Ain’t no other place quite like it
I must admit, it had been hard to come up with captions to describe New York City, whether it’s here on my blog or on my Instagram. It is a city that doesn’t need any introduction, at the same time, I feel that it truly deserves my attention to come up with something extra witty and fresh.
The largest city in the United States by population, with over 8 million residents, NYC is known for its vibrant culture, diverse population, and significant impact on global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. You see it on the big screen and small screen, read about it in books, hear it being referred to when you walk your dog in your neighborhood park while being on the opposite side of the country. People often say things like Toronto is like the New York of Canada, Shanghai is like the New York of China. It’s been used as a reference very much like a sun and the moon. People love it, people hate it, people can’t escape thinking about it. It is also probably not a place for the easily faint-hearted. I have to say that the hardest working mammals/ biggest hustlers I have ever encountered in my life are squirrels who call Central Park home. I know how intense that might sound. However, I think NYC is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime, because no matter how much you have seen or read about New York City, you are looking at or reading through someone else’s perspective. Like the great Georgia O’Keeffe who had painted the city numerous times throughout her life once said, “One can’t paint New York at it is, but rather as it is felt.”
Having said that, everyone has its own version of NYC as we all feel different sensations while we are in it. As for me, New York City is the summer shade in Central Park, the fashionable pedestrians in Tribeca, the fast-talking finance bros walking down Wall Street, the unspoken unity felt standing by the new World Trade Center, the out-of-this-world delicious pizza, ceviche, Kosher deli, dumplings, and chicken tikka masala, the crowds at Time Square, the sound of sirens all across midtown, the amount of vendors trying to sell you their products and services, the cooling ferry ride from Manhattan to Brooklyn, the crazy amount of different languages you hear everyday, the car ride to Long Island and the beautiful sandy beach overlooking the warm Atlantic Ocean… and so much more.
Ain’t no place in the world like NYC because before you even step your foot into it, you know it for different reasons and by the time you leave it, you come home with your very own piece of memory, interpretations, and experiences.
It’s been real, New York City. As a West Coaster by choice, I might not have been converted, but I sure respect the heck out of you.
