Pablo Izquierdo
ENG 1101/Prof. Patterson
October 16, 2014
Where I am From
Ridgewood.
Bridge what?
No… Ridge, without the “B”. It’s a place between Brooklyn and Queens, it’s like right in the border.
Nope, I still don’t know where that is.
Do you know where Bushwick, Middle Village or Glendale is?
Oh wait is it around there?
Yeah it’s close.
That’s the common conversation that I usually have to introduce the city where I live in. It’s is quite a peculiar place. For me, it stands on the middle of the MTA map, where the L train runs. I lived in Ridgewood for nearly 7 years and I’m still surprised that no one notices that place. Furthermore, who doesn’t recognize the L train? The train that travels at the speed of light and has perhaps has the best trains of New York. I don’t mind the living conditions, it is pretty calm and peaceful, at least for those who look at you sideways. There is barely, if any, outrageous criminal activity. Thus, people easily pin suspicious activity to young adults who simply like to be a bit more outstanding than others. The former insecure high school of Grover Cleveland is situated four blocks away from my house, which might also influence the behavior of people to think teenagers are the ones to blame for crime. Overall, the high school’s reputation lowered tremendously before I arrived, now all you see is students simply cutting on an average day and going to the school’s park to smoke weed. No gang banging, no big drug deals, nothing too extreme. What bothers me the most is how apartment buildings are set up. I recently moved to a different building in the same city and the rooms are still small and many times continuous. What’s privacy if you live with two women that need to go through your room on a daily basis? Besides, our new apartment is smaller and I’m barely there. Thus, I can’t even organize my stuff properly. When I’m there I can’t even move stuff around without causing noise. My neighbors demand silence and I understand, but isn’t this ‘the city that never sleeps’? It’s not my fault that they have different schedules as me. Besides I’m up early and way later than them, I don’t know why they complain. However, I have to adjust to the environment and live like I’ve done it so far. Ridgewood, without the “B” is the place where I live and the place I will stay until I find something better.

Ridgewood