The New York City Lights

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

into a pattern of lines. When I walked in the street, lights from stores and

The ideal opportunity came along in my seventh-grade history class when I received a project to write about what I admire about New York City. I was a citizen here but I was no different from a tourist. I made it my purpose to see the “city that never sleeps.” I had a

This makes it a great deal for companies seeking contemporary spaces and all the amenities that come with them. It’s also very convenient for employees in most areas of Manhattan and Brooklyn and enjoys excellent transportation options courtesy of numerous subway stops nearby, PATH and river ferry services. The community also features a number of excellent lunch places nearby like the Hudson Eats food hall, Shake Shack and the North End Grill as well as abundant public space to relax after work or on lunch break.

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

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

Ever since I was a little girl, New York City always seemed like a place that was magical. My family’s TV on Thanksgiving was always broadcasting the enormous balloons, extravagant floats, and millions of people lining the streets of the city for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Freshman year, excited squeals and giggles erupted from my brother and I after our parents told us that we would be visiting New York City for the first time to witness the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. After several months of waiting and lots of turbulence, our plane hit the landing with a thunk at Laguardia airport and reality set in: we were in the city. Walking out of the airport was absolutely surreal. The sights, sounds, and smells surrounded my family and

After I saw the place, the people, and their interaction, I got the deep understanding of the United States. I have to admit that America is the busiest city in the world. In Beijing, which is the best city in China, I have never seen so many grand buildings in one area as in Times Square. As Times Square is the symbol of New York, I can see the fashion of this city. And I also find that people here prefer to watch opera, because there is a long line in front of every theater. From the restaurant, I can obtain the American’s taste that they prefer the fast-food,

A trip to 42nd street circa 1990 was certainly no destination fit for a family. Walls of graffiti adorn the peeling awnings of storefronts and theatres promise private dances and live nude women. Porn shops dotted the city block with colorful invitations to sex hotlines and signs prohibiting entry to anyone under the age of eighteen (Wollman 445). Decades earlier, during the Prohibition era, speakeasies and brothels lined the city, creating New York’s red light district. Today’s Times Square, however, bares no hint of resemblance to its former image of sleaze and mystery. Neon lights that once illustrated silhouettes of burlesque dancers have since been fashioned into the welcoming faces of cartoon characters. Signs visible

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.

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 someone walks over the grates in the sidewalk, they can feel the wind rush up from the subway cars flying through the tunnels. While they continue walking down the street and looking at all the different people that they pass, they can smell the hotdogs being cooked in the food truck. In the distance, they hear a siren weaving through the congested narrow streets of this busy city. New York City is a one of a kind type of place. It is the only place in the world where so many different cultures and backgrounds are all in one place. Along with the multitudes of different types of people and cultures, New York City truly is the city that never sleeps. The city that never sleeps, New York City, is full sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and feels.

Ever since I can remember I have had a fascination with New York City, partly because the way that the movies have portrayed it as being almost magical and full of endless possibilities way but mostly because I love large cities. Although I live near Glasgow which could be considered to be a large city I don’t think it has the same allure as NYC. The architecture is so different and I think that what makes New York so special. Endless rows of skyscrapers that send shadows flowing

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.”

According to Marshall Berman, Modernity is a term of art used in the Humanities and Social Sciences to designate both a historical period as well as the ensemble of a particular socio cultural norms attitudes and practices that arose in post medieval Europe and have developed since in various ways and at various times around the world. (Berman 2010, 15-36)