Gotham. The city that
never sleeps. A big, decomposing apple. New York is many things,
especially in the summer – sweaty, sticky, seething with humanity.
For many years it was also my lofty ideal, the place I aspired
to one day live, a world centre for so many things. But after
spending a recent week there for work, I think my infatuation is
over.
There are still things
I love about Manhattan. After all, how can you not when it holds
something for everyone. My obsession with brownstone walk ups of
the West Village, Georgian and regal, rages unabated. I'm more
enamoured than ever of the Flat Iron district – it's so Boston;
specifically I want just once in my lifetime to hold in my hand the the keys to
Gramercy Park. And then there's that magical time of day,
from 7 to 8 pm when sunset bathes Manhattan's west side in a golden
light, illuminating Tribeca's industrial lofts and transforming them
from old factory spaces into things of glowing, 24 carat beauty. The
museums remain fabulous and Central Park is still one of the best
people watching parks anywhere in the world. The new Highline is
also useful for traversing town, except for the sheer number of
people streaming along at snail's pace. I even discovered Brooklyn
Heights when I finally made the trek over the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.
It was lovely as far as bridge walks go, though disappointing that
10,001 other tourists had the same idea at the same time. The tree
lined streets, with names like Cranberry and Pineapple were intensely
charming and on Willow Street I found Truman Capote's old mansion,
which served as a reminder that I really must get around to reading
Answered Prayers.
This was my fifth time
in New York, though it has been years since my last visit. Having
seen more of the world, specifically parts not so westernized, I find
my perspective has changed... or is it the city itself that has
changed? Where I once saw the epicentre of all that enticed me, I now
see a certain shallowness of culture – a gaudiness. A perpetual craziness ironically tinged with emptiness. Consumerism and flashing neon, fast food, and what made me most sad: the mallification of once
quaint Soho. The Meatpacking District, heir to what SoHo once was,
feels somehow contrived. NoLita still holds some hidden gems like the
Elizabeth Street Sculpture Garden, but many of its boutiques are
chain stores in disguise. And I defy anyone
to maintain their sanity when traversing Times Square several times a day
out of necessity. Then there's the Upper East Side. I used to love
its cool luxury, but this time it just felt kind of...boring (except
for the Laduree macaron bakery-that is always a welcome sight). It
was interesting to see the new World Trade Centre, still hard to
imagine what the horrors of 9/11 would have been like. Wall Street
seemed somehow smaller, less impressive then the first time I saw it.
Of course no visit to that area is complete without a trek to Century
21 – home to competitive, full contact shopping sport. In general everything seemed
to be under repair or construction, concealed under scafolding. I
guess that is a sign of economic upturn?
The work aspect was fun
– I was there promoting my friends' highly successful jewelry line and so visited many of the big fashion magazines, meeting with
editors at Cosmo, GQ, Lucky, Glamour, Teen Vogue, W and the epitome
of high fashion, Vogue. Alas I did not get the Anna Wintour ice glare, but I did meet the accessories editor who was lovely. I also met with
Rihanna's stylists for her latest tour (and saw where the magic
happens), and some of the PR team from HBO. It's always nice to put a
face to the names you email regularly. By night I made random new
friends, and even went on a date with a hipster musician from DC (because,
why not?) to Babbo, a Batali (King of the buffalo mozzarella)
restaurant nestled on the cutest street imaginable in Greenwich Village. It was a pilgrimage to my favourite chef that I have been dying to make for years.
The people of New York
are both its best and I'd hazard to say worst feature. I couldn't
believe the number of times men body checked me to walk through a
door first, and of course I had my share of altercations over taxi
cabs, in which I gave as good as I got. On the other hand, once you
get chatting, the people are also so friendly – you can start a
conversation with anyone, anywhere, which is a godsend when you're
travelling alone.
This trip freed me in
the sense that I will no longer plot my eventual move to NYC. Where
in the world will I settle? It's kind of exciting to say that I'm really not sure. The near future will be interesting as a new
chapter is poised to unfold. In four weeks time I move to Europe for
at least 2.5 years to complete my Masters degree. I had some great options, and the
choice was difficult - but ultimately decided to become an Erasmus
Mundus scholar. The political studies program I chose has some great
university options (you have to pick two out of eight, and do one
year at each)– including Roskilde in Denmark and London School of
Economics – which I was very tempted by save it was just too
unaffordable, even with my scholarship. Besides, I want to sharpen my
German to total fluency. As such, I am headed to Leipzig to attend
a university established in 1409 (Harry Potter!) that counts figures
like Bach, Wagner, Leibniz, Nietszche, and Goethe as alumni – a
fact of which I am in awe. On the one hand, I will feel insignificant
in this place so steeped in academic history. On the other, I am so
excited to feel a part of something so old and established – I
hope it inspires me to some personal level of greatness. Plus, my
friends in Berlin are only an hour away, Prague is two hours. My
second year and onward, I will study at the University of Vienna.
Obsessed with culture as I am, I cannot wait for the music, the
architecture - there is literally a ball every month! Although...I'll
need someone to ask me, and I probably won't have a thing to wear
(floor length gowns are not part of my student wardrobe). It is going
to be a lot of hard work – I am under no false illusions. But I
never feel quite so alive as when a new adventure is under way!
