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

The location I chose was on the corner of Court St. & State St., in front of the movie theater that’s about to close down. I chose this location because I thought it was a good spot to see up and down the street clearly to find the juxtaposition.

I’ve realized that how  the movie theater and the buildings on the same side look older compared to the buildings on the other side of Court St. It looks more modern and new. I find that to be the old & new New York looking at each other without even knowing their ages or when they were built. I don’t think they’re overlapping but I found that to be interesting to point out.

As I look back up the street, I can see the court building in the middle of court st, which is juxtaposed with a modern business building next to it.  In that area is mostly busy with people with suits and ties. Noisy cars driving back and forth. There wasn’t that much  nature in the area, but as you turn the corner down Court St., there’s more greener as in trees you pass and look down other streets.

There are a lot of restaurants in the area, so, you smell different food in the air. Hamburgers, fries, pizza, etc. I would recommend if your really hunger, you should come here to get a lot of food choices to nimble on. This street doesn’t seem as busy as the other area I spoke about, but the people seem more laid back and having a good time. This area seems to be like a hang out area to go eat or do some shopping.

Everyone has their own memory toward their favorite place. Everyone will come out with their own version of place instead the place that they normally see. New York is one of the biggest and busiest city in the world. However, New York is changing dramatically in every single day. In New York, people can see the old places being replaced by the new places or two different period buildings crossing the timeline meeting each other on the same street. As a result, everyone will view New York differently depend on the time and experience. Everyone will end up with different memory in their own version of New York. People can always find juxtapositions in today’s New York.

Many people will have a different experience while they view New York in a different time. While people looking at an old photography, they never can feel the same feeling as the old people. By looking at an old photography, the color from old photography never can come out with the same color as today. An old photography is not just a simple photography, the quality of the photography carrying out a significant meaning of change in technology and science. Even though people can see how the old New York looks like in the old photography, people never can go back to experience the atmosphere of twenty century’s New York. People never can see how the fresh color in the past just painted on the building. However, people can easily find a fade color stick next to a fresh color on the same street. As the time lapsing, these old colors will be remembered in some people’s memory. These old colors also have a moment of bright as today’s colors on a new buildings. People should understand the importance of the juxtaposition because it carrying out a great contrast of old New York and today’s New York. The juxtaposition easily appears on today’s New York, however, people never have a chance to see that color being new again expect in few people’s memory.

People can see many juxtapositions while New York is changing dramatically. No matter is in the twenty century or the twenty-first century, New York is keep constructing many new buildings. While people meeting New York in a different period, these people will come out with a different version of New York. In some places, people growing in these places that cause people have different memory of these places. For some old classical buildings, people playing or hanging out with their friends in these old classical buildings. Comparing to today’s twenty-first century new modern building, the old classical buildings can easily awaken people’s valuable memory. In addition, people can easily find and see these old classical buildings often sticking next to these new modern buildings. However, some of these old classical buildings are being replaced, and people never realize that is happening in every single day. In Colson Whitehead’s “City Limits”, he said “I never got a chance to say goodbye to some of my old buildings” which also expressing people today’s emotion. Sometimes, people are being busy for living, so they missing a chance to say goodbye to their old places. However, people should feel thankful at least they have a chance meeting with these old places.

The juxtaposition is a symbol of change in technology. In the twenty century, New York is already considered as a new world. With the most conveniences subway system and the tall buildings, New York is always being on top of the world with these new technologies. However, as the time lapsing in the century, New York’s subway system is giving people an impression of filthy. However, what is the first feeling while people seeing the subway system first appear in New York? People never have a chance to experience the same feeling as the old people. In today’s technology, this subway system shouldn’t be existed or it should be reconstructed again. However, the subway system did not have a chance to be well maintained, so some people will have different view on the subway system compare to the old people. Compared to the old people, they may think this new technology is the symbol of their era. While other people thinking about the subway system should be reconstructed to become a new subway system to adapt to twenty-first century’s point of view. As a result, different people will have different version on New York, and these versions will impact people’s emotion even though they are looking at a same subway system.

In the end, people can easily find juxtapositions in today’s New York. We should feel thankful to the old New York that makes today’s New York brighter and more gorgeous. As Whitehead said “Our old building still stand because we saw them, moved in and out of their long shadows, were lucky enough to know them for a time”, these old buildings are still standing in people’s memory. No matter people missed a chance to say a final goodbye to these old places,but these old places will always stick with people. People can change a direction to think which they are not the one who watching New York but New York also watching people. In an old photograph compare to today’s photography, there are many new different people carrying different style and different culture on the same street. In the future, these new people will become old people once again, and people called the change is known as “nature”.

The subject of overlapping also can be interpreted to the passage of time. While people are busy for living, time is slowly running off. As a classic old building being replaced by a new modern building, people never can find their own places except in their memories. Every place has their own meaning to exist, and these places also fill up with valuable memories. People are very busy that they never can realize time is passing so fast. In Colson Whitehead’s “City Limits”, he said “I never got a chance to say goodbye to some of my old buildings” which prove the point that people had missed many significant things. However, these memories will live in deep our heart forever even the world is changing. While Whitehead said “ Our old building still stand because we saw them, moved in and out of their long shadows, were lucky enough to know them for a time” which also proving the point that the memories will never leave us and we should feel thankful to having them. In the end, we should always cherish those valuable memories.