Author: Shadin

Somehow or some way we all ended in this city and I was one of them. I’m not quite sure how and I most certainly don’t know why but there are things about this city you hate. I hate the fact that the city is full of people that are constantly making noise. People says the city never sleeps. To quote it in my own words, The city never shut the hell up. The voices are so loud and so horribly strong. They never leave you. Even when you get home those voices keeps ringing in your head. In this loud city it’s hard to find a peaceful place. Even at a park there are people like you that complains about noise but making noise at the park. No peace of mind.

We all need a state of peace in our mind. I have made a route which will take you to few of the peaceful places near New York City College of Technology. After you walk out of the Namm building walk about fifty feet until you hit the Tillery street. When you get there cross the street and make a left. Now walk. Walk until you see the Cadman Plaza park to your left. Go inside and walk straight into the green field. Sit right in the middle of the field. Lay down even if you want to. Here you are. Now you can close your eyes are chase your dreams and memories.

In order to get to the next spot get back to Tillery and walk back less than a block. Make a left at Cadman Plaza E. Then you will walk right into the Walk Whitman park. The park is similar to the Cadman park. But it fives you a different feeling. In order to get the third spot you have to get back on the Tillery street and walk till you get to jay street. . Cross the street and keep walking. In no time you will end up at McLaughlin Park is mostly alive with people but they’re not making the machinery city noise like the other people in the city. They are also busy connecting with their inner-self and find their mental peace just like you are.

Next stop is the The Granite Prospect. One of my personal favorite place in New York City. This is where the rocks meets the river. The nature ends and the city starts. It’s a bit of a walk to get there. Walk back to Tillery street and make a right on the first turn. Then walk straight until you get to prospect street and make a left. You will another park on your way to the old Fulton street and when you get there Then turn right on the old Fulton street. Then walking until you hit the DUMBO then make a left. Here you are. The best view. The sanctuary.

One in every thirty eight people in United Stated living New York city.  (Gear Patrol  The New York City Adventure Guide   November 16, 2015 Web. December 18, 2015.)Now that is insane. just the thought of this makes me very claustrophobic. It is no way healthy or peaceful for a human being to spend all his life not taking a break from this crowded city. You might be wondering why? Why is it unhealthy for you or me to spend all his life not taking a break from this crowded city. It is because we are human and that is how we were programmed According to Stephen Kellert, a professor at Yale University’s School of Environmental Studies “Humans have a deep and enduring urge to connect with living diversity,” (Begley, Sharon Do We Really Need Nature?  August 12, 2015 Web. November 18, 2015). Then again you might ask how is it even possible? How is it that we seek the company of nature? Do we REALLY need nature? Is it not SILLY to seek nature? Not really because culture and religion plays a big part in here. No matter what religion you believe in or even heard of (unless if you are in a cult worshiping the devil [which I have no problem with]) you must’ve even get the slightest hint that nature plays a extremely part in any religious systems. “our minds may be naturally more geared to religion than science.” (Dawkins, Richard and  Kelemen, Deborah Is It Silly To Seek Purpose In The Natural World? Updated April 8, 2013 Web November 18, 2015.) A team of researchers in Boston University’s Psychology Department has found that, despite years of scientific training, even professional chemists, geologists, and physicists from major universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Yale cannot escape a deep-seated belief that natural phenomena exist for a purpose. (Boston University College of Arts & Sciences, Even professional scientists are compelled to see purpose in nature, psychologists find October 17, 2012, Web, November 22, 2015) To wrap it all up here’s the golden fruit of the tree so you will jump a little bit higher to reach the fruit. “Risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, depression, and other life-threatening conditions can be greatly reduced through regular outdoor walking….” (University of East Anglia, Sarah Hanson and Prof Andy Jones Step Outside 16 Nov 2015. Web November 23, 2015). Those disease that are listed above are scary enough to make you start running instead of walking. Putting the fear death is not what my intention is but if you can live healthier and longer by walking then why not walk? Health is wealth and you can achieve the wealth just by taking a nice walk.

New York city is known as one of the fastest developing cities in the world. Everything is being ‘modernized’ as time passes by. In the novel The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead says “our streets are calenders containing who we were and who we will be next…One day the city…will be gone, and when it goes we go. When the buildings fall, we topple, too.” I agree with this because the city that we live in gives us memories. Our lives develops around the memories we create and the memories are all created in the city we live in. The old buildings that held hundreds of thousands of memories for people are being replaced by building that are yet to create more memories and experiences for the people. But they will never create memories for the locals. Most of them will never see any of the rooms inside the new building. It’s for the tourists to look and the riches to live at. They will create their memories here. They will be here with their Polaroid cameras taking pictures of the hundred stories tall buildings and one day when they are old they will found a piece of picture fall out of some old things they’ve never touch for years. And when they look at it they will feel nostalgic. “I remember those days in New York.” They’ll think. That’s memory. Old memories are getting destroyed to build new ones.

Although the Toren Condominium is one of the most significant skyscrapers of New York,  it’s taking away attention, and business from the small building that is located right behind the Toren and making it hard for the people that works there to make money.

While I was walking down the street I saw an enormous building which is known as the Torren building. It looks very new and futuristic but it doesn’t quite fit into neighborhood it’s at. It’s like a giant five hundred feet man in the village where normal people lives. In order to get to the Toren building you have to walk out of the Namm building of city tech and turn left. walk till you hit the the street. The street is very busy most of the time. It’s the Tillery street. On the other side of the road there’s a park with a handball court, a basketball court and a soccer field. Walk straight for a few block to the Myrtle avenue at flatbush. There you will find the skyscraper. It’s tall. It’s very eye catching with the glass walls and the waves. It’s called the Toren Condominium. It’s a building that provides luxurious condos for people to live at. The prices for a condo ranges from about five hundred thousands U.S. dollars to one million nine hundred and fifty thousands U.S. dollars. But as you walk pass the building stop for a minute. There you will see a small two floor building. It’s made up of office spaces. The building looks torn or faded compared to the shiny building. Toren Condominium is one of the largest skyscraper in New York city. It’s very beautiful and eye-catching. When you pass by the building it’s hard not to pick your head up and look at the building for a second. If you grab a brochure of the New York City that was created as a guide or the tourists the building is probably there. But the little buildings are remained invisible to all.

The Toren Condominium is used by mostly people from upper class. Most of those people have a good job where they doesn’t need to worry about money. They are living in a big comforting big house so it can be assumed that they also owns their own car for their traveling . They doesn’t have to worry about taking care of their family. They’re kids are most likely to go to a private school. They don’t see themselves at a financially unstable position in anytime soon.

The building behind the Toren building is a  small buildings that is no more than two floors tall. They are either small businesses or office space. People that works there are mostly from the middle class families. They probably doesn’t have a fancy place to live at. They are more likely to use the public transportation. Their kids goes to public schools for education. Their kids are not planning to go to a private college not because they are not good enough to get into one. It’s mostly because they can not afford to pay for a good private college or live at a campus.  They barely have any savings for the future. A huge part of their earning goes to their landlords for the rent. After paying the rent and buying a metro-card what they have left is enough to get by for the month.

But the building that became invisible under the shadow of the Toren is unknown. Nobody takes a second to stop and observe it. Maybe one day he past it was known as a point of intersection what everyone used as a guide to their destination. It’s not just that one building. The small building behind the Toren suffering because of the Toren. The became became invisible under the shadow of the Toren. People that works at that office building  probably hadn’t seen the sunlight since the day the Toren condominium was built . The smalls businesses that rented out the space mustn’t doing any good business because their business is not up on the internet. They are still old school business that only gets the clients their workers brings by. There are barely any new customers. But they have every good relation with the customers they already have. Those people are coming for their services for a long time. And since their clientele are also from the same class as they are, they can relate to each other. That is something the people living at Toren doesn’t have. If something breaks down in their apartment they have to take care of it by themselves. If something goes wrong in the building, instead of talking it out with the building managements the condo owners calls their lawyer so they can find a way to get some money off of the situation. If a neighbor is yelling, instead of checking on them they will call the police. They are cold hearted. They can not relate to other people around them. In the novel The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead says “…New York will go on without us.” I agree with this because it will. It always has. The city changed as the people changes. It evolves around the people that makes the city beautiful. And mostly importantly it knows how to let go of and forget the people that makes the city looks ugly. It slowly turns it’s face to the wealthier community in the city for it’s own benefit.