this island fantasy, burn the towers, crumble the bridges, turn the underground passages into lethal chambers, cremate the millions” (710). That line instantly made me think of 9/11 and how traumatized New York was for a while after it. However, to say that such an incident can destruct a city as great as this one is false. Yes, the city was drastically affected but we picked ourselves up and found a way to move forward and progress after it. I don’t think New York is destructible.

anandpoonai says:

September 9, 2014 at 12:52 pm

I really like that you started off this with a personal anecdote because it gave me some insight on your whole view of New York City. The way you mentioned New York City as being a place of acceptance was really great because I formed a strong connection with that point. Your honesty about New York City being a place of loneliness was a major eye opener because it just goes to show that sometimes, the greatest places can be filled with flaws. Lastly, your labeling of New York City as a center of diversity is pretty remarkable and I really respect the whole notion on diversity.

Sydney Marino says:

September 9, 2014 at 3:03 pm

First of all, I simply loved the image you posted, about how tourist react to Time Square. It was very comical. It reminds me how I the first time I was ever in Time Squares, and that wasn’t all to long ago. I also agree that tourist walk slower than turtles. I find myself weaving in and out of people, tourist or not, trying to make it to school at time. Sometimes they even form a barrier at a light, waiting for the signal to turn red. I just do the illegal thing and jay walk (Hope none of you will tell on me).

At the end of your post, I was captivated by the 9/11 picture. It’s, as if, the lights represent that even though the towers are gone, we are still here. That the people, who passed away in the towers, still live with us, in spirit. It’s all to scary that now, 13 years later, we are still remembering such a tragic event. It’s very coincidental (unless Prof. Tenneriello decided to do this) that we would come across such passage the week of 9/11. I also feel heartbroken at the thought that one event, that took thousands of lives, could instill such fear into the American society. One thing is for sure, at times of crisis communities come together.

krystalau says:

September 9, 2014 at 6:51 pm

I agree with you that New Yorkers have a certain attitude towards tourists. I’m like in that weird category in between tourists and New Yorkers because I am familiar with the city more so than tourists but I haven’t lived in the city for 12 years. I’m not sure why, but I do feel slightly embarrassed when I act like a tourist like taking pictures of cliche things or walking around with my phone because I need google maps to navigate. I agree with Sydney that tourists walk so slow, so I try not to be like them and walk at least a normal pace. Usually I walk pretty fast now and I have to pass people on the streets. I also agree with you that diversity is one of the best aspect of New York City. Living in the suburbs further north from here, there wasn’t so much diversity in my school. We had the occasional minorities like Asians and African Americans, but here I don’t feel like the minority. I love that Baruch is one of the top most diverse schools in the country. You get to meet so many more people and learn about different cultures here.

stephenesses says:

September 9, 2014 at 8:57 pm

While I agree that one experience like 9/11 can not destroy the city altogether, it certainly leaves many people, including myself, concerned. 13 years later I still fear that something like it can happen again. So while it didn’t destroy the city it leaves a mark that can never fully be healed. I also agree with Sydney that crisis can bring people together, which was a positive that came out of the tragedy. It showed me that even in a city this large and diverse, things can still brig people together which we don’t see everyday in New York.