New York City

Growing up in Manhattan was an epitome of excitement. Back in the day, and also to its founding, New York has always been a beehive of activities. Going down memory lane, I reminisce on trips that we’d take to loads of places around the city for entertainment during weekends and on holidays. Raised by Spanish immigrants, my father was a chef in a small but busy restaurant along Fifth Avenue. Since I can recall, fifth avenue has always had some of the major and well known fashion stores and hotels in the city. This would have

Have you ever been somewhere that you would go to that place every day of your life? Well that place for me is New Orleans! I went to New Orleans two years ago with my volleyball team for nationals. It was super fun and exciting to see an amazing place. New Orleans is definitely my favorite place to travel. They have very fun things there to do and very good places to eat.

What laid in my hand was my literal golden ticket to the world. This small, flimsy card could take me anywhere I wished to go to in New York City but I didn’t enjoy this privilege all my life. I grew up in a neighborhood where my family and I didn’t need to travel far for a doctor’s checkup or a grocery run. My whole world consisted of a few streets in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, my parents could neither drive nor afford many rides on our MetroCard. I had seen places like the Empire State Building and Central Park merely in pictures so the inner adventurer in me yearned to see what was outside Brooklyn.

New York City’s population is a little over 8.3 million people. 8.3 million people are spread out among five boroughs and each have their own set routine. Each one of those 8.3 million see New York in a different way becuase “You start building your private New York the first time you lay eyes on it” (“City Limits” 4). Some people are like Colson Whitehead who “was born here and thus ruined for anywhere else” (“City Limits” 3). Others may have “moved here a couple years ago for a job. Maybe [they] came here for school” (“City Limits” 3). Different reasons have brought these people together. They are grouped as New Yorkers, but many times, living in New York is their only bond. With on going changes and never ending commotion, it is hard to

Harlem, New York in the Twenties was a place where colored people had migrated to show their talents. It was a time when African American Artist, Writers, Dancers, Musicians, and Doctors decided to show the world how spectacular they were. Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Langston Hughes were just a few famous names that arrived during this time. One sensational woman stood out among the rest, her name was Josephine Baker. She took a stand and fought for what she believed in, she was a strong and passionate women and she never let anyone get in the way of the things she loved to do. No matter how risqué or dangerous it may have been.

Traveling between the Bronx and Manhattan has allowed me to see that even though they are so close in distance, everyone is yet so far. Being raised in the Bronx has allowed me to gain a sense of home and recognition, but also how stereotypes are meant to deceive us. The Bronx is labeled as a dangerous place, where violence occurs, but people neglect the beauty and happiness that surrounds it too. Meanwhile, when people think of Manhattan, they see it as the heart of New York where everyone is living their dreams. When in reality, the “heart” of New York is much more distant from itself, and that is not just because it is on an island.

New York City, the shining icon of the American dream and the mixing pot of cultures, was but a name I knew when I was young. Nine years ago, I finally set foot on the fabled city when my family immigrated to the United States. The gigantic airport, JFK International, spanned for miles and its terminals stood proudly over the jumbo jets below. That night, nausea from the plane’s descension and the entropic movements of my aunt’s Jeep prevented me from seeing the outside world. I rested my head on my mom’s lap while still imaging what the city was like.

Were going to be talking about problems, historic events and tragedies that occurred in New York. I am also going to be talking about things that are common and things that are different between early New York and New York today. According to “America’s Best History U.S. Timeline and facts about the 1870’s,” New Yorks Mayor Boss Tweed is arrested”, “Thomas Nast German had skewed the Boss Tweed ring in his cartoons, is credited with an important role in his downfall”. “The National Rifle Association is granted a charter by the State of New York”. “New York Metropolitan Museum of art opens.” “New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes prison, he would be captured and returned to authorities.” And so much more has happened in the city for both

Jersey City, New Jersey is one of the largest cities within the state. With almost 250,000 people, the city is the seat of Hudson County, lying just south east of Manhattan. Jersey City is located on the Bergen Neck peninsula with the Hudson River and New York bay surrounding the east and west sides. The city is divided into six wards, with Historic Downtown, Bergen-Lafayette, and The Heights being its most populous parts. Of its inhabitants, 33% are white, 26% are black, 28% are Hispanic, and 24% are Asian.

As I walked out of the airport into new territory, I could immediately feel the change in atmosphere. The air once chilled from morning dew, had turned into radiating heat from the cement and metal structures in the evening sun. As I looked out in my jeans and tee-shirt, I felt out of place. I was surrounded by the 8.55 million people who populate New York City. Each person with their own style and demeanour. As I walked down streets in search of the correct subway stop with my church group, everyone could tell that we were tourists. We were lugging our impossibly heavy suitcases through the streets, down the unforgiving stairs, and onto the crowded subway. After walking up and down what felt like hundreds of steps and changed subway trains

New York is a city that works in mysterious ways, having a strong presence on those who walk its streets daily. It's a city with character, touching those who live there or taste its enigma and yearn for seconds after the moment is gone. Although the journeys this city can put at people’s feet can vary from person to person, in many cases the path that some walk can end up being very similar. This was the case after reading “Tehran to the B Train” by Roxana Sabari and “My First New York” by Colum McCann. These two articles are both taken place in the big city, and when compared side by side, it can be shown that they both show many qualities, such as the location, the struggle both authors go through during their time in the city, and the realization

The sounds of the city penetrated the walls of the cab as we drove through the streets of Manhattan. I could hardly wait to partake in the action that was happening outside. The buildings themselves were an amazing site to behold. The buildings took on personalities of their own. Each building was bigger and more graceful than the next. When lights were added to the mix it was a dazzling combination. The city itself felt like a great big hug, and I felt overwhelmed by its power. The city allowed me to become part of it just like many others many years ago who immigrated to this awesome city. As I was looking out of the cab I finally got to see in person the sight of all sights; Times Square. The main juncture of

As I walk up Broadway, I stop at a newsstand for a copy of the New York Post. When I lived with my parents, my father disdained the Post and would only subscribe to the Times or the Wall Street Journal, but I love the visceral elements of the Post. I tuck the newspaper into my bag, and walk past this Mecca of civilization. I’m convinced the autumn air smells crisper on this side of town, and it makes me reluctant to descend below the sidewalk into the sour breath of the subway.

When people ask me what time century I wish I could live in, it would be the 1950s. Old time New York. I love everything about the old style, with the retro feel to it. Now we are in the 21st century, 2016 to be exact and we are sadly far away from those years. I mention this because when I think of the 1950s, I imagine the big signs with the huge letters in the “Broadway” font, located in New York City. People traveled to New York to live the American dream, to own a home and be married and have lovely children. People also traveled to New York City to make something of themselves. To make themselves worth something. The city gave them this thrive that if they had a person who believed in them and money, they could do anything imagined. Old time New York is what I miss and what I love about the past. But, it is these people who really built up New York City to make it what it is today. I really appreciate New York for all the history it holds.

When you mention New York to anyone, they automatically think about Times Square. This beautiful place with skyscrapers, Central Park, and a unique transportation system. However, if you were to ask me what I think about New York; I believe the skyscrapers block the sun, Central park is just a regular park for dogs, and the subway trains rarely run consistently especially in the mornings. I have lived in New York for 18 years, and I have yet to understand what everyone likes about the “ Big Red Apple.”