New York City! one of the most famous cities of the world. It has tons of American and world History and we live in it. They’re many stories yours and mine , big and small but all these stories are our very own personal New York. Peoples own New York are very different from others and it is to be expected due to our continuously growing city. The overlapping New Yorks leads to a big discussion about how things came to be and who’s New York is best. What is Overlapping exactly? Overlapping is when two things come in between each other and cause an effect.

I am not all that used to Brooklyn I only come to Brooklyn whenever I am visiting a family member but not around here and now I am coming here often for school. Since I am new around these areas, seeing different New Yorks overlap over at CityTech can be quite interesting especially The Brooklyn Bridge Near by. I am interested because its a new scenery  and I like exploring new places and learning about the environment that surrounds me.Because I found this very convenient, I decided to research the different aspects of the different New York that overlap around City tech And Brooklyn Bridge.

As I walk down from City Tech I notice something very important to mention and that is the construction. Already this shows that nobody how much time passes in New York, there will be lots of construction. There will be always the team of constructers remaking and remodeling, making something new and better, New York is the city that never sleeps so there is always something going on, and this leads to a lot of busy neighborhoods like the one we are on. Due to construction its safe to assume that people that pass by can smell the tar in the air and all the loud cracking noises hitting the ground. People are talking and rushing on their cellphones with suits having a designation they are heading towards. The Park I went inside was a little more spacious and quiet than the rest of places I came across. This shows a very big overlap because for example a child comes to this park everyday playing frisbee with his father,  these memories will be with the child and he will remember this park as his New York no matter how much change will come to it, but lets say this park was to change the child would never be able to have the chance to say goodbye to it because you can never really part ways with a park, especially if you’re a child. Therefore these memories would mean to the person even more since it has changed and a sudden feeling of nostalgia arises.This park overlaps different memories to those of others, because the park exists differently for a variety of  people at a different time. A very strong statement Colson Whitehead included in his reading of City Limits says ” I’m here because I was born here and thus ruined for anywhere else” this quote really impacts and highlight the whole point he is trying to make. ” thus ruined for anywhere else” shows how much people are going to stand by their point of view and the way they see New York City. Whitehead deliberately contradicts himself in saying that his New York is right and others are wrong while at the same time he explains everybody has their own, because he contradicts himself it proves a big point in how New York is different in different peoples eyes.

While I proceeded my way down passed the park on Borough Hall I started to see that there was less and less stores and more about restaurants and small stores instead of seeing  Macy’s and clothing stores. Now as I continue to head towards the bridge I hear a very quiet atmosphere compared to the loud neighborhood near by. I can infer that the Juxtaposition between these two different New York are extremely different life styles of the people themselves. The loud and busy side are filled with people aiming for money and progression and the quiet side is more probably about settling down with a small family. As I finally reached my destination I see a big open portion of water with boats traveling and lemonade stands, I also see a mini park that has swings for toddlers and parts of grass to sit on, next to the benches. I can smell the water and feel the wind blowing. What I see across the bridge is the buildings that inhabit manhattan and Tons of yet again construction. All I can think about is that New York is really a place for people to start. There are tourists going on the boat and viewing the statue of liberty for the first time while i’ve already seen it a dozen times. It shows me the perspective that another has instead of my own. A lot of perspective topics like these also brings in a spice of value. Value is what the perspective is worth like the statue of liberty for example.Value is what makes the whole point of the Old and New memories of New York City come together and make a heated debate wither which is better and value is finally the place it holds in our memories that we cherish in our own New York.

Even though People would have their own stand point in this topic, thats exactly what it is all about. It is about the mix culture and diversity we see now, and it can also represents America’s foundation in freedom and opportunity. That is the way that it is and New York will move on with or without us as Whitehead explains. We can never really say goodbye to our old buildings or stores we grew up around, but as long as we have those memories It will be forever carved into New York History.

New York City aka The Big Apple is one of the most popular cities in the world. The lights, the sights and the foods attract people from all over the world. However it’s not a big deal to people like me, who’ve been living here our whole lives. Time goes on and New York goes on. Downtown Brooklyn is an area I got to learn more about as I explored it. Living in Brooklyn has its pros and cons. There’s a Starbucks on like every corner and so much public transit you don’t need a car although some prefer to drive. Despite the dirty garbage smells on the street and loud noise (ex. traffic, helicopters, neighbor’s music, etc.) I live here, go to school here and New York today is my New York.

My walk was approximately ten to fifteen minutes. I walked down Fulton mall. When exiting the main building of city tech turn right and walk down Jay Street all the way to Fulton mall. Across the street from city tech is the Supreme and Family Court building. I notice there are lines sometimes that wrap around the building when I pass it on my way to school. While walking down Jay Street, I smell cigarette smoke from the surrounding passer byers as I do every day. It is also very windy on Jay Street between Tech place and Willoughby Street, especially that area in front the train station entrance where there are trees, seats and power outlets. Turn left onto Fulton mall on the block where the Duane Reade is and walk all the way down to Bond Street. There is nothing unusual down Fulton. The McDonald’s is crowded as always, the people are walking either really fast or really slow, and the sunshine doesn’t really hit that area. There was no visible construction down Fulton mall. While walking down Fulton towards Bond Street there are a lot of middle school and high school kids in the area and some of them were loud for no reason. There is also a lot of street marketing in Fulton mall. People handing out business cards and people advertising by mouth- that is announcing their business’s sales or whatever they can to attract customers. But there is a variety of stores and you can find anything you need downtown. If you see something you like but don’t like the price you can literally walk into another store in the area and get it for a much cheaper price.  After that I turned left on Bond Street and made a right onto DeKalb and went into the train station. Walking home from the train station is different for me than walking to school from the train station. My neighborhood is quieter (although not completely quiet) and there are more trees. I don’t really stop and take the time to appreciate that beauty and simplicity that is a part of my New York to realize this place will go on without me and I’ll be replaced with someone else who will in the future live in my apartment and have to walk to that very train station.

Finding a juxtaposition downtown was hard for me so I walked that path again on another day but I found it- Chase bank. This bank, located on DeKalb Avenue and Fleet Street doesn’t look like regular chase banks. It’s a fairly old building which looks more like a cathedral. Its smack in the middle of all these fast food restaurants, shoe stores and clothing stores. Across from the Chase bank building is a new modernized looking building uniquely designed that said City Point, with an Armani Exchange store on the first floor and the building has a triangle shaped roof. That’s where I realized the juxtaposition of the two buildings. The Chase building is something from many people’s New York because it’s an old and/or historic building and is still here today while the City Point building contrasts it with its modernism. In a section of City Limits by Colson Whitehead, he uses the example of the Pan Am building – how people today view it as the MetLife stadium while he sees and will always see it as the Pan Am building. Tourists snap pictures today of what they see because it’s fascinating to them while I walk past these things every day and take it for granted. These things will most likely be different in the future and while these tourists will have photographs I will only have photographic memory. But everyone’s perspective of New York is different. I see the MetLife stadium while Whitehead sees the Pan Am building.

Everything I’ve seen that day is now a part of my New York. The trees? The train station? The crowded McDonalds? The numerous Starbucks? The short guy handing out copies of his mixtape? The Chase Bank building? It is a part of my New York so if they reconstruct it, replace it, or it disappears, part of my New York will be gone too. Like Whitehead said “Maybe we become New Yorkers the day we realize that New York will go on without us.” Things change over time. The sidewalks and roads get repaved after they’ve gotten rough, bumpy and/or worn out. Old buildings get constructed on and modernized. Subway stations get redone and expand. People die. New people are born. But the same sun still shines over New York City.