...And here I am, visiting this space to jot down something. The last two months have been quite a ride. A lot of emotions, experiences, interactions and many meaningful memories. Post graduation, I travelled to India with 3 of my friends and experienced my own country like I have never before. For a month, I explored, unravelled and tasted the depths of India with 3 very intelligent women whom I am proud to call my friends. The project to develop a coffee table book from the experience is under way...
However, this post isn't about that or anything specific for that matter but rather is about a multitude of thoughts that are bubbling in my mind, that must be given a cohesive form...
What hasn't been said about NYC!? The city that never sleeps, the fashion capital, the world's bank, foodies paradise, NYC is everything and a little bit more. It's the place people dream of visiting, it's what young working people aspire to live in, it's where countless films and shows are shot in, it's the home of theatre, it is New York City!
And there I was with another month and a half left before the next chapter in my life began and I decided to shack up in this city of cities, the wonder that is NYC!
I reached Manhattan on the 26th of June and Sana left for Saudi Arabia the next day, leaving me her little home or 'shoebox' as she calls it (It really is very small, but with ample character) in the Upper East side to live in. Very excited at the prospect of spending a month in this phenomenal city. I bid her goodbye and began the task of becoming familiar with the city, to a point I wouldn't be considered just another visitor...
Since I wasn't working, it meant I had a set amount of funds in the bank. New York is the kind of city where any amount earned can be too little, any amount imaginable can be spent in a day, and this meant I had to be extra careful. The streets of Manhattan are bursting with restaurants, cafes, bars, theatres, museums, you name it they have it. I had a few projects I wanted to work on whilst I was here, a few friends I wanted to hang out with and replenish the mind, body and soul before work began. There was enough to do.
Central park was a few blocks away from the 'shoebox' and I started running there early in the morning. Being a city of the fit and healthy, the park was flooded with serious runners and bikers at this time. The complexion of the park was entirely different the few times I ran in the evening, with kids playing about, out of state visitors, others out for a casual stroll and only the occasional runner or biker. But irrespective of the time, the park is a wonderful oasis of peace and natural green in the middle of the concrete jungle. In fact, Manhattan and its boroughs are full of great parks, small and big as I have discovered...
Many people may stake their claim at being locals of New York City or knowing where the best hot dog is or where the hippest bar is, but to be considered a New-Yorker, one must ride the Subway. (And I don't mean just travel on it, but rather learn the nuances of the connections, walk in and out of stations with crowds of people without looking out of place and all the while being aloof). I got myself an unlimited monthly card and started using the trains to get everywhere. The trains run 24/7 and it shows; the stations are dirty and the tracks are teeming with rats but the system works. At least for the most part. It is on these trains that start in one borough and end in another that one really sees the diversity of the cities people. Whether it is diversity of cultures, countries, languages or social classes, a train ride is never dull...
Living on a budget and with a lot of free time at hand, at first I wasn't sure of how best to spend my time. Spending time at home didn't seem right for I was in the 'city that never sleeps', but being outside invariably meant spending money at a watering hole or a food establishment. I explored areas in the outer Burroughs around restaurants Anthony Bourdain recommended on his show or when I met a friend in his/her neighbourhood. Greenwich Village, Lower East, Upper East, Soho, Meatpacking, Flatiron, West Village, everywhere I went, I found it hard not to spend money. I wondered whether people living here actually went out all the time to eat or party or did there exist a balance?
Over meals, walks and coffees with a good friend of mine who moved here after living in Georgia for 20 years, we realized that this city was lacking the warmth that some smaller, less attractive cities posses. At any given time, one can find hundreds of people walking around. Despite the presence of the millions of people that inhabit this wonder city, there is loneliness here. From the super rich to the destitute, I found people searching for something. I saw it in their eyes. In a city that moves at break neck speed to keep up with itself, people hardly take the time to form connections, be it at the local grocery store, on the train to work and back with the same folk or even with those they are attracted to...
It took me a few weeks to settle down and find purpose in what I was doing. I started exploring more, started to make time to meet friends in their homes and not at bars or restaurants and started working on personal projects. No longer did I feel the urge to go out and drink and do something because I was in the middle of the action so as to speak...
Don't get me wrong, NYC is like no other place. It's glamorous, it's full of character, and at times it is even awe inspiring. There is something for every interest here and that is wonderful. But if you're not from here or don't know people here, it can be overwhelming and lonely. Which brings me to the conclusion that it isn't the place but the people that make or break a city.
I have loved living in NY for I have found the balance wherein I am content just going over and picking up Cumberland sausages for a recipe from a small English store in the West Village, talking to the Chicken and Rice guy from Morocco, seeing kids frolic in the park at Union Square, watching a documentary as part of a film festival at the elevated acre in the financial district or just being giddy when I have made the train connections perfectly. And with all that, I have mixed in going out to eat, partying on rooftop bars, hanging out at speak easy's (Underground bars from the prohibition era in the US when liquor was prohibited), hookah and brunch bars...
One of these evenings I found myself in a penthouse of the Trump Palace on the upper east side. There were 8 balconies, one every 45 degrees. Perched on the 50th Floor of an apartment I could have only dreamed of, when the first signs of light appeared in the sky, my friend and I were spellbound. Words won't do justice to what I felt that morning as the sun began to appear in the distance. The sunrise that morning moved me to tears for I felt humbled.. We saved the best for last, the balcony of the master bedroom gave a north to south view of Central Park. The orange-red rays illuminated the buildings around, and I felt thankful. In a city where most people struggle to make a living, I watched from above, the tiny figures, the lush cover of trees, the mighty buildings and the East river. It 'appeared' perfect.
NYC- A city where they don't judge your beliefs, but they do judge your shoes!
Since I wasn't working, it meant I had a set amount of funds in the bank. New York is the kind of city where any amount earned can be too little, any amount imaginable can be spent in a day, and this meant I had to be extra careful. The streets of Manhattan are bursting with restaurants, cafes, bars, theatres, museums, you name it they have it. I had a few projects I wanted to work on whilst I was here, a few friends I wanted to hang out with and replenish the mind, body and soul before work began. There was enough to do.
Central park was a few blocks away from the 'shoebox' and I started running there early in the morning. Being a city of the fit and healthy, the park was flooded with serious runners and bikers at this time. The complexion of the park was entirely different the few times I ran in the evening, with kids playing about, out of state visitors, others out for a casual stroll and only the occasional runner or biker. But irrespective of the time, the park is a wonderful oasis of peace and natural green in the middle of the concrete jungle. In fact, Manhattan and its boroughs are full of great parks, small and big as I have discovered...
Many people may stake their claim at being locals of New York City or knowing where the best hot dog is or where the hippest bar is, but to be considered a New-Yorker, one must ride the Subway. (And I don't mean just travel on it, but rather learn the nuances of the connections, walk in and out of stations with crowds of people without looking out of place and all the while being aloof). I got myself an unlimited monthly card and started using the trains to get everywhere. The trains run 24/7 and it shows; the stations are dirty and the tracks are teeming with rats but the system works. At least for the most part. It is on these trains that start in one borough and end in another that one really sees the diversity of the cities people. Whether it is diversity of cultures, countries, languages or social classes, a train ride is never dull...
Living on a budget and with a lot of free time at hand, at first I wasn't sure of how best to spend my time. Spending time at home didn't seem right for I was in the 'city that never sleeps', but being outside invariably meant spending money at a watering hole or a food establishment. I explored areas in the outer Burroughs around restaurants Anthony Bourdain recommended on his show or when I met a friend in his/her neighbourhood. Greenwich Village, Lower East, Upper East, Soho, Meatpacking, Flatiron, West Village, everywhere I went, I found it hard not to spend money. I wondered whether people living here actually went out all the time to eat or party or did there exist a balance?
Over meals, walks and coffees with a good friend of mine who moved here after living in Georgia for 20 years, we realized that this city was lacking the warmth that some smaller, less attractive cities posses. At any given time, one can find hundreds of people walking around. Despite the presence of the millions of people that inhabit this wonder city, there is loneliness here. From the super rich to the destitute, I found people searching for something. I saw it in their eyes. In a city that moves at break neck speed to keep up with itself, people hardly take the time to form connections, be it at the local grocery store, on the train to work and back with the same folk or even with those they are attracted to...
It took me a few weeks to settle down and find purpose in what I was doing. I started exploring more, started to make time to meet friends in their homes and not at bars or restaurants and started working on personal projects. No longer did I feel the urge to go out and drink and do something because I was in the middle of the action so as to speak...
Don't get me wrong, NYC is like no other place. It's glamorous, it's full of character, and at times it is even awe inspiring. There is something for every interest here and that is wonderful. But if you're not from here or don't know people here, it can be overwhelming and lonely. Which brings me to the conclusion that it isn't the place but the people that make or break a city.
I have loved living in NY for I have found the balance wherein I am content just going over and picking up Cumberland sausages for a recipe from a small English store in the West Village, talking to the Chicken and Rice guy from Morocco, seeing kids frolic in the park at Union Square, watching a documentary as part of a film festival at the elevated acre in the financial district or just being giddy when I have made the train connections perfectly. And with all that, I have mixed in going out to eat, partying on rooftop bars, hanging out at speak easy's (Underground bars from the prohibition era in the US when liquor was prohibited), hookah and brunch bars...
One of these evenings I found myself in a penthouse of the Trump Palace on the upper east side. There were 8 balconies, one every 45 degrees. Perched on the 50th Floor of an apartment I could have only dreamed of, when the first signs of light appeared in the sky, my friend and I were spellbound. Words won't do justice to what I felt that morning as the sun began to appear in the distance. The sunrise that morning moved me to tears for I felt humbled.. We saved the best for last, the balcony of the master bedroom gave a north to south view of Central Park. The orange-red rays illuminated the buildings around, and I felt thankful. In a city where most people struggle to make a living, I watched from above, the tiny figures, the lush cover of trees, the mighty buildings and the East river. It 'appeared' perfect.
NYC- A city where they don't judge your beliefs, but they do judge your shoes!
