OK, my last post about "things that I will miss in New York City" got a little out of hand before lunchtime, but I actually vacated New York yesterday! Now, since I'm on the move for the next few weeks, I think I'll finish that thought, at least as a way of looking forward to settling in a new place:
2. Movies: The phrase "opens today in New York and LA" says it all. I do like the feeling of watching a movie on the very first day that it opens in the U.S., in New York, there's a certain energy and enthusiasm, bordering on smug self-satisfaction -- after all, you're seeing it first! For example, on the very first night that the "The Two Towers" opened, the kid next to me was wearing chainmail and a helmet.
You also can't beat the sheer number of independent and repertory movie theaters, like the Film Forum, the Angelika, and the Landmark Sunshine -- and that's just on Houston Street! Also, I'd be willing to venture that New York has the largest population of people discussing "The Aristocrats" and "2046" right now -- how can these movies be on everyone's lips elsewhere, if they're not even showing? NetFlix, I know that you are loved equally in the boondocks and boomtowns, but it's just not the same as being in the dark with strangers.
Of course, to be fair, there are some downsides to movie-viewing in New York: First, $10. Second, $0.75 on top of that.
3. Not Driving: I'm kind of tired of the subway, but then again, when you compare it to driving everywhere everyday, well, it is starting to look pretty good. Escaping out of the city through Penn Station and Grand Central is surprisingly easy, if you have somewhere to go on the other end. Here's hoping for good bike and bus riding in Seattle.
4. Walking-Talking-Eating-Drinking: I am usually loath to equate density with urban vitality, partly because I find that professional urban planners do this some or all of the time. (When I do, then I at least like to make a graph or chart.) However, I will succumb to this abstract love for one moment, to describe what I think of as a quintessentially New York day, when the sheer density of city lends itself to an long day of walking, talking, eating and drinking. Everyone with friends and a cellphone has probably had that perfect day in New York that is composed entirely of near-seamless connections between multiple times, activities, and friendship, where your early brunch becomes a walk together to the subway stop; which is then joined by a group walking in the park; followed by a quick cup of coffee; interspersed with dropping into a museum for an hour; meeting a friend for a movie; meeting with a random group for a late dinner; ending up at a party; and then you doing it all over again. My favorite days were one just long stream of activities, going from one friend to the next, with the city neighborhoods scrolling by, like a cheesy but wonderful montage of New York film cliches. Sigh.
5. More, more, more: I have always found that tired old Samuel Johnson quote -- "when a man tired of London, he is tired of life" -- a bit depressing, because I used to live in London, and I got tired of it. However, there is a truth about big city life in that quote, because if big cities do contain a multitude of experiences, they also contain more of it than anywhere else. New York always promises more, really, as much as you can want. More of everything: more to see, more to do, more to see differently, so much so that one's entire life can be devoted to just being a New Yorker, devoted to learning about and synchronizing with the city. For longtime city residents, it's both a sprint and a marathon, through a succession of neighborhoods, jobs, lovers, associations, times, events, and phases of life.
Since I've always moved to successively larger cities in my life, I've never moved to a place where there is less. I'm hoping that I move to Seattle and find it.... just right. Goodbye, New York City.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment