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It seems NYC is a mecca, a shining light of freedom and prosperity for all the world to gaze upon in awe. And the degree to which NYC is an international city is a testament to this. People come from all over the world to the great New York City seeking this freedom, our success and the elusive prosperity. So a visitor makes his way to this global metropolis and sees these people, and talks to them, and tries to understand them. And so it was. I wanted to know these people that I was meeting; to talk to them and understand where they came from and where they wanted to go, or if they were there.
People in Manhattan seem to work ridiculous hours. Everyone, from taxi drivers to executives. A fifty hour week is rare, but because it is on the short end. Lunch breaks...are you kidding? So then one starts to think about the reasons for this. It seems people there are living to work instead of working to live. By this I mean that they have to work these hours to get and keep their jobs to make the relatively small wages they earn. And it isn't the wages that are small, it's the cost of living that is preposterous. Rent in NYC is 350% what it is in Houston or Dallas. And you pay all this money to live in a shoebox. Restaurants are more expensive, and to own a car...Parking would cost you as much as rent here, not to mention the car payments, higher insurance, tolls, and NYC taxes. And that, in my opinion is where they get you. You can't get away easily. You are trapped. Sure, you can take public transportation out of the metropolis, but what are you going to do when you get somewhere and there is no subway or bus system to use? The people and the concrete are inescapable.
So, at long last, the point is this: What a epic fraud. and the people seem to completely buy in. After a while, they don't notice that they walk with their heads down. They forget that it is okay to talk to people walking down the street or on the subway; that it's okay to be in a good mood. They are doing it! They are making it in NYC!!! They may work most of their waking hours, forget what the stars look like and clean air smells like. They even forget to appreciate the grandeur of the city they live in and all of the amazing things it has to offer. Freedom and prosperity? Sure, you need money to be free, in the sense that it takes means to do what you want, but if you give up the only time you have to do these things in order to have the means, what is the point? Freedom is latitude. The ability to visit the city when you desire, and the ability to seek empty space when you want or need it. Freedom is about leisure and pursuing what truly interests you (and for the record, trying to cram six pages of a book in at a time on a crowded subway does not constitute a hobby of “reading”). In that sense, I believe NYC is a fraud.
That said, what is Manhattan to me? Manhattan is a testament to what our society can do. Skyscrapers reach so high it looks as though they were born from the very heavens to which they ascend. People from the world over come together and live reasonably peaceably. Culinary and Artistic expression are both boundless and inspiring. Some of the very streets in the neighborhoods and boroughs are captivating and charming. New York City is a testament to what we can do, but is it what we should do?
**disclaimer: I’m speaking only of Manhattan. Long Island seemed a different world entirely.
People in Manhattan seem to work ridiculous hours. Everyone, from taxi drivers to executives. A fifty hour week is rare, but because it is on the short end. Lunch breaks...are you kidding? So then one starts to think about the reasons for this. It seems people there are living to work instead of working to live. By this I mean that they have to work these hours to get and keep their jobs to make the relatively small wages they earn. And it isn't the wages that are small, it's the cost of living that is preposterous. Rent in NYC is 350% what it is in Houston or Dallas. And you pay all this money to live in a shoebox. Restaurants are more expensive, and to own a car...Parking would cost you as much as rent here, not to mention the car payments, higher insurance, tolls, and NYC taxes. And that, in my opinion is where they get you. You can't get away easily. You are trapped. Sure, you can take public transportation out of the metropolis, but what are you going to do when you get somewhere and there is no subway or bus system to use? The people and the concrete are inescapable.
So, at long last, the point is this: What a epic fraud. and the people seem to completely buy in. After a while, they don't notice that they walk with their heads down. They forget that it is okay to talk to people walking down the street or on the subway; that it's okay to be in a good mood. They are doing it! They are making it in NYC!!! They may work most of their waking hours, forget what the stars look like and clean air smells like. They even forget to appreciate the grandeur of the city they live in and all of the amazing things it has to offer. Freedom and prosperity? Sure, you need money to be free, in the sense that it takes means to do what you want, but if you give up the only time you have to do these things in order to have the means, what is the point? Freedom is latitude. The ability to visit the city when you desire, and the ability to seek empty space when you want or need it. Freedom is about leisure and pursuing what truly interests you (and for the record, trying to cram six pages of a book in at a time on a crowded subway does not constitute a hobby of “reading”). In that sense, I believe NYC is a fraud.
That said, what is Manhattan to me? Manhattan is a testament to what our society can do. Skyscrapers reach so high it looks as though they were born from the very heavens to which they ascend. People from the world over come together and live reasonably peaceably. Culinary and Artistic expression are both boundless and inspiring. Some of the very streets in the neighborhoods and boroughs are captivating and charming. New York City is a testament to what we can do, but is it what we should do?
**disclaimer: I’m speaking only of Manhattan. Long Island seemed a different world entirely.
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