From my friend Erin - why I love NY

why I love you nyc

by Erin on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 11:19am

Nicole Brooker asked me: "could you give me specific examples of things that you see about NY that others couldn't?"

I'm having a hard time with this one... what do I see when I look around NYC?

I see passion and drive and millions of people who are intent on manifesting their own destinies - no matter how big their dreams - working tirelessly to build the foundations of their own success;

I see people who are more open minded, more accepting, more aware than most, yet are busy busy busy, so may come off as detached and self absorbed;

I see amazing style that constantly inspires me and pushes me to reinvent myself as often as I my eyes peek open in the morning;

I see humanity at its best: helping to shovel sidewalks and push cars out of the snow, carrying an old lady's suitcase up the stairs, giving their time to those less fortunate than themselves - and at its worst: closing their eyes to the pregnant woman who needs a seat or barely giving a sympathetic glance to the man bundled up in dirty rags in the corner;

I see more creativity and inspiration than I could ever imagine there possibly being in the world - artists who transcend the status quo - musicians and photographers and artists and performers and dancers that make my heart swell and ache with admiration and longing;

I see anything and everything you could possibly imagine wanting - no more than an arms length away - ripe for the taking, ripe for the abusing, ripe for the savoring;

I see the crème de la crème, the folks who can make it anywhere, yet choose to make this big, beautiful, wonderful city their home, their sanctuary, their playground, their wasteland;

I see the first and only place in the world where I've ever felt accepted, ever felt at home;

I see the youth seeping in, adding their fire and their brilliance, their curiosity and their passionate insistence - building the new skyline of New York with electric dreams and steely determination;

I see the place that I am beginning to whisper goodbye to - taking it in my arms, wrapping myself in its embrace and feeling the soft crush of passion and remorse;

Brooker: I hope that helps.

I <3 New York.

----
Erin has lived in NY forever - she's 30 and currently lives in Crown heights - she's super in tune with culture and is truly happening.

10 steps to becoming a NYer

This list is on becoming a new yorker (10 things u have to go thru before u are “official”) - a friend sent me this list when I first moved here:
#10 - get a 917 area code
# 9 - learn to hate time square
#8 - visit all landmarks and declare "they're okay" when asked about them
#7 - tell people you go to new jersey ONLY for ikea
#6 - find YOUR number one new york pizza spot and say IT IS THE #1 NY pizza spot
#5 - hook up with as many foreigners as you can
#4 - after partying hard fall asleep drunk in a subway car and wake up in queens
#3 - have several encounters with CRAZY people and have trouble picking the worst one
#2 - have everything delivered
#1 - slip and fall on your ass, hurt, suck it up, stand-up and keep going NO BLUSHING

You know you're from long Island (Suffolk County) when...

Hey Guys - this is something a fellow planner from LI got passed to him on FB....all about LI...enjoy!

You know you’re from Suffolk County (LI) When...
1. You ask yourself why you talk different from every other state.
2. You know someone or you have adopted a pet from North Shore Animal League.
3. More white people talk ghetto then black.
4. You curse. A lot.
5. You put a “er” at the end of an “a” word or the opposite. ex: Soder
6. You are afraid to step in the ocean water because you can’t see past 1cm.
7. There is damn geese everywhere!
8. You know of only one mall, Smith Haven.
9. You have been to the Amityville house at least once.
10. Wonder why only our beaches are contaminated.
11. You feel like you have contracted Tuberculosis from lake Ronkonkoma.
12. You go to Island 16 all the time, Because obviously it’s the coolest place.
13. You think we have the poorest schools, when really we have the richest.
14. You wish that the only roller rink in Bayshore wasn’t demolished.
15. You go to the Rinx on Friday nights.
16. You know the construction on the roads is pointless because they are always worse then before.
17. You wonder why we never get snow, It snows 3ft, then never again until the next winter.
18. You ask yourself “Why does everyone move to Florida?!”
19. You don’t know why schools spend all the money on sports when only a selection play.
20. You wonder why only we have to take a regents exam.
21. Hate the schools heath code.
22. Most girls dress like sluts, but you have gotten to the point where you don’t realize because you’re so used to it.
23. You wonder WTF is with the Uggs?
24. The Commack movie theatre scares you.
25. You go to the mall more to hang out then to shop.
26. You had no idea how rich we were until you went out east.
27. You have been to Atlantis Marine World at least once.
28. You know the security guards anywhere(mall, school, ect.) don’t care what you do.
29. You wish Global warming would stop because our beaches are disappearing. O.o
30. You can’t wait until summer, so that you can do nothing but stay inside on the computer.
31. you've waited on the line at taco bell at 2am cause you got a craving and its four town away.
32. You thought you were bad ass when you were 10 and your mom let you ride your bike to your friends house
33. When people from upstate/out of state ask were you live you have to describe your towns location by distance from N...YC in minutes. [we dont use miles :P]
34. you've spent your weekends durring the summer taking ferries to FI
35. There's no DQ yet we're tortured with commercials
36. When you know exactly how it feels to wake up in the morning feeling like p diddy

Hope this helps..I’ll think of some more tomorrow!

Don't forget the region...

New York is more than the city - the city is more than Manhattan. The constant coming and going of people who work in the 5 boroughs aka the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island) or vice versus.

The New Jersey Path trains easily connect Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken to Manhattan. The Lincoln tunnel sees people driving into the city. Penn Station welcomes the people from Connecticut and Upstate on the commuter rails and the Long Island railroad, ferries bring people where they need to go.

Point is, New York is the mecca  - the origin of trends and ideas - but it is influenced by the surrounding areas. It's a ripple effect - NYC influences out and then catches the waves that come back in.

NYC is a place but it's also an attitude and a mentality - like our beverages have attitude and something extra.

Street graffiti versus street art

The idea that New Yorkers, just like our Beverages, have a little something extra going on also implies that they see things differently than people in other parts of the country. To someone who isn't from NY this would just be "dirty", "graffiti", even make them feel like the street they are on is "unsafe" or "scary". But to NYers, this is street art.

James De la Vega is an underground street artist in NY - his work is all about becoming your dream - he's happening.

People wear their opinions

New Yorkers always put their stamp on things that belong to them - there is always something more that an outsider might not figure out. There is always a little something extra.

Example: Mermaid Day

Every big city has parades. Everyone everywhere has seen the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade on TV. But some things that happen in NY aren't so suitable for TV but are still very much NY. Take "Mermaid Day" for example. Every June Coney Island has a huge parade that "celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and mythology of Coney Island, Coney Island pride, and artistic self-expression." 

The Parade is characterized by participants dressed in hand-made costumes as Mermaids, Neptunes, various sea creatures, the occasional wandering lighthouse, Coney Island post card or amusement ride, as well as antique cars, marching bands, drill teams, and the odd yacht pulled on flatbed.This past year people used the parade as protest of BP's efforts with the oil spill (oil leak in this parade) as well as using metro cards to make art and costumes. 

Poor tourists on the subways - I was there, absolutely hilarious. NYers were the only ones in on the secret. 

Brooklynisms

Just stumbled across this site on Brooklynisms, kind of older but still some cool stuff to think about how NYers use their language.

I lived in Brooklyn - I can totally agree with "Boss" and "dollars to doughnuts" and "shit wich you"...Keep in mind a younger crowd when looking at these though - but it's very born and raised in Brooklyn.