Have you ever thought about stopping and looking what’s surrounding you now than what it was long time ago? Time is the key to life, and everything changes because of it, and with just a blink of an eye, the world is not the same anymore. New York City is known as the city that never sleeps, but, things changed dramatically, and when we look at a certain thing, you try to remember what was there before. The “Old” New York was the famous New York many people knew. Buildings were so modern, horses were “taxis”, and picture taking was in black and white. All those things that “Old” New York had is still remembered today when you see the change. So, when I stood in a certain place that I enjoy going, I see the juxtaposition of the “Old” New York, and the “New” New York.

To begin with, I didn’t really think about how New York City was before. You are so use to seeing what there is now, but you do get to remember what was there before things changed. In your neighborhood, you could see that things aren’t the same when time has been passing by, for example the Burger King that you see across the street was a car shop, or the Chase Bank that you go now to deposit money was a junk yard. Where I go, I call it “my” New York, because is a place where now is a park and is just so beautiful because you see both The Brooklyn Bridge, and The Manhattan Bridge. Many people know this place, its called “The Brooklyn Bridge Park”, also know as DUMBO, and it’s a very famous tourist place. When you look at certain things, you see new things, and I saw a lot of new things that were something else long ago. While I was walking, between Water St and Old Fulton St, I saw railroad tracks, all rusty and a good percent was covered with cement and bridge legs. From that moment, I saw my juxtaposition of “Old”  and “New” New York.

Furthermore, I took pictures of these railroads, and I was imagining how beautiful it was to have a train go by here, and under these bridges. When you come across these railroads, you already know that “Old” New York was here, and in my own personal opinion, I wish that the train that passed by here years ago , could have passed by here today. “New” New York, is just cement, with a brick like look, but it’s not the same, and the streets are bumpy and narrow in some ways. One of the Bridge Legs sits on these cements, but not on the railroads, but you could see that trains passed by it. When I saw these railroads, I felt the sound of it, and the feeling of the wind. The noises you hear when a train passes, is just so noisy, fast, and sometimes could be annoying. Now, you don’t hear that noise, all you hear is people, footsteps, wind, and sometimes even silence at night. So, I am not the only one that talks about “Old” New York and how things changed overtime.

Moreover, an author named, Calson Whitehead, has his New York. He wrote a book called,” The Colossus of New York,” and I read a part of ” City Limits”, which describes a little about his New York and juxtaposition of old and new. He tries to give a message to New Yorkers that has remembered how “Old” New York was and how it is today. After reading a part of his book, I started to look more about New York City, and seeing the aesthetic point of views I had, and what he had. “Go back to your old haunts in your old neighborhoods and what do you find, they remain and have disappeared”( Colson Whitehead, City Limits). One of my favorite sayings of Whitehead and it’s what I do sometimes when i cross by something new. It’s a fact that when you go back, you don’t see what you saw before. Like I said before, time is so magical, and “Old” New York was just so unique and ordinary, and now “New” New York, is more modernized and more technology than ever. Need a cab? They are everywhere, you wont miss one, but in the old times, horses was your way back home. So, as you can see, “Old” New York is remembered, and now “New” New York is the big deal.

In addition, when you think about New York City, you obviously talk about the big buildings, the lights, the music, the stores and so on. What is my concern is that I never got to say goodbye to what I saw before. I am not the only one, many people haven’t, as well as Colson Whitehead. DUMBO, is “my” New York, but not the New York that we see today, I want to see that train that goes by Water St, and Old Fulton St, I want to feel the wind, hear the noise. I want to experience that feeling of that train being there, the people in it, how different it would be. Colson Witehead wrote, “ We can never make proper goodbyes. It was your last ride in a Checker cab and you had no warning” (Colson Whitehead, City Limits). He was referring to that one last time you saw your favorite place, and now your thought you would see it again, but it disappeared. Today, New York City is different than ever, and we will never forget how it became this way. Mankind made change happen, and of course time. “New” New York has become the famous city that people around the world come to visit. If you look to other states or other countries, New York City will bet that is more extraordinary than them.

In conclusion, “old” New York will be seen everyday, because “new” New York is still old, but it has changed to be more modernize if you see closely. Goodbye to the things we saw long ago, or wished we did,  and hello to new possibilities. “My” New York will always be there, and I will go by those railroads, because its not going anywhere, its still there, just covered up. If you had the chance to go back through time, maybe a take pic, and see the difference. Of course thats not possible, but both old and new is still there, we are literally looking at it and stepping on it.

Works Cited :

Whitehead, Colson. “City Limits.” From The Colossus Of New York

Everyone was their own New York. Each persons New York is different and unique. By taking a walk in New York you’re bypassing someone’s New York. One persons New York might be the busy city with all of the crowds and skyscrapers. Another persons might be a more calm area. Each New Yorker has their own perspective of New York. I took a walk to Court street and discovered a juxtaposition of two different New Yorks right next to each other. No one is wrong in what their New York is, everyone has their own unique view of it.

In the first New York that I saw on Court Street it’s a lot more of a tourist place. There was also government buildings there which added more security to that side of Court Street. Those buildings seem to have been there for several years. I wouldn’t say they went under construction any time recently. The area consisted of a lot more professionally dressed people. There also was not a lot of shops on that side of Court Street. Probably replacing that was Columbus Park. The area was overall more calm and not very crowded.

On the other side of the juxtaposition, I like to call it the commercial Court Street. It was an area that resembles more of the city life. It was definitely more crowded than the other side. The area from a far view and also just walking through it reminds me of Times Square. There were lots of lights that I could see from a distance. The commercial side had much more stores for shopping and food. The area did have a lot more of a food smell within it. There weren’t many trees in this area either. There was also construction there, so I could tell some of the buildings aren’t nearly as old as the government buildings I saw. This also goes with the fact that everyone has their own New York and no ones is wrong. People become New Yorkers and move to different places in New York at different times. Things are constantly changing in New York. You never know when a building that you’ve walked by for years is going to be taken down. Just as Whitehead says in City Limits “I never got a chance to say goodbye to some of my old buildings”. They can disappear any day. There were also a lot more people rushing to places unlike the other side of Court Street, where it was more calm. The area was way louder as well. People also happened to be more casually dressed than professionally dressed.

Although the two New Yorks were very different to one another, they did have a couple of similarities too. In both areas I noticed that that there were not many kids in the area, a lot of adults. This might have been due to me visiting on a weekday though. The buildings in both areas also had similar heights. Looking at these two juxtapositions I can clearly see that it could be two different New Yorks for two or more individuals. They have a lot more differences than similarity, which shows that everyone does have their own New York and they’re all unique. Not all by what you see, but also of your memories in the area, Although some areas may not change much, for example on the side of Court Street with the government buildings. It seems like those buildings have been there for a long time, and probably won’t be going away anytime soon. But even saying that, as Whitehead says again “We can never make proper goodbyes”. Once again we never know when a building is going to vanish. Things are constantly changing in New York. If someone moves to your area just as a new building is being built, their New York isn’t wrong in any way, it’s just more unique to that person.

Overall my juxtaposition of two New Yorks has clearly shown me how several people can have their own New Yorks. Especially seeing the two side by side in person. New York is a large area with constant change happening. Some people just moving in and some moving to another state. All of those people have their own New York in their mind. Just because someone’s may be a newer perspective than another persons doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

You would ask why I chose this subject or location in particular because where I stand from where I’m standing in the middle of Colden Street, on the corner of  State Street, I can see how the area of where the court buildings and law school and where I stood overlapped in someway that made me more interested.  From seeing the other area is busy and in rush compared to the more relaxed one.  The people and cars rushes passing through the street to  court or work and then on the other side the people are smiling and having a good time as they go to hang out to shop at convenient stores or go to a restaurant. The two areas are their own New York. Both different in many ways.

Anyway, there’s a old theater that I stand in  front of that people still use. The theater doesn’t seems just “old”, but historical in this area of Brooklyn. I wonder as i look at the modernized buildings surrounding this wise & old one if they were here when it was built or what other buildings were here before they vanished.  It’s a mystery to me.  But I know that this building will vanish as well with or without warning even if we walk passed it everyday. Even from Colson Whitehead argues in the reading, “City Limits”, that we won’t get the chance to say out last goodbyes to the buildings we known for so long  from the 8th paragraph. But Colson never made his goodbyes either because he thought that those buildings will always be there, but it didn’t stop him from believing they’re existence is still there. The thing that shocks me is that the theater will be relocated and it will change. This building will be different and modernized like the rest. It will disappear from a blink of an eye if new or old people want to visit it. Also, the old liking court building that stand mighty and tall in the beginning of Colden St., shows that will be there as long as people use it and acknowledge its existence. It’s outer shell looks reinvented from a far, but it won’t be forgotten. Colson states, “The disappeared pizza parlor is still here because you are here, and when the beauty  parlor replaces the travel and agency, the gentleman who still have his vacation and that lady will have her manicure.” If these two old buildings are gone, they still there because you still believe that it never left. “Our old buildings still stand because  we saw them, moved in and out of their longshadows lucky enough to know them for a time. They are a part of the city we carry around.”, Colson argues  from the second to last paragraph  in the reading. The theater and the court building will be there when others see that they vanished but I know they are still there.

I never went inside the theater or the court building because I don’t live around this area or in Brooklyn in general, but I can still include this in my own New York. Even if we see things go away before our eyes, we should never forget what was there in the first place that made the are what it is now.

My walk was approximately ten minutes. I walked down Fulton mall. When you exit the main building of city tech and turn right, walk down Jay Street all the way to Fulton mall. 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 the 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. While walking down Fulton towards Bond Street there are a lot of high school kids in the area and a couple of them were loud for no reason. But there is a variety of stores and you can find anything you need downtown. I turned left on Bond Street and a right onto DeKalb and went into the train station.

In the reading of Colson Whitehead’s “City Limits” we learned how our own view of New York could be completely different to somebody else. We have all lived in New York for a long time. We have had all kinds of experiences. Everyone has seen different places of New York and has experienced different events. This helps build to someone’s New York. In the second paragraph he talks about how people begin to build their own New York. He tells us that our New York is based on our experiences and we shouldn’t let other people tell us what our New York should be like. He tells us to not believe in things like the newspaper and history text books because if we haven’t experienced it, its not part of our New York. Reading this made you feel nostalgic because you really begin to think about those past stores that aren’t there anymore. He gives the buildings human characteristics by saying that, both us and the buildings never get a chance to say goodbye. He starts talking about how our homes will always hold memories of us and it’ll have all our different phases.

Toward the end he begins to talk about how as New Yorkers we’ll always experience change. He also says” that New York doesn’t complain when we change so we shouldn’t”. We can’t stop the changes so we might as well embrace it. According to Colson Whitehead the only thing we can do is remember the memories we had of the buildings because that is the proof that they existed.