New York City
Jul. 31st, 2004 01:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
realexplodingcatI wrote this the morning after seeing New York City for the first time. I've always been fascinated by the city. I adore urban spaces. Many of you have probably been there, some of you may have lived (or still do live) there. Please, humor me. I felt like a kid (with a very strong pancreas) in the largest candy store on Earth. I wanted to capture the moment of my first visit.
On the way home from Maine my wife decided to give me my first real look at New York City. I love urban spaces, but I've never seen New York, despite growing up less than two hours away from it. My family's urban needs were satisfied with Philadelphia, so my parents never went to New York. When I was old enough to be out on my own, I went south to Washington DC.
Jocelyn, in a moment of bravery, decided to hop off I-95 and drive through downtown Manhattan on the way to the Lincoln Tunnel. After an extraordinarily convoluted system of spiraling ramps, a few wrong turns, and driving under a several graffiti covered underpasses, we ended up on Broadway. Several blocks looked similar to certain sections of DC. A wide street lined on both sides with buildings. Shops and restaurants on ground level and residences above. However, the buildings were taller. The blocks longer. There seemed to be a chinese take-out place on nearly every block. At one point, an elevated train rail appeared beside us and gradually ascended into the darkness above like the skeleton tail of an enormous dinosaur skeleton.
We reached a block that was suddenly more quiet and dark. It appeared to be more strictly residential, possibly spacious apartments (as in larger than 10 x 6). It was much cleaner and obviously a more wealthy area. Beyond this we drove through another long series of blocks similar to the first, but with more upscale stores and now Starbucks seemed be nearly as ubiquitous as the chinese take-out joints had seemed before. A more mixed crowd of people walked the streets, including lone white girls.
Looking far ahead and above we could see several black silhouettes of extraordinarily tall buildings back-lit by the powerful glow of what could only be Times Square. The lighting was such that it looked as if we were driving toward an eerie two-dimensional facade that stretched to the sky. A stark, German expressionist design of monoliths that looked much like the stylized drawings of a city sky you might find in a contemporary Batman cartoon.
Approaching that blaze of light, the buildings grew taller and the cars on the road that were not Taxis or buses grew fewer. Traffic became more of an adventure as buses veered into lanes without regard for cars, like elephants lumbering along without a care for what insects might fall under their feet. Cabs zipped around like flies and seemed to compete for not only customers, but also for the most creative way to run red lights. We were particularly amused by the one to the right of us that made a left turn from that right hand lane at a red light.
The buildings continued to grow. Some people may find it claustrophobic. I find it to be cozy and comfortable, but not without a tantalizing touch of mystery and suspense. I love how the tight corridors can lend themselves to surprises being around every corner. It's a massive labyrinth. I find it simply awe inspiring that something as large as godzilla or a giant marshmallow man could easily hide in the city. You wouldn't see them coming until they're right on top of you. It's a goofy and extreme example, but it's the sense of mystery and imagination that these city streets inspire in me. Part of what I adore about the urban landscape. At the same time, the close quarters of the buildings also gives me a sense of security. You can only see so far and you can take in your immediate surroundings, but there is such a thick amount of stuff to see that you could spend a day on a single city block and never take in all of the details and stories around you.
Finally, we reached Times Square and it's nearly a different world. Multi-story screens flash advertisements. Flood lights illuminate huge static billboards promoting various television shows and theater plays. It's nearly midnight and the street is as bright as day and crowded with people. This place seemed to be pure concentrated America. Bold, garish, and excessive. Buildings climbed to the sky. Advertisements creeped up their facades, many stories tall. We were lucky to notice the traffic lights, whose tiny lights were completely obscured by the outrageously large and copious chaos of light around us. Countless tourists roamed dazed through the streets, drunk on the visual assault of color. An unbridled celebration of commercial excess. Both beautiful and horrifying. Beautiful because of the larger-than-life images and colors, like a constant fireworks display that never ends. Horrifying because I fear the spread of this garish sensory assault, hoping this style of advertising doesn't ever spread beyond the few downtowns of major metropolises that are so large that their historical and local beauty cannot be obscured by an area of such intense crass commercialism.
We managed to avoid crashing into any cabs or buses and flowed through Times Square back into the darker, quieter portions of the city. Somehow we had slipped off broadway. It wasn't long before we found the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. Two lanes of traffic zippered together into one. After our crash course in New York driving, we boldly drove ahead, squeezing into the lane ahead of an angry BMW SUV. With an unswerving forward motion, we threatened to scratch and dent that new BMW with our old Buick. The BMW backed off. I noticed a sign warning us not to honk our horns in case of emergency. Not the first one I'd seen in the city. Apparently, there are laws prohibiting unnecessary horn blasting. We drove into the Lincoln Tunnel and under the river. It was fairly unremarkable as tunnels go, except for its cognitive weight through several appearances in books and films I have experienced throughout my life. A nice touch, however, was a mark in the tunnel denoting the border of New York and New Jersey. We passed from one state to another beneath the water. We left the tunnel, delighted to discover that we had no toll, and drove home through the industrial wasteland that is Newark, NJ. My first time seeing Newark, I now believe that this city is responsible for NJ's bad reputation. An ugly, polluted, flat landscape of factories, warehouses, and smog. I think most people passing through NJ most remember this scene. But few seem to realize that outside of the concentrated urban centers around NYC, Newark, Trenton, and Camden, the rest of the state is quite beautiful, full of forest, tiny mountains, rolling farmland, and long coast line with diverse beach attractions from the peaceful to the partying. It ain't called the Garden State for nothing.
After my single brief visit, I can honestly say I love New York. It fulfilled all my expectations and fantasies about urban spaces. I lived in DC, I've worked in Philly, and I love both of those cities. But there certainly is nothing quite like New York. I could feel it in the air, like the electric buzz after a nearby lightning strike. I would love to live there. I know I would be lost. A little cog in a machine. But I'd be a little cog in one of the biggest machines on Earth. My ordered actions would contribute to the massive concentrated chaos of the urban ecology in one of the most important cities in human history. I'd love to be a part of that, if only a tiny part. So, I've got it all planned out. I figure my time with Jocelyn is limited. The mothership will eventually come and beam her up. Aliens will take her back to her home planet. I hope I have the courage to embark on my own great adventure. I'd move to New York and apply for help from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. "The mothership finally came to steal my wife away. I've moved to NYC and I need five gay guys to help me start a new life in the city."
On the way home from Maine my wife decided to give me my first real look at New York City. I love urban spaces, but I've never seen New York, despite growing up less than two hours away from it. My family's urban needs were satisfied with Philadelphia, so my parents never went to New York. When I was old enough to be out on my own, I went south to Washington DC.
Jocelyn, in a moment of bravery, decided to hop off I-95 and drive through downtown Manhattan on the way to the Lincoln Tunnel. After an extraordinarily convoluted system of spiraling ramps, a few wrong turns, and driving under a several graffiti covered underpasses, we ended up on Broadway. Several blocks looked similar to certain sections of DC. A wide street lined on both sides with buildings. Shops and restaurants on ground level and residences above. However, the buildings were taller. The blocks longer. There seemed to be a chinese take-out place on nearly every block. At one point, an elevated train rail appeared beside us and gradually ascended into the darkness above like the skeleton tail of an enormous dinosaur skeleton.
We reached a block that was suddenly more quiet and dark. It appeared to be more strictly residential, possibly spacious apartments (as in larger than 10 x 6). It was much cleaner and obviously a more wealthy area. Beyond this we drove through another long series of blocks similar to the first, but with more upscale stores and now Starbucks seemed be nearly as ubiquitous as the chinese take-out joints had seemed before. A more mixed crowd of people walked the streets, including lone white girls.
Looking far ahead and above we could see several black silhouettes of extraordinarily tall buildings back-lit by the powerful glow of what could only be Times Square. The lighting was such that it looked as if we were driving toward an eerie two-dimensional facade that stretched to the sky. A stark, German expressionist design of monoliths that looked much like the stylized drawings of a city sky you might find in a contemporary Batman cartoon.
Approaching that blaze of light, the buildings grew taller and the cars on the road that were not Taxis or buses grew fewer. Traffic became more of an adventure as buses veered into lanes without regard for cars, like elephants lumbering along without a care for what insects might fall under their feet. Cabs zipped around like flies and seemed to compete for not only customers, but also for the most creative way to run red lights. We were particularly amused by the one to the right of us that made a left turn from that right hand lane at a red light.
The buildings continued to grow. Some people may find it claustrophobic. I find it to be cozy and comfortable, but not without a tantalizing touch of mystery and suspense. I love how the tight corridors can lend themselves to surprises being around every corner. It's a massive labyrinth. I find it simply awe inspiring that something as large as godzilla or a giant marshmallow man could easily hide in the city. You wouldn't see them coming until they're right on top of you. It's a goofy and extreme example, but it's the sense of mystery and imagination that these city streets inspire in me. Part of what I adore about the urban landscape. At the same time, the close quarters of the buildings also gives me a sense of security. You can only see so far and you can take in your immediate surroundings, but there is such a thick amount of stuff to see that you could spend a day on a single city block and never take in all of the details and stories around you.
Finally, we reached Times Square and it's nearly a different world. Multi-story screens flash advertisements. Flood lights illuminate huge static billboards promoting various television shows and theater plays. It's nearly midnight and the street is as bright as day and crowded with people. This place seemed to be pure concentrated America. Bold, garish, and excessive. Buildings climbed to the sky. Advertisements creeped up their facades, many stories tall. We were lucky to notice the traffic lights, whose tiny lights were completely obscured by the outrageously large and copious chaos of light around us. Countless tourists roamed dazed through the streets, drunk on the visual assault of color. An unbridled celebration of commercial excess. Both beautiful and horrifying. Beautiful because of the larger-than-life images and colors, like a constant fireworks display that never ends. Horrifying because I fear the spread of this garish sensory assault, hoping this style of advertising doesn't ever spread beyond the few downtowns of major metropolises that are so large that their historical and local beauty cannot be obscured by an area of such intense crass commercialism.
We managed to avoid crashing into any cabs or buses and flowed through Times Square back into the darker, quieter portions of the city. Somehow we had slipped off broadway. It wasn't long before we found the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. Two lanes of traffic zippered together into one. After our crash course in New York driving, we boldly drove ahead, squeezing into the lane ahead of an angry BMW SUV. With an unswerving forward motion, we threatened to scratch and dent that new BMW with our old Buick. The BMW backed off. I noticed a sign warning us not to honk our horns in case of emergency. Not the first one I'd seen in the city. Apparently, there are laws prohibiting unnecessary horn blasting. We drove into the Lincoln Tunnel and under the river. It was fairly unremarkable as tunnels go, except for its cognitive weight through several appearances in books and films I have experienced throughout my life. A nice touch, however, was a mark in the tunnel denoting the border of New York and New Jersey. We passed from one state to another beneath the water. We left the tunnel, delighted to discover that we had no toll, and drove home through the industrial wasteland that is Newark, NJ. My first time seeing Newark, I now believe that this city is responsible for NJ's bad reputation. An ugly, polluted, flat landscape of factories, warehouses, and smog. I think most people passing through NJ most remember this scene. But few seem to realize that outside of the concentrated urban centers around NYC, Newark, Trenton, and Camden, the rest of the state is quite beautiful, full of forest, tiny mountains, rolling farmland, and long coast line with diverse beach attractions from the peaceful to the partying. It ain't called the Garden State for nothing.
After my single brief visit, I can honestly say I love New York. It fulfilled all my expectations and fantasies about urban spaces. I lived in DC, I've worked in Philly, and I love both of those cities. But there certainly is nothing quite like New York. I could feel it in the air, like the electric buzz after a nearby lightning strike. I would love to live there. I know I would be lost. A little cog in a machine. But I'd be a little cog in one of the biggest machines on Earth. My ordered actions would contribute to the massive concentrated chaos of the urban ecology in one of the most important cities in human history. I'd love to be a part of that, if only a tiny part. So, I've got it all planned out. I figure my time with Jocelyn is limited. The mothership will eventually come and beam her up. Aliens will take her back to her home planet. I hope I have the courage to embark on my own great adventure. I'd move to New York and apply for help from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. "The mothership finally came to steal my wife away. I've moved to NYC and I need five gay guys to help me start a new life in the city."
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-31 11:14 am (UTC)http://www.explodingcat.com/ny/NYC.jpg
is one of the best photos I've ever seen. I love it!
no subject
Date: 2004-07-31 06:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-31 01:44 pm (UTC)The Cup O'Noodle... cup...! I saw that when I was there a couple weeks ago.
I thought it looked funny there... the cheapest food I've ever eaten (and I eat cheap), sitting at the head of the most glamorous square (er... triangle, rather), so it stuck out in my mind the most. ...and thus I remembered it when I saw the picture.
:D
Yay. I love the way you describe things and that first picture you posted is AMAZING. I love it.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-31 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-24 12:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-24 03:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 08:07 pm (UTC)