Jan '05 - Jan '07
well... i guess it has been a while. or not?!
basically, 1 1/2 months in Ny.
somehow i have the feeling that whatever i want to say is ... pointless. i feel like at Mies's Barcelona Pavilion, where i knew that whatever picture i will try to take, it has been taken before. but let's try it anyway.
NY is just... great. (!) for some reason it reminds me of an airport, it seems to be the home for all the 'home less' people. maybe i have this feeling because i get to meet only passengers.
i wonder if it can become boring. if NY does, then what doesn't?
there is no such thing as cultural shock. on the contrary: it's deja vu. it doesn't stir up the feeling of being in a new, unknown place. my neck used to hurt from looking up and my eyes were wide open but still i had the feeling i know this place.
why?
movies, media? if so, then i have definitely underestimated the power of these weapons. i can't even tell you which movies took place in NY.
there is a list of cliches that everyone knows when coming here. i.e.: to-go coffee while walking to work, yellow (NY) cabs, drinking on the fire stairs, walking in central park (ok, ok, maybe even running)... there are more and better examples (aaaa: Manhattan rooftop) - as usually they never show up when needed - but everyone has a conscious or unconscious 'to do' list. it's amazing how strong the imprint of these so normal things are.
is there another city in this world that is such a strong brand? sure Paris and Venice share the romantics, London and Barcelona, the hip. still, NY doesn't fit in any category.
Gravity does not apply here. basic axioms for the rest of the world are being laughed at in NY. try to apply any of the success stories from NY in another place and you will have the surprise that it is not working. the city seems to have it's own rules that are defying any laws. and i sound like an smart ass when in fact i know nothing about this place.
well, maybe a few things.!
while seen from outside NY has this strong identity, from inside you might see it rather like a bunch of id's (best 'local' food are sushi and pizza!). the big picture is not working from this point of view. (since we are at it, overheard: 'but Mom, where is the big apple?!').
and the second thing is that i love walking in the morning through SoHo to work. It is that moment of the day when a smile creeps up on my lips and betrays the thought : i am in fucking NY.
you know, when you work and have things to do, you forget to think about what, where, why. you take some things for normal or granted. After one day of tourism i landed in the routine tight schedule of a job. when you do that, you get the feeling you have been here since forever, it makes it normal to walk to work through Soho, to go have dinner in Chinatown, to climb up FLW's spiral, to walk through Central Park. No accommodation period, you get thrown in this life which seems so familiar cause you have seen it so often on screen, didn't you?!
PS
there are street fights in Budapest, capital of Hungary not Bucharest, capital of Romania. But thanks to the ones that did concern!
7 Comments
-mos def
And love won't play any games with you
Anymore if you want 'em to
So we better shake this old thing out the door
I'll always be thinkin' of you
I'll always love you though New York
I'll always love you though New York, New York, New York
Glad to hear you're in NYC (A little late :) How's the weather up there? Charming I suppose.
This sentence made a smile burst forth on me - I know that feeling exactly, and you should be proud Oana that you are bold enough to be there, and to enjoy every millisecond of it. Thanks for this beautiful (as always) post.
I have a moment of pain when I realise, I am in fucking Cumbernauld!
tocmai am citit cateva din articolele tale de la inceput..m-am distrat de minune sa vad poze din scoala -btw si eu imi traiesc viata acolo(pentru tine)/aici(pentru mine) :) ,un tip care doarme pe planseta,multi studenti stresati termenul limita- ora 9,minunatele si in acelasi timp pline de subinteles inscriptii de pe peretii...ce mai..spiritul locului :)felicitari pentru reusite! si sa stii ca ce scrii tu provoaca dependenta(nu te poti opri din citit si foarte des cu un zambet in coltul buzelor).din pacate nu am reusit sa le citesc pe toate,analiza de sit pentru SCOALA(remember?) striga dupa mine. :)
d.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.