The clear, turquoise sky was the perfect backdrop for a normal day in New York City. Crowded pavements surrounding every skyscraper were hundreds of humanoid ants scurrying across roads and festering in shops. The scent of the hot dog stand on the corner slithers though the cavities of the builds next it is socking the clothes in the smell of grease and oil. Central Park is the only vegetation in the area, like a oasis in the scorching desert, Joggers softly weave in and out of obstacles such as people dawdling and inanimate objects. From above, the winding paths of the park lead back to the electricity of the metropolis beyond. At night, the concrete maze comes alive on another level as the thousands of tiny windows on the high-rise buildings
Amidst the swirling ripple of faceless people meandering around fire hydrants, pedestrian signs, and ragged newspaper stands, he stood; embedded within the relentless stream of continuous people trickling by him. The occasional nudge threatened to dislodge his balance as he gazed across the road where two buildings laden by carmine shaded bricks separated. The same two buildings he walked directly pass early in the dewy morning and late in the brisk evening weather everyday for the past two decades. Surely he knew every wondering power line and dimly lit alley of the surrounding neighborhood? Yet something glimmered from in between the impossibly small gap separating the buildings. His conscious turned from thought to action as he leapt from the scuffed curb and into the high voltage current of traffic without a second
“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”.
When the thick Manhattan air fills your lungs, you feel as if you are breathing in tar. For every deep breath you take, you cough up two more. The sidewalk you found yourself on is cracked and jagged; the city doesn’t repair the roads on this side of town. You count the cigarette butts in your path to avoid eye contact with the many faces of this harsh place. Picking up your pace, you seek out refuge in the only place you know will do you no harm.
Trails of exhaust were propelled out of every single car in the bumper to bumper traffic, making the recirculation button a necessity. The dull roar of hundreds of people walking, talking, shouting, and blaring their car horns gradually blended into one unpleasant, continuous track that I was forced to listen to. Litter and cigarette butts pooled around gutters and lined the curbs, so I redirected my gaze upwards at the towering skyscrapers. I liked the view, so long as I kept my eyes above street level, and I supposed I liked the city, so long as I did not breathe in too deeply. I tried to appreciate nicer aspects of the busy city, but where I really wanted to be, was hiking somewhere in the mountains.
New York City is the centerpoint of thousands of films and pieces of literature, a city whose charm can be felt through words or pictures. Lights, brighter than life itself, blend with a cacophony of car horns and shouts to create an addictive mix of chaos. The glamour and sparkle of New York City is dramaticized to be an all encompassing feeling of wonder that one keeps with them for the rest of their lives. In the spring of this past year, the band program I participated in was given the once in a lifetime chance to perform in New York. Being obsessed with the city since I was a child, I gladly leapt at the opportunity. However, actually navigating the fabled concrete jungle makes one realize that New York City is not the shining beacon of wonder and amazement that it is thought to be.
6 years ago, when I came to the land of freedom and liberty, I was mesmerized about how well NYC is well-developed than in my home country, Bangladesh. As my family and I see those neon lights, and upstanding crowd of vehicles; I felt jolly due to a fact that, I was in an urban-like city. At first, my family and I used to live in Woodhaven Blvd. The private house feels cozy during those winter nights.
Prominent in urban planning, Ebenezer Howard and Frederick Law Olmsted strove to integrate nature into cities. Howard envisioned “garden cities” encompassed by gardens to provide recreational space and the natural experience people have endlessly coveted. Olmsted, creator of New York’s Central Park, somewhat achieved that integration urbanites wanted by tightly building a rich green space in a major metropolis. By integrating nature into cities so closely as Howard and Olmsted wanted, urbanites could enjoy the nature experience in their own environment by their own means while avoiding a major strain on the environment people who live in the country
This transitory space of downtown is most visible in the parks downtown. Court Square is a beautiful park surrounded by businesses and cafes and has all the elements of a park Jacobs’ argues for. Her book details the essential elements of a good park as intricacy, centering, sun, and enclosure. Court Square has a clear center with easy walking paths the lead to it, with plenty of trees to provide ample shade, greenery, and sun, and well marked boundaries to signal the beginning and end of park space. The only issue is intricacy, a space that is complex enough to serve different purposes for different groups of people. The
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.”
For the unsuspecting visitor to New York City, the notion of standing under the shadow of looming skyscrapers, thrust into the pandemonium and din of the walkways, overwhelms and shocks. Yet, for those more accustomed to city life, the disorder becomes normal, relegated to the everyday challenges of modern life. Rarely in our busy and all too public lives do we take the time to recognize that city life has all but removed any semblance of the natural world from our lives.
In the heart of New York City, the lives of Melvin Udall, Carol Connely, Simon Bishop, and Frank Sachs collided every day. However, when tragedy struck not only did they form mutual friendships, they helped each other become their best selves. While there were several interesting characters in this film, I chose to focus on the life of Simon Bishop (Brooks, 1997).
New York is a beautiful state.It would be an interesting place to visit because the rivers over there like the Niagara Falls and the Genesee river are beautiful.Did you know that it’s illegal to honk your horns in New York streets?People still honk their horns and if it was an emergency you could ,sometimes it’s
Since the introduction of films and theatres the great city of New York has often been depicted as an idyllic place to live, where people go to make their dreams come true. One movie in particular enthral us in its representation of New York City, Breakfast at Tiffany’s based on Truman Capote’s novella brings the glamourous atmosphere of the high society to our door step. Produced in 1961, it also opens a window to the mores of the time. This movie made New York City the place to be to get rich and live free. It acts as an icon for the American Dream, a City of hope.
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
It’s 7:30am, I step outside onto my apartment balcony. Cars are zooming down the over crowded streets, staunch buildings towering over me blocking the greeny lush hills far away. People rapidly walking down the sidewalk. In front of my eyes are shimmery silver and navy colours reflecting from the sky high buildings, they stand out more than the joyous light blue sky itself. Sounding in my ears are cars angrily roaring every 5 seconds, people barking at taxis to stop, an earth shaking sound that’s mixed with sound of a hurricane that’s just the aeroplane taking off from the city airport. The mouth watering smell of the local bakery down the road lingers through my nose, I can taste those freshly baked scones in my mouth from here.