New York, New York

THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS
It hums of revving engines and squeaking breaks, footsteps on concrete pavement and people in mumbled conversation, a constant buzz that something is happening. It’s exhilarating. At all hours of the day, this soundtrack plays and plays with varying dynamics, for this is the city that never sleeps. If it were silent, I’d be scared.

(Pictured: Times Square)
It’s not an entirely glamorous city, not nearly as fabulous as the New York seen in movies or on TV, but a famous city, indeed. At any given moment, you’re blocks away from something, whether it be a famous street, a renowned landmark, a distinct neighborhood or ethnic quarter. From the Statue of Liberty to Wall Street, the site of the former World Trade Center, SoHo, Greenwich Village, The Meatpacking District, Little Italy, Chinatown, the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, Broadway, Times Square, Rockefeller, 5th Ave., Central Park, The Met, MOMA…the list goes on and on and on!

Yes, there are one million things to do in New York, but I realized early on in this trip that everything I’d ever wanted to see and do in New York, I already did. I had been here twice before. I’d seen a show on Broadway. I’d been shopping on 5th Ave. I strolled through Central Park. This time, I was here to work.

Or so I thought. I had a good chance of working on a short-term TV show with an old contact from MTV. I trusted he would make that last minute phone call he’d recently cautioned he might do, and beg me to work the following day. It was the typical nature of the freelance business. So, I optimistically packed my bags and boarded the plane, and awaited a phone call that never did come.

In the meantime / the whole time, I stuck it out, deciding to take this opportunity to reconnect with old friends and explore the unexplored in New York City. There was a reason I came to New York City, I just had to figure out what that was.

ON THE TOWN

(Pictured: Wall Street, Rockefeller Center, Tribeca)
I spent the mornings getting organized and e-mailing at a leisurely pace, and the afternoons enjoying a different neighborhood everyday. I bought an unlimited Metrocard, zipped around the subway, and covered much ground on foot. I took the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, wandered around West Village, and saw Spring Awakening on Broadway. I sat down in Washington Square Park, Bryant Park, and Central Park, and covered The MOMA, The Met, and The American Museum of Natural History. I wandered the halls of the Public Library (very cool). I checked out the TV headquarters of NBC, PlumTV and LX.TV. I window shopped on 5th Ave. and purse shopped in Chinatown.
I even arranged a number of reunions, visiting my friends Sarah and Ildi, my cousin Johnny, and three of my summer teaching buddies from Korea, Ryan "Shii", Amanda "Shii" and Joyce. And had enough designer cupcakes to make up for all that walking. (Pictured: Ildi & I)






(Pictured: The West Village, art at the Met, a Broadway theatre, designer shopping in the Meatpacking District, T-Rex at the American Museum of Natural History, The Met, Bryant Park, Monet's water lilies, pumpkins at the weekend market at Grand Army Plaza, a vintage shop in the West Village, purses in Chinatown, Macys, the Public Library, the Aussie bar, cobblestone streets in the Meatpacking District, sushi, Columbia, Magnolia cupcakes)

TRAVEL THE WORLD IN NYC
It was strange and exotic to travel within the boundaries of my own country. For once, I didn’t have to think about the exchange rate (though the value of a dollar sure didn’t go far) or struggle to understand the local customs. This is America. It was a place where I could read all the ads cluttering the view and eavesdrop on the casual conversations of passerbys.

New York City is probably the most diverse place on the planet; a true example of America’s “melting pot.” It’s a stew, really. I often sit down in a park or at a coffee shop and fight for a good window seat so I can people watch. The subway is a great place for that, too. I loved looking at people. There are just so many shapes, sizes and colors of the human form. When I traveled to Turkey two years ago, I came home raving about the beautiful colors of lanterns and hand painted plates and pashminas and thingamajigs for sale; I was captivated by the brilliant colors of things. But, in New York City, I was captivated by the colors of people. There are white people, black people, yellow people, brown people, red people. Old people. Young people. Big people. Small people. Trendy people. Professional people. Students. Models. Muslims. Bums. Thugs. Seniors. Teens. Intellects. Artists. They’re all here, here in New York City. (Pictured: The word tree: words with ethnic roots used in the English language, Ellis Island Immigration Museum)

(Pictured: Diversity in the the subway)

I started wondering, why have I spent the last four years of my life traveling abroad, when cultures across the globe meet here in New York City. The museums are expansive, representing an overwhelming number of countries with artifacts and displays. If I feel like a bit of Africa, the American Museum of Natural History has an entire African animal hall--it's just like taking a safari without having to sleep in a tent! Interested in Europe? Well, The Met (New York's #1 tourist attraction) has a grand collection of Greek and Roman sculptures (along with a hundred other regions represented), and there are a many Italian restaurants tucked away in Little Italy. If I’m craving kimchi, I just head over to K-Town (I love K-Town) for a bit of Korean BBQ, followed by a cup of Red Mango frozen yogurt and a Norebang sesh right after. Middle Eastern food? There’s schwarmas with Laffa at Olympic Pita. And Turkish kebab stands, too. There are Irish kitchens and Aussie pubs. How about a taste of Burmese food? Believe it or not, they’ve even got that too (Thanks Johnny!). This is New York City. Don't come here if your in it for the bagels and pizza.


Okay, so New York has museums and food, but what they don’t have, is elephant riding. Or river tubing. Snorkeling. Snowboarding. Castles. Beachside bungalows. Eat that New York.

NYC VS. SEOUL
New York City, as hectic as it is, say, in the middle of Times Square--which is where my friend Joyce reckons is the equivalent of my summer home in Seoul--it's a lot less bustling than I’d imagined. Though you can get trampled when using the subway during rush hour, I've seen a lot worse. And in Seoul, the the old ladies are not afraid to use their elbows to squeeze through a crowd. I suppose that's because Seoul is over 1 1/2 times more dense than New York City.
Wikipedia ranks New York City as number 13 among the worlds most dense cities, trailing Tokyo, Mexico City, while Seoul sits at number seven. Speaking of population, New York City is far more diverse than Seoul. This is obvious. Anyone can tell that NYC is diverse, but, on the flip side, what's so interesting about Seoul is how it's NOT diverse. Seoul is probably 97.8% Korean. This being the case, there is no Little Italy or Chinatown in Seoul. And, another thing, the subway is just the subway here in NYC. You are not surrounded by a mish-mesh of underground skincare, cell phone, or clothing shopping outlets on your way to the subway, as you are in many stations in Seoul. There may be a token newsstand in the area, but businesses are missing out on this prime retail opportunity here in the US. (Pictured: The view from BBH)

I HEART NYC?
So, the real question is, would you like to live here, Jules? I’ve come to this conclusion, New York could be a nice place to live. I could see myself meeting friends here and there for drinks, shopping in SoHo, buying veggies at the weekend market, going big on Saturday nights and doing brunch on Sundays. Aside from the high cost of living, the insidious smell of urine in the subway halls, and the lack of snowboarding, there’s plenty to see and do for a multi-day visitor--and plenty more to enjoy again and again as a year round resident.
However, as a visitor for a two week stay, let me put it this way: one can only walk around so many museums before one’s head will explode. And one can only have so many coffee breaks before one’s bladder will explode. I'm glad I had a few buddies in town to play with. A deeper experience, one where you can carry out your business and then enjoy the city perks at a casual pace, is needed in order to soak it all in.

(Pictured: Dave in front of his Brooklyn apartment; )Sunday night family dinner; the view from Dave's roof)

THANK YOU to all my friends who joined me for meals: Sarah, Ildi, Ryan, Amanda, Joyce, Johnny, & George (George, you rock, by the way). And a giant THANK YOU to my buddies Dave and Dane (and all their wonderful roommates) for their proven top tier friendships & hospitality. You have two of the most surfable couches. I hope I can return the favor one day soon in Vail. ;)