I was born in New York but I left at the age of about 5-6 to Florida so I didn’t really remember anything. A few years later I came back to visit New York and was amazed by how different a place could look. I was not used to buildings being more than 3 floors high and when I came here there were no building less than 2 levels high, it was crazy to me that I’d have to turn my head to see one whole building. It wasn’t only the buildings,  I also remember a disticnt garbage smell that I have forever associated with this city, I feel like there is no fresh air anywhere due to all the cars and factories in such a tiny area. Also the atmosphere was weird, there was so much graffiti everywhere and nothing looked clean, and the people here looked so much meaner. The streets were 10 times smaller than what I was used to and we’d hit a traffic light every 100 feet or so. However the city felt so raw and it made me feel alive in a way because of the authentic vibe that seemed to be ringing through every corner.