Friday, August 29, 2008

NY, NY

Interesting article - a fun read - in the NY Times from a couple of days ago: Newcomers Adjust, Eventually, to New York. It's the Number 5 "most-emailed" article on nytimes.com so I'm sure some of you have read it already. I was already feeling nostalgic today as I was watching the US Open on TV. The article was funny because we can relate to much of it. Here are some highlights (with my comments in bold):

"Newcomers suddenly realize either that the city is not working for them or that they are inexorably becoming part of it, or both. They find themselves walking and talking faster." LC: True. I used to walk at a very leisurely Cali-style pace. Now I walk really fast, even if I'm in the apartment or inside the office in Burbank. My Burbank colleagues, when walking with me to places, are constantly asking me why I'm walking so fast. What's the point of lingering? There's stuff to be done and the faster done the better. Even if it's just getting Starbucks.

"Every day until then, she felt as if she was doing battle daily with the city. But suddenly, on a night flight to Kennedy International Airport from California, Ms. Sirkin, 26, caught sight of the glittering skyline, and, to her great surprise, felt a surge of joy." LC: When we lived in NY, I/we traveled a lot - both for business and pleasure. Every single time we approached Manhattan on our way in from JFK, the skyline took/takes my breath away. Even now, when I go there for work, it's the same.

"Young people have flocked to New York City by the tens of thousands for generations, to chase their dreams and test their mettle." LC:[expanding on original post] This one line touches one of the core themes of NY, and one of the things I love about NY. Everyone in Manhattan is there for a reason. Everyone I met had something to prove or wanted something. Not all of it virtuous of course - there was plenty of greed, myself guilty of that for sure. But there were much simpler and virtuous goals as well. Folks like our dear friends Tim/Grace who had a simple life dream of living in NY and raising their kids there. They are doing it and thriving. Thrilling to watch. And our other dear friends Joseph/Theresa who moved back from Maryland several years ago simply to serve the city. It's energizing to be around people with purpose. Even the people that grew up there had a sense of purpose about them. Well, most of them...

"But for many, the thrill of arrival is often tempered by the sinking realization of what an alienating place the city can be, especially for those who are not wealthy or who do not have a pre-existing network of friends." LC: very true. Kind of different for me and Liz because we had each other and our built-in set of friends that transplanted from Philly to NY after graduation. But still, it was tough at times. And yes, it would help to be wealthy in NY!

"Ms. Sirkin’s friend Sarah Kasbeer also recalled being consumed by a common strain of existential New York City angst: the sense that no matter where one is, something better is happening — the real New York is in full swing — somewhere else." LC: I experience this angst even now. I always feel like I'm missing out. Tonight I wanted to be either in Flushing Meadows or Denver. It felt so exciting and I felt like I was missing out...

Enough of my commentary. The article is worth a read. I miss NY. I can't believe it's been over eight months.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

great post! i was going to reference that article sometime. was in la briefly but spent most of that time with theresa's family. did get a chance to spend some alone time at magic mountain as you will see in a forthcoming post.