New York state of mind
I am sitting in my cousin's apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NYC.
Yesterday after work I got in the car and drove over an hour to catch a Metro North train into NYC. From Wassaic, NY I took a train in, transfering once, to Grand Central Station. As I was pushed forward with the swelling crowds--trying to act like I knew where I was going to catch my next train--I marveled at the beautiful architechture of the builiding and the famous image of the building came into my head; the image of the interior of the building with the light streaming in through the ceiling windows. The trip into the city isn't complete without seeing Grand Central; all its people rushing through going to jobs, homes, lovers; such a gathering up of people only to push them out again into the cool November streets.
Two hours and three trains later (after getting seriously confused) my cousin Jessi and I found each other at the West 4th Street stop, and another couple of trains and we were walking down the street to her apartment. I was surprised at how nice her apartment is, since the area around isn't the greatest, though she is not too far from Williamsburg, which according to Jessi, is becoming the hip, artsy place to be as an influx of young people search for cheap rent.
Chatting with Jessi I realized that it is people like her that were made for moves like hers to this mamoth city. She was able to pick up from MI and move out here: only knowing one or two distant friends, starting school, showing up without a job, thus beginning the next chapter of her life. I must confess, I felt myself very brave leaving MI to move to the Farm the first time. To move 12 hours away from family, onto this Farm, into this community. It all felt daring. Now looking at what Jessi has done I feel like my choices were easier. I don't know that I could ever pick up and move to a big city...but thinking more on that I also realize I couldn't stand a big city for very long. I hate the crowds and I think even the annonymity of it all. And I would be afraid that if I stayed here too long I would lose the beauty of Grand Central Station and looking up into a skyscraper filled sky; seeing the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building and the bridges, yawing over the water and reaching fingers across to the little islands that surround this city. I love coming into this city to see these things and would worry about losing the magic if I looked at these iconic NYC images every day.
Today we go out in search of some of these icons of the city, seeking out famous museums which I have never been to. We are heading out with a list of to-sees to keep us busy, on the agenda as time allows are: Monet's Water Lillies at MOMA, Kandinsky at the Guggenheim, Jane Austen at the Morgan Library and possibly a stop for some allegedly amazing and cheap dumplings along the way. We are also going to try and meet up with Tizzy and her brother (who is visiting from St. Louis). So, off I go into the city scape.
Yesterday after work I got in the car and drove over an hour to catch a Metro North train into NYC. From Wassaic, NY I took a train in, transfering once, to Grand Central Station. As I was pushed forward with the swelling crowds--trying to act like I knew where I was going to catch my next train--I marveled at the beautiful architechture of the builiding and the famous image of the building came into my head; the image of the interior of the building with the light streaming in through the ceiling windows. The trip into the city isn't complete without seeing Grand Central; all its people rushing through going to jobs, homes, lovers; such a gathering up of people only to push them out again into the cool November streets.
Two hours and three trains later (after getting seriously confused) my cousin Jessi and I found each other at the West 4th Street stop, and another couple of trains and we were walking down the street to her apartment. I was surprised at how nice her apartment is, since the area around isn't the greatest, though she is not too far from Williamsburg, which according to Jessi, is becoming the hip, artsy place to be as an influx of young people search for cheap rent.
Chatting with Jessi I realized that it is people like her that were made for moves like hers to this mamoth city. She was able to pick up from MI and move out here: only knowing one or two distant friends, starting school, showing up without a job, thus beginning the next chapter of her life. I must confess, I felt myself very brave leaving MI to move to the Farm the first time. To move 12 hours away from family, onto this Farm, into this community. It all felt daring. Now looking at what Jessi has done I feel like my choices were easier. I don't know that I could ever pick up and move to a big city...but thinking more on that I also realize I couldn't stand a big city for very long. I hate the crowds and I think even the annonymity of it all. And I would be afraid that if I stayed here too long I would lose the beauty of Grand Central Station and looking up into a skyscraper filled sky; seeing the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building and the bridges, yawing over the water and reaching fingers across to the little islands that surround this city. I love coming into this city to see these things and would worry about losing the magic if I looked at these iconic NYC images every day.
Today we go out in search of some of these icons of the city, seeking out famous museums which I have never been to. We are heading out with a list of to-sees to keep us busy, on the agenda as time allows are: Monet's Water Lillies at MOMA, Kandinsky at the Guggenheim, Jane Austen at the Morgan Library and possibly a stop for some allegedly amazing and cheap dumplings along the way. We are also going to try and meet up with Tizzy and her brother (who is visiting from St. Louis). So, off I go into the city scape.
Comments