From E.B White, of Charlotte's Webb fame:There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable.OK, my New York Readers, its time to come out from lurking:
Second, there is the New York of the commuter--the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night.
Third, there is New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.
Of these trembling cities the greatest is the last--the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is this third city that accounts for New York’s high strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements.
Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion.
- Which New York are you?
- Does the shoe fit?
- Why did you come to New York?
- Have you found what you are looking for?
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H/T Stephanie Dahle for the quote.
5 comments:
Definitely #3. Came for school and stayed on. That sounds about right... I love the city and have spent a lot of time exploring it.
i'm #3! i'm a new yorker now :) and have i found what i'm looking for? hrm. i didn't know i was looking for anything! but even if i were to move anywhere in the near future (which is very likely), NYC will have the softest spot in my heart as i've spent more than half of my life here and God has met me here.
I found it on the subway! :)
:)
How appropriate, SD!
It's a good summary; it applies to London and I'm sure elsewhere. I've often thought that the reputation of a city, and, more, the expectations that each individual has of a city, are so important in defining and re-inforcing the character of that city. Or to put it another way, we all become a little bit a New Yorker when we're on Manhattan.
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