Thoughts

This is my final course at Gallatin, a place that, for over the past couple of months, I have grown to think about often. During these past four years at NYU and in New York, I have visited the same buildings, parks, streets, and shops so often that these places have become the backdrop for my experience at college and significant landmarks in my life. Thinking in the future, I cannot imagine a life where there is no subway or tourists or constant movement, lights and noise. Of course, once I am gone, the city will continue. People will continue to visit and travel to the same streets and cafes that I once frequented. Everyone's experience in New York City is as unique and personal as the sections of the city itself.

There are aspects to the city that make it uniquely its own, aspects that made it a perfect setting to learn about the physical and personal construction of a place. I have learned that love of a place is much like the love of a person. What I may find attractive and appealing in a place may not be everyone's cup of tea but love has always been a very personal experience. Places can affect one's entire being - each of the senses. When I think of New York City, I hear the sounds of a playground with car horns humming in the distance. I smell coffee brewing and sizzling chicken kabobs being prepared by a hard-working street vendor. I taste the vast variety of foods and cultures. I feel the changing seasons, people and time. When I think about my anonymous time spent in the city, I wonder what mark my presence may leave once I am gone. I realize, however, that the mark New York has left on me will be far greater and more permanent in the way that it has profoundly impacted and influenced my life.