WARNING: An Extremely Angry Upper West Sider Rant
New York City is timeless. Sure, Cynthia Ozick does make the point of New York losing some of its class, like the Grand Hyatt being the “temple [that] had become a routinely seedy train station” or the marvels such as Grand Central being overshadowed by a Kodak sign that adds to the “gilded constellations on the vaulted horizon” (955). However, New York never lost its grandeur. It has always stayed New York City, no matter how much it has changed throughout the years.
Ozick hit particularly close to home for me (literally) when she mentioned how the Upper West Side’s “little bodegas and the little appetizing and hardware stores on Amsterdam, and Broadway are long gone…across the town, the Upper East Side seems, in contrast, staid, reserved, even quiet” (951). To her I say absolutely not. My west side pride is justified not only by the people that trail there, but just by merely looking at it. Besides Broadway, Columbus and Amsterdam are definitely the home of tiny barbershops, bodegas, restaurants, and no-named stores. Beside Urban Outfitter’s “gargantuan sign, in flaming color” (955), I often visit a small vintage vinyl record and book store that has everything Urban has, and then some. On Columbus, there is a weekly flea market open in a local schoolyard that sells a plethora of items, from furniture to baked goods. The Upper East Side has more obnoxious tourists strolling past the countless chain stores on Lexington Avenue than we do on the entire Upper West Side! So, Ozick, I advise you to check your facts.
Yes, “New York is faithful to loss and faithful to change” (960), but isn’t that what makes NYC so special? This is one of the only cities in the world that is forever changing, and forever adapting to this dog-eat-dog world. I do have a very soft, nostalgic spot for artistic change and representation in the city (examples being the local bands, CBGB’s, and the late Roseland Ballroom dwindling slowly). But besides that, I would rather NYC be ever-changing than at a stand-still. That’s what is so awesome about this city: it refuses to fade into memory. People come to this city to be relevant. Whether it be thespians on the road to the Great White Way, or brokers striving for their spot on the Stock Market floor, they all come to this place for their shot at relevance. As the famous Woody Allen said to Movie Auteur, “It has a nervous excitement and a creative excitement that’s unequaled anywhere…”
The wickedly talented Adele Dazeem smiles upon you.
The absolutely only thing I agree with Ozick on is that “The true city is the winter city. The wooly enchantment of a population…steam sculptures forming out of human breath…tiny white electric points on skeletal trees!” (958). Anytime I think of a romanticized New York, it will always be a wintery night. Something about the 5th Avenue holiday-themed shop windows and the blizzards that sweep over at least once a winter makes NYC magical. There’s also nothing more New York than trekking over the slush puddles that cover the curbs (as I said in my E.B. White response). My favorite memory of New York City is probably walking through Central Park in a blizzard. Sure, it was one of the most brutal chills I have ever felt in my life. But the way the snow clothed the bare branches and blanketed the deadness on the ground was beautiful. I swear, the park was a light, arctic blue, between the moonlight and the street lamps. It was awesome. So Ozick, yes, I’ll applaud you this once.
But other than that, Ozick, you better watch your back. The Upper West Side is watching.
