I have this theory. (It's an awesome theory, if I do say so myself.) I believe New York is, in fact, a multitude of New Yorks.
There is the Wall Street New York and the Broadway New York and the Bronx New York and the Upper East Side New York. Sex in the City and Avenue Q. There is the New York of those who take Subways and those who take buses and those who take taxis and those who have private car services to take them wherever they wish to go.
Perhaps every place is a multitude of places defined by the varied and marvelous perspectives of the people therein, but nowhere does this seem more apparent to me than NYC.
I love exploring the city. I like seeking out all the different corners and talking to all the different people. As a writer-nerd, I am fascinated by perspectives and few places have such a diverse mash-up of perspectives all tripping over one another quite the way New York does. As I dive into the city, I find myself thinking how different it must be in each neighborhood - we each have "our" deli and "our" laundromat and "our" favorite Chinese delivery place. Two people could live in this city their entire lives with wildly different circles - hell, two hundred people could. How different the life of an entrepreneur in the Financial District must be from the Upper East Side housewife. How different must my Harlem-and-subway-pass existence, walking every street of the city I can find, be from the actor protected by security and guardrails as he exits the Broadway stage door and is whisked into the waiting chauffeured car, never to ride the subway, rarely to walk the streets, oddly insulated.
So many New Yorks. All stacked on top of one another. I'm going to try to see them all.
There is the Wall Street New York and the Broadway New York and the Bronx New York and the Upper East Side New York. Sex in the City and Avenue Q. There is the New York of those who take Subways and those who take buses and those who take taxis and those who have private car services to take them wherever they wish to go.
Perhaps every place is a multitude of places defined by the varied and marvelous perspectives of the people therein, but nowhere does this seem more apparent to me than NYC.
I love exploring the city. I like seeking out all the different corners and talking to all the different people. As a writer-nerd, I am fascinated by perspectives and few places have such a diverse mash-up of perspectives all tripping over one another quite the way New York does. As I dive into the city, I find myself thinking how different it must be in each neighborhood - we each have "our" deli and "our" laundromat and "our" favorite Chinese delivery place. Two people could live in this city their entire lives with wildly different circles - hell, two hundred people could. How different the life of an entrepreneur in the Financial District must be from the Upper East Side housewife. How different must my Harlem-and-subway-pass existence, walking every street of the city I can find, be from the actor protected by security and guardrails as he exits the Broadway stage door and is whisked into the waiting chauffeured car, never to ride the subway, rarely to walk the streets, oddly insulated.
So many New Yorks. All stacked on top of one another. I'm going to try to see them all.
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