New York City

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 has been in a constant state of change since the 1970’s. Evolving from a state of art and decrepitness to a glistening city of consumption. Yet in Jeremiah Moss’ book, Vanishing New York, the city did not “evolve” for the locals who breathed and lived in the city– the ones who made New York City the place to be, but rather for the big businesses who lure in the tourists who change the city into some kind of sister city to their middle American hometown. Moss uses the same ideas bell hooks wrote about in her “Eating the Other” essay, in that New Yorkers, the “other”, in all their artsy, queer, and ethnic ways are used to “spice up” the city, to make it a place worth coveting so that the rich and elite can sell a watered down/hollow

The essay begins with a short description of the writer’s own experience when she arrived in New York, from the bustling in the crowded streets, to the impersonal existence in her apartment, as she knows none of her neighbors and can only speculate who they are and what they are doing by the sounds they’re making. She moves on to giving several examples of how New Yorkers react with apathy when in crowds, even when something utterly absurd happens, like a woman wearing only her bathrobe on the bus exclaims that she must have forgotten her token in

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.

We then took a subway up to Harlem, also known as El Barrio. “The mix of inhabitants in the area changed dramatically after World War 1, when an influx of Puerto Ricans arrived in East Harlem, transforming it into ‘El Barrio.’ The poverty of these new immigrants and the building or large housing projects that concentrated crime led to East Harlem becoming one of the most dangerous sections of New York City during the 1960s and 1970s” (ENY, 162). It didn’t look like New York to me anymore, it just looked like the slums. We first went to the museum of the City of New York. “The museum has

“It got to be easy to look at New Yorkers as animals, especially looking down from some place like a balcony at Grand Central at the rush hour Friday afternoon.” (Tom Wolfe). “O Rotten Gotham” argues that New Yorkers are in a state of behavioral sink. It would not be long before a “population collapse” or a “massive die off”.

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.

The grand size of the city draws us in the most as it gives us the most intimacy. Intimacy, in being able to keep to ourselves and play a larger role in our own lives, makes the city worthwhile. However, it is exceedingly easy to lose touch with the historical aspects of the city. We love New York for the aesthetics, but continue to take the historical culture for granted. In the past three weeks, I learned to take a step back and keep note that each building, bridge, and infrastructure I encounter has been built and seen by someone before me. Perhaps the monumental building I pass everyday was built or seen by a classmate’s immigrant great ancestor. I have a deeper appreciation for the landmarks surrounding me. In summation, I take the opprotunity to recognize the same Ellis Island I pass on my way to St. John’s University is the same landmark, “an approximate twelve million immigrants,” (Staff) experienced as they made their way towards the mysterious yet promising land of the United States of America.

Cities are generators of economic life and source of changes in the world. Thereby, Jane Jacobs in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities puts into relief the role of cities on the social and economic levels, while denouncing the disastrous consequences of urban renewal programs. To that extent, in chapters 2 and 3, she discusses "The Uses of Sidewalks”, arguing that over all people need safety and trust in their city. Therefore, first she claims the necessity of keeping streets and sidewalks safe because they are the “vital organs” of cities (29). Secondly, she argues that the functioning of cities should be organized in order to foster human interaction in which “casual public

In this part Lynch argues that people in urban situations orient themselves by means of mental maps. To un-derstand the role of these mental maps in our urban lives, he conducted a field research of the visual qualities of the cities of Los Angeles, Boston and Jersey in the previous chapter, and deduced that these visual qualities can conveniently be classified into 5 types of elements: Paths, edges, districts and nodes.

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

There is a house located thirty-five minutes outside of New York City. In the state of New Jersey, the bricked cap cod lies in the quiet suburban town named Bloomfield. In this town, on Spring Street, residences have blooming front lawns filled with different flowers and plants. With a street named Spring and a town named Bloomfield, it is no coincidence that Spring Street and its town is filled with such an array of color. However, although Spring Street is filled with lively landscapes, most of the houses are white or tan which match and blend in with one another. With the exception of one— the house located on 91 North Spring Street. This cap cod stands out against the others with its red bricked exterior and matching red stained window. However behind this bright red window is a bedroom opposite to it.

My poem was titled “New York City.” It was a very broad yet interesting. In line one it said, “New York City is like a jungle.” The author was saying that New York City is so crazy that it is like a jungle. In this line there was a simile comparing the city to a jungle us like or as.