New York
Manhattan
July, 2001
We've escaped Middlebury for a long weekend in New York City and have a great
hotel in Manhattan with one of Natalia's friends. I feel like a child who's
parents held him down, never allowing any freedom, then that child goes off to college
and is overwhelmed and can't stop moving, exploring, questioning. Middlebury,
Vermont is isolated and slow, while New York seems to be the complete antithesis.
We spent our entire trip just direction-lessly wandering around in awe, going to
every landmark we had ever heard of: Times Square, Rockefeller Plaza, Central Park,
Battery Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, World Trade Towers, Empire State Building,
5th Avenue, Madison Avenue, Soho, Greenwich Village, NYU, Little Italy, China town,
and on and on.
We also made it to less known sites including Brighton Beach, the Russian community
in Brooklyn. The signs were all in Russian, the shops were all selling Russian items,
the people spoke only Russian; it was a small part of Russia in the U.S. Since we're
all in a Russian emersion program in Middlebury, we were half delighted that we
could easily communicate, but half enraged that we were still speaking Russian when
we could be speaking English (although that's against the school rules).
The trip left me in awe and the highlight was definitely the views from the Empire
State Building.
World Trade Towers from the Brooklyn Bridge
World Trade Towers from the Brooklyn Bridge
January 1, 2005
New York is not me. The people are too rushed, image seems too important, and connections
are everything. There is no separation between personal and business lives, you
live your job; your job is everything and climbing the proverbial ladder becomes
an obsession, which is more important than happiness for many. They're always
rushing in Manhattan but I'm not sure what they're rushing towards... a
better job, a higher income, a nicer condo, car, neighborhood? They never seem to
remove themselves from this rat race to enjoy that which they've earned or take
a break to realize what they have, to appreciate it.
Once you pass the barrier into Manhattan many locals become robots, avoiding contact
with others, only talking if approached, never distinguishing themselves, but rather
blending in. This is ironic since most of these same people desperately try to climb
the ladder, however very few are willing to be different, to stand out; they all
try to distinguish themselves by working harder or longer, by making better connections.
I believe the truly successful remove themselves from that mold and take a risk,
but from my experience this is not the norm in Manhattan. In Manhattan you climb
corporate ladders, rarely ever making your own ladder for others to climb. It seems
hard work is rewarded more than creativity, but those willing to be creative may
find themselves more successful and happier I would think.
New York, however has more than this, it has small communities and neighborhoods
in and around Manhattan that boast unknown delis, restaurants, and bars. It's
in these neighborhoods that make New York unique and that are more friendly, welcoming,
and inquisitive. Here others will approach you, instead of you always making first
contact. Time is not rushed; family, friends, and whatever culture is dominate in
the neighborhood dictate their lifestyle. This is what makes New York so different,
so unique, so attractive.
Downtown Manhattan Skyline
Subway Man with tape over the eyes and graffiti on his back
Wall Street and the Stock Exchange
Statue of Liberty