As a child I never wanted to live in Manhattan. It overwhelmed me to think about the noise I’d have to sleep through. And coming from a tightly knit suburban neighborhood, I was under the impression that living in the city meant you were on your own. (I obviously didn’t understand the concept of apartment buildings). But since my first trip to Times Square with Hofstra, I’ve gotten a new found excitement every time I exit the subway.
Coming from Long Island I’ve always referred to Manhattan simply as “the city.” I used to go for the holidays with my family and my first memories are a claustrophobic’s nightmare. These consist of us squeezing through strangers and spending hours in the snow trying to get to our destination. I found myself trying to like the city the same way I used to try and like candy corn around Halloween.
After coming to college I started appreciating the city more every time I visited it. The first few times were for freshmen field trips or tournaments with Hofstra’s Quidditch team. I started to see new areas of Manhattan I haven’t been to before, such as Randall’s Island, The West Village and Union Square. After visiting these new places I was able to see how much there is in the city. I’ve been to eclectic museums (like the Reuben or Cloisters), culturally-fused restaurants and outdoor flea markets.
Eventually I started making trips to the city on my own. I’d go in for a band my friends didn’t listen to or a show students from Hofstra were offered tickets to see. My trips became microcosmic voyages as I’d be spontaneously introduced to new places and the people in them. I could never forget this one time when my subway car stopped and we were greeted by a group of dance performers.
I think what really made the city excite me was the association I made with Manhattan to new adventures and cultural experiences. When I was a junior at Hofstra I did an Anthropology assignment on LGBT representation in Judaism. I took multiple trips to the city talking with members of a LGBT-inclusive Reconstructionist Synagogue. At this time I was still somewhat in the closet- my friends and nuclear family were the only people that knew and I kept it from anyone else. Getting to meet so many interesting people and hear there stories was a major stepping stone in my coming out.
Whenever I go to the city I know I won’t be alone, and that’s not me trying to make a statement about being my own best friend. In the city there are so many people from different cultures and places- most of which are willing to meet someone knew. People in the city often get such a reputation about being rude or having attitude. To me this comes from those days in the Winter when there are so many people on the street it’s impossible to even talk, let alone have composure.
As a final note- for those who aren’t fans of the city, next time you visit take an extra moment to enjoy the way everything looks when you exit the subway.
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