Many of our texts this semester depict how New York can be viewed as an ever changing global city, with relics from different eras and different communities co-existing and edging each other out. We had to observe overlapping New Yorks, we had to look for places where we saw different New Yorks overlapping in close proximity. Coming out of the subway, I usually don’t look around to see what’s interesting. I go to where I need to go and end of story. Many just walk where they need to go and don’t stop and observe what’s surrounding them, what history is around them. Many walk around the Brooklyn Bridge and they don’t even know the story behind it. A place that seemed interesting to observe was Dumbo Beach, I didn’t know the name of that specific place until I went for a walk and arrived there. The place was interesting to me because I found it odd to find a beach kind of place in a busy kind of neighborhood.
Once I stopped walking at York Street, and started observing what was surrounding me. So many things there were in close proximity, so many buildings, some were under construction, others were brand new buildings, Brand new restaurants as well as old ones, but they all were right next to each other, something about that gave it a great view to observe. In every corner of a Street you would never know what lied ahead, in one street you might see a huge bridge and many car on it, in another you might see this recreational place to relax, in another you would see buildings and cars being busy as they are in Manhattan. So many overlapping views of New York. Down on Jay Street there seemed to be a kind of beach, From where I saw it you could see all the busy buildings and people down the aisle. At the very end you can see this Blue water moving calmly while everything around it moved at the speed of light. I decided to walk towards there. While getting there I passed several great and interesting places and it motivated me to get more curious about Brooklyn.
Juxtapositions can include old and new things, residential and commercial, historic and replaceable, natural and man-made, constructed and under-constructed, well maintained and in disrepair, celebrated and forgotten, on ethnic group and another ad etc. From what I saw it seems like the place was Man made, it didn’t seem to have that natural kind of feeling. There are buildings and these electrical things around it, all these places are Juxtaposition towards the Beach. When I got to the Beach there was a few benches to sit on and a umbrella to cover you from getting sun burn, there were a few kind of plants that I hadn’t seen nor heard of. Solidago Sempervirens, Rosa Virginiana, Pinus Virginiana, Ammophila Breviligulata, Opuntia Humifusa all these were there and they gave you a description of each one. While sitting and taking in the view I felt as if I was in my own New York and started thinking of what the author of the story city limits wrote. “The New York City you live in is not my New York City” (Colson Whitehead) I felt clam relaxed sitting in a bench enjoying the view, but in that instant moment there were many other individual in their own New York. Some were doing hard labor jobs lifting Heavy wood, metal and other things, other were jogging around the Block, others were going into work with Business outfits, and others that were sitting outside a restaurant eating and watching others work. This authors quote explains so much in one simple quote and makes us observe and think:” what’s my New York City look like?”. The directions towards Dumbo Beach are very simple. You start out at City Tech, The main building and you walk towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Its one direction but you have to pass several streets. Chapel St, Concord St, Nassau St, Sands St. Then you cross the street towards Prospect St. Walking towards the beach I saw on Front St. a beautiful Art painting in a wall, it was a Mexican Restaurant you continue walking until to reach the Beach.
“The New York City you live in is not my New York City” , “Maybe we become New Yorkers the day we realize that New York will go on without us.”(Colson Whitehead) As I was explaining one of these, these quotes had hidden messages and its up to the reader to find it. They easily got my attention because they have a special meaning. “The New York City you live in is not my New York City” what I found in this one was, the Memories we have of New York City, no one really knows how we see them except us. This quote relates to what I’m talking about because the walk I took, the emotion I felt and the thoughts that went through my mind aren’t going to be the same as another individual. “Maybe we become New Yorkers the day we realize that New York will go on without us.”this one explains of how much of a value New York City is to us and how of a minor value we are to New York City. This one is relatable because I notice we are influenced by New York City. New York City is our role model, we want to be involved in it, we want to be someone in New York City, and we rely on it. New York doesn’t need us to functions. And when we aren’t there anymore, New York City will continue on without us, and leave us behind.
