New York City is mostly known as the city that never sleeps. The city earned its nickname because it is full of life and there is always something going on somewhere. It's like a magical place that attracts people from all over the world, from tourists who want to visit the many historic landmarks that the city has to offer, to immigrants who come here with hope to achieve a better future. The minute I left my home country guinea, I knew I was about to experience something very different than I have ever had. I had painted this picture of a beautiful city in my mind. It was mostly from what I had seen on TV or heard from people who have been here before. However, all those people failed to mention a few things like how harsh the weather can be or how overwhelming life in New city can be. Nothing had prepared me for life in this big city because it seemed like a totally different world from where I was coming from. As a newcomer, seeing this city for the first time, I found myself struggling to grasp the rules on how to survive here.
I came here in February 2010, it was during the winter and for someone who is not used to the cold weather, it's not a good time to come to New York City. Before that, the coldest I have experienced was 59°F. So when I was told it would be cold, I decided to wear trousers and a blazer. Today, those are clothes that you will never see me wearing in New York during winter time. When we got to the airport, I was so excited that I didn't wait for my family to come pick me up. I Left my aunt, with whom I had traveled from my country, at the phone booth making calls and went outside. It was freezing and nobody else seemed to care. Everybody just went about their business. I immediately went back inside and...
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...e unspoken rule on how to conduct in Times Square.
New York City is an interesting and unusual city. My first day here, I could not imagine ever living in this city. The pace was too quick for me and I found everything overwhelming. I could not imagine how one city can be so different. Some parts like Times Square makes you fall in love with the city because it is beautiful. While other parts, like the subway makes you want to run away. But one thing I have learned it not just the sight of this city but also it’s the combination of all these things that makes New York City what it is. After living here for four years, I can’t imagine being anywhere else. Today, I can walk on Times Square without bumping into people. It seems like I too have the learned the secret rule. But it is not something I can tell or show anyone, it is just a thing you learn after living in Ne
essence of New York and all its nuances in the form of terse observations. Whether
Colson Whitehead ponders the essence of New York in his collection of essays titled, The Colossus of New York. Throughout the entire collection of essaysWhitehead inquires about what New York stands for based on the journey’s of its inhabitants and visitors. By establishing a sense of authenticity and creating an intimate relationship between him and the reader, Whitehead effectively provides his readers with a genuine account of New York. This genuineness found in Whitehad’s writing has not been met without criticism. Wyatt Mason’s critique of Whitehead’s essays reiterates throughout the review that Whitehead’s account go New York isn’t unique to New York and that the essayist isn’t particularly attentive to detail. While I agree with the
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 define New York and its inhabitants in simple terms.
New Amsterdam became New York and changed hands from the Dutch to the English. But it is not only Dutch place names and styles of architecture scattered across the five boroughs and all of the Empire State that beat witness to this moment in history. The values of openness, tolerance, liberalism and engagement with the world remain the hallmarks of New York, city and state alike. They have made it one of the economic, intellectual and cultural centers of the
In order to adequately depict my feelings, I must start at the beginning. In the fall of 1996, I embarked on my maiden NYC voyage. Armed with a camera, city guide, and my little sister, I headed for New York to discover myself. As I began this adventure, I had no idea how it would end. When I landed at JFK I was a little girl, trying to have some fun, but by the time I boarded the plane to head home my world had changed.
Dumenil, Lynn, ed. "New York City." The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History. N.p.: Oxford UP, 2012. Oxford Reference. Web. 8 Apr. 2013.
Ellis, Edward Robb., and Jeanyee Wong. The Epic of New York City. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf, 2005. Print.
In its long and illustrious history, New York City (NYC) has gone through tremendous change. From a small trading post on the tip of Manhattan Island, to the greatest metropolis in the world, NYC has continued to evolve over time. One period in particular that had more degrees of change than many others, was 1860 to 1865. The lives of the residents of the great port city would be completely changed forever.
account of success and its unhappy fallout, and a great look into New York City life
The arrival to Manhattan was like an entry to a whole new world: from the sea, its breezes, color, and landscapes, to the heart of the city beating louder than ever at the Whitehall Terminal. I could smell New York’s bagels in Battery Park with a mixture of the most relaxing scents: the coffee people were holding while walking down the streets, the old walls of Castle Clinton ...
...nter of culture and civilization” (39). He has faith that in the near future, New York can come together and turn their city into a model city for all other cities in the world.
“Our cultural diversity has most certainly shaped our national character,” affirmed Julie Bishop. From my perception, New York City is one of the most densely inhabited metropolitan collection of cultural diversity in the world in which structures our temperament. New York City applies an imperative influence upon trade, economics, mass communication, skill, style, and education. Frequently it is known that New York City is a crucial core for global politics and has been depicted as the ethnic headquarters of the globe. New York City has been known as a melting pot of culture and as this prolong throughout towards the current day, the city has become ornate with distinct cultures. Just walking around the streets of the city can be like walking around the halls of a cultural museum. From borough to borough, you can straightforwardly experience several features of different cultures by going to the different ethnic neighborhoods that exist throughout the city. For instance, if you wanted to take a trip to China that you've always dreamed of but couldn’t afford it, when living in New York City you can hop on a subway to Canal Street and be in Chinatown for just a few dollars. Certainly, it's not the same as literally being in China, however, you can experience a quantity of the culture and perchance grab some bona fide Chinese food for dinner. Several places holds their culture to denote each individual in New York City, to make an abundant of people to visit and feel each culture one setting at a time.
When you associate anything with New York City it is usually the extraordinary buildings that pierce the sky or the congested sidewalks with people desperate to shop in the famous stores in which celebrities dwell. Even with my short visit there I found myself lost within the Big Apple. The voices of the never-ending attractions call out and envelop you in their awe. The streets are filled with an atmosphere that is like a young child on a shopping spree in a candy store. Although your feet swelter from the continuous walking, you find yourself pressing on with the yearning to discover the 'New York Experience'.
My brother who was already was living in America picked me from the Dallas Fort Worth airport. As my we drove away from the Airport towards his house where I would abode for a while, the smooth drive fascinated me; I was accustomed to potholes on the road in my home country. Deep in my mind I kept pondering how I will be able to survive in this cold, only to be amazed on arrival at the warmth I found inside the house. Out of curiosity I asked my niece, “why is it so warm in here?”, my niece answered with a smile “the heat is running aunty” whatever she meant I did not understand, although she spoke in English she had an American accent which took me long to adapt and decipher.
Without a doubt, Times Square in New York City is a unique experience, but the image created by TV and movies does not show the gloominess that accompanies the euphoria of being in the Big Apple. The atmosphere is so exhilarating and exciting, you don’t even know what to do for a few minutes, but it is tinged with the bitter reality that sadness and melancholy also trail closely behind the positive. With most, if not all, of your senses being stimulated – sometimes all at once – Times Square creates a memory that will surely be cherished, and haunt you for the rest of your life.