The first walk I remember taking to New York was when I was 12 or 13 , I was going ice skating and my family and friends decided to go towards Manhattan. It was an excited feeling since I never had ice skated and hadn’t gone to the city in a while. At first there were mixed feelings since we were going in the subway and I didn’t like going on the train. I had memories of the subway and its congestion and the not being able to always sit down, I always hated the subway. But when I went on it-it was actually not as bad as I thought, but afterwards it started filling up. I had to get used to it , I notice the subway was a busy transportation. When I got to the stop which was Bryant Park, we got off and as soon as I got off the subway, It was crowded. So many people walking and I had to keep close to the group. Since there were so many walking in different directions we had to walk at the speed of light, everyone was walking fast and we had to keep up. Getting out of the subway, The view was mesmerizing, So many tall building, and since we went in the afternoon we saw the sun hitting the Glass windows. So many different kind of people, some with business clothing others with jeans and sweater and many more. There were so many Stores to go Shopping. At first It was an exciting feeling but after I started getting mixed emotions, I was feeling intimidated, so many tall and good looking people , it felt like I didn’t fit in. The feeling was that i wasn’t worth being there, everyone was in a higher class than me. The Ice skating experience was a Good one, had my slips and falls, but what was really kept in my mind was the view, the places, and the People that live in Manhattan. I do remember I had other walks before in the City but I was too young to remember, This was the memory I mostly remember of Myself and the Confrontation I had with The City that never sleeps.
In your experience, seeing the diversity of the people around you made you judge yourself. Do you think that now, several years later, you could more confidently look at the crowds and realize the benefits of the diversity? Or would you still feel like you were in someone else’s New York? If Bryant Park isn’t your New York, where is yours?