Just got off a grueling 3-day weekend spent in NYC. Took one-stop connections there AND back (so 4 planes all told), lotsa subways, slept on wooden floors, and verbally assaulted by enraged taxi drivers. But I'm alive.
Observations about NYC:
1. There's a noticeable difference between "Uptown NYC" and "Downtown NYC." East Village, Manhattan, Downtown is very nice, you got Wall Street, Central Park, Fifth Avenue, nice shops, great restaurants, great sights. But once you go up the subway to like the Bronx, it gets shady.... it looks more run-down, not-so squeaky clean anymore. It's perceptible just by riding the "4" "5" or "6" subways. Big difference just by the type and demeanor people getting on and off at different stops. Really highlights the "have and have-not" culture of the U.S., especially in the preeminent city in America, the Big Apple.
2. LaGuardia's a lot closer to everything than JFK, and riding into LaGuardia at 6:00PM evening gets you a GREAT view of the whole city. Holy moly, was I glad I stuck w/ a left-side aisle seat on the way there. Citi Field, Hudson Bay, Downtown Manhattan, Statue of Liberty, etc., etc. I highly recommend it.
3. NYC Marathon is a pretty big deal. Happened to be there this weekend, and visited in Central Park. Pretty cool; goal is to one day run in one of these, whether it be LA, Chicago, Boston, or NY.
4. Highland Park is apparently the big, bad, new thing in NYC, and it really matches the hype. Pretty much a big part on top of a bunch of buildings, it gets you a pretty clear view of a lot of NYC. Liked it.
5. Found it ironic that the Occupy Wall Street protestors are within shouting range of the 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial. The two most defining events of the last decade, represented within a 2-block radius, with contrasting messages highlighted by loss and tragedy. There's got to be a poem in there somewhere, it seems intensely ironic.
6. Lotsa, lotsa couples walking around NYC. It's stunning how many faces you see just walking around; whereas LA is defined by people driving around in their cars behind a shield made of protective steel (a.k.a. your car), in NYC people are always out, there's nowhere to hide.
7. Rudeness. Yea, East Coasters are rude. I mean, it's not just me, my New York friends were telling me about this before I even got there. Cab drivers give you a hard time if you don't tip them enough (first-hand experience), people walking behind you get peeved if you don't jaywalk in an obvious situation, drivers honk at the slightest perceived slight, etc., etc. If you think LA didn't have patience for people, o jeez wait for NY. Although, it makes you wonder, doesn't it? Weren't we all, no matter where we grew up, taught the same basic lessons of manners and sympathy for each other? Empathy/put yourself in others' shoes? I feel like somewhere along the way in the busy, make money-or-leave atmosphere of New York, those basic tenets of life fade way to capitalism and individualism. The city is that powerful.
8. O ya, everything in New York costs A LOT. Biggest motivator for me yet to make money in this world: New York will take your money and take a LOT of it. $6 for a hot dog (and not even at a baseball stadium). $15 for a bowl of Ramen. $2.25 in a subway to go 3 blocks. In no other city, I feel, are you defined so much by the way you dress/how much you make/your overall success. The whole city seems to demand that you be successful, or leave.
9. Yankee Stadium- made possibly my one and only trip. Pretty cool.
10. Times Square- tourist trap. Sure you got the bright lights and all, but you also got so many people you can hardly breathe. Avoid. (Sell, sell, sell)
All in all, my research of NYC this weekend and over the years ( remind me to relate the story of the 2003 NYC Blackout that I lived through) suggest that I should NOT live in New York. Not now; not ever: Don't try to worm your way into the Big Apple.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Robert Yan
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