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Inwood
The Real America?
Has anyone even seen the real New York City?
Upon reading Roland Wild’s Double-Crossing America, I began to question myself if I have experienced the real America. I realized I have never traveled across the country, but I have traveled by train, bus, and car to many places. I have experienced the painful trip sitting in an uncomfortable seat that just doesn’t seem to recline back, not taking a shower for more than 2 days, and eating food that you can feel clog arteries as you eat. However, what caught my eye was Wild’s statement that New York City has a so-called “dazzle” that veils people’s eyes from seeing true American living. Where is this glitz and glamour he speaks of? Am I disillusioned, or am I having trouble perceiving the Greatest City in the World? Visitors, even residents only see the Manhattan that the red double-decker buses take them to. They settle in the downtown area, visiting the typical sight seeing places that everyone sees. As they are chauffeured about town, I can’t help but think that these guests are not seeing the real city, my New York City. If they want a genuine sense of what it’s like to be a New Yorker, living in the shoes of one is essential.
This genuine sense can be difficult to accept, as was the case demonstrated by my younger cousin Andrea who decided to stay over my house (Inwood – 207th Street in Manhattan). She lives in a somewhat sheltered community in Clifton, NJ; barely traveled anywhere without her parents, and only saw New York City in terms of Times Square and Greenwich Village. Like most tourists, she had tunnel vision. She gained the classic sight that millions of other people have seen – bright neon lights, luxurious apartment buildings, glitter-paved sidewalks, etc. When she ventured to where I lived, let’s just say her expectations greatly exceeded reality. Walking out of the subway where she had spent the previous hour waiting in an overcrowded train, she thought she would see exactly what she saw downtown. She didn’t expect to see heaping piles of garbage in front of every building, graffiti, broken fire hydrants, children taking over the street playing basketball until 3am at night, mothers chasing their children with a slipper in one hand attempting to discipline them, bodegas instead of deli’s, and the dreaded feeling of men hissing to catch a glimpse of your attention... on every street block. Even the way she dressed - upper-middle class suburbia – made her feel out of place. When she entered my apartment, she had this bewildered expression on her face. She looked both offended and let down. Although it was hilarious for me, it was disheartening for her. I simply told her “Welcome to New York City.”
Despite the millions of train maps plastered across subway lines, it is astonishing to see how oblivious many people are of what is the real New York. They don't care to open their horizons and explore across to Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or even uptown when it's so easily available, although not convenient, to them. You gain more if you choose to take that extra trip to see what's beyond the typical scene.
Noticing New York City
The real New York City isn't necessarily just the ills of graffiti and trash on the streets. Even the more beautiful aspects of this city often go unnoticed. Tunnel vision is a common issue for tourists, but it's also a common problem for people who live in this city. New Yorkers often have a problem of not looking up and not recognizing their surroundings. At eye level, the city is one thing, but learning about the places we pass and noticing them gives a whole new perspective. I've been working at a historic preservation advocacy group for some time now, and only through my experience there have I learned to notice the places around me. Sometimes the train ride to another borough isn't even necessary, but rather just an awareness of ones on surroundings.
I definitely agree with
I definitely agree with everything you say here. It's a sort of "the grass is always greener" ideal. People in general have a tendency to idealize the world in which they are not apart of, but secretly wish they were; whether that be a socioeconomic class or a location in their own country. Examples throughout history are prevalent - the Europeans coming to America, Americans moving out West hoping to hit it big with a discovery of gold. It also directly relates to the ideas in this course. People during the depression seemed to have a sort of hope that things were better elsewhere, so they packed up and traveled across country, looking for work, food and a higher standard of living. What I find most interesting is maybe the grass on the other side isn't always greener. Maybe a person was better off where they were and maybe there isn't anything new or exciting or promising in a new place. But even though it may not always be better, it might still be worth the experience. As you said, maybe people should still open their horizons and explore other places.