Expanding Worldview: Differing Ways of Living and Being in the World
Being in New York is an experience. Especially when you come from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Where I live, things move slower than they do in New York. I feel like there's more space in Lancaster. Plus, you can drive to most places. New York is a different story.
First of all, there are people. There are people EVERYWHERE. Of course, there are people everywhere in Lancaster, but in New York, there's MORE people. You can't skip around and do cartwheels in New York City without expecting to hit a group of people while doing so. In Lancaster, there are plenty of wide open fields where you could do this. You could even do it with people around (but I wouldn't recommend it).
Second, there's the subway. In Lancaster, I can drive everywhere. In New York City, that's not exactly the case. You can have a car in New York City, but parking is expensive (along with everything else) and why own a car when you can walk, or take the Subway? In Lancaster, you can park in most places for free. In New York City, you have to pay to park almost anywhere.
Speaking of cars, you hear one almost every single minute in New York City, because people love to use their horns. If you wait for 5 seconds after a light turns green, it's guaranteed the person behind you will honk at you. People will even honk at pedestrians! I've been honked at twice while crossing the street...when I had the right of way!
You'll also hear police sirens, and ambulances, and firetrucks...more often than you do in Lancaster. When you hear a firetruck in Lancaster, it comes as more of a surprise. In New York City? It's a common thing. Every single day that I was in New York City, I saw a firetruck at least somewhere.
First of all, there are people. There are people EVERYWHERE. Of course, there are people everywhere in Lancaster, but in New York, there's MORE people. You can't skip around and do cartwheels in New York City without expecting to hit a group of people while doing so. In Lancaster, there are plenty of wide open fields where you could do this. You could even do it with people around (but I wouldn't recommend it).
Second, there's the subway. In Lancaster, I can drive everywhere. In New York City, that's not exactly the case. You can have a car in New York City, but parking is expensive (along with everything else) and why own a car when you can walk, or take the Subway? In Lancaster, you can park in most places for free. In New York City, you have to pay to park almost anywhere.
Speaking of cars, you hear one almost every single minute in New York City, because people love to use their horns. If you wait for 5 seconds after a light turns green, it's guaranteed the person behind you will honk at you. People will even honk at pedestrians! I've been honked at twice while crossing the street...when I had the right of way!
You'll also hear police sirens, and ambulances, and firetrucks...more often than you do in Lancaster. When you hear a firetruck in Lancaster, it comes as more of a surprise. In New York City? It's a common thing. Every single day that I was in New York City, I saw a firetruck at least somewhere.
There was so much stimulation in New York City! My other visits to NYC and the Manhattan area were for just a night or two and sometimes included a stay in a quiet neighborhood within Brooklyn. In the beginning of the week I felt overwhelmed by the sensory stimulation near and around midtown Manhattan, but soon found a rhythm to each day. The strangers I interacted with were friendly and helpful in assisting me with any questions regarding directions. The city never sleeps... it's up all night. It never really got quiet either. I found solitude under the winter trees on walks through Central Park, over espresso in cafes and also in the art museums. I enjoyed extensive miles of walking, often up to eight miles a day, and also found the subway system to be an extremely efficient way to get around. I would never want to drive a car in NYC!
ReplyDeleteNew York City 'the city that never sleeps' is definitely a phrase I have heard and believe to be true with all the noises throughout the streets of New York.. The repeating sounds of cars honking, police and ambulance sirens were non-stop no matter what day and time it was. It is definitely a lifestyle adjustment. However, the stimulation(as Anne suggests above) lead to experiencing more of the public transportation life, the subway. At first, the subway was quite frightening however with practice, I found the subway more convenient as a way of transportation means. It was a way to get to destination A to destination B without all the angry drivers honking their horns and the traffic due to police and firetruck sirens. For one who resides in NYC I can imagine it being more cost effective in taking the subway because all you need is a bus pass and no need to worry about parking, tickets and fines.
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