Essay On My Memories Of New York City

New York City is one of the best cities in the world, and by far the best place I have ever lived. I love the people, the range of things you can do here, and the unique mishmash of cultures and customs that makes New York City great. I also appreciate the opportunities for economic education and career development I can get at New York City. Since there is so much diversity, I will be able to learn from a great number of perspectives from all around the world in one place. In my home country, I’ve seen many images of New York City in films and television, so I was already familiar with the landmarks – the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, and more. However, when I actually got here, it was so unlike anything I could have imagined. I remember getting out of LaGuardia Airport and being immediately stunned by the sheer number of people that were around me; I’d never seen so many people in my life, and all so busy! Right then, I knew that I would have to dramatically adjust my lifestyle to keep up, since I was used to a slightly slower pace.
My first days here were spent getting the lay of the land. I explored my neighborhood with the few friends I had already made at the university; some of them were native New Yorkers, so they were already thrilled to take me everywhere they wanted me to go. They describe themselves as “food junkies,” so of course they had to take me to all of their favorite pieces of New York dining. Given this experience, I can safely say I associate New York City most with the food; they took me to a local pizza place, where I had my first New York slice. It took me a couple of tries, and a lot of instruction from them, to figure out how to fold the pizza and absorb all the grease that would come out. I thought that was gross at first, but I got used to it. After that, they took me to a hot dog truck and got me a hot dog with everything – that was absolutely incredible! The next day, they took me to the Carnegie Deli and got me a corned beef on rye. All of these things were so incredible (also bad for me), but I relished the chance to explore what people ate as a way to get to know the city better. Everything was quick and greasy, but delicious; I think that sums up New York City’s pace and edge very well.
I find a lot to relate to with Coulson’s writing on New York; his perspective seems a lot like my friends who showed me to all these different places. He talks about “building my New York,” which I think I started doing with that food marathon. These were the unique things about the city that I started experiencing, so whenever I think of New York, I can start to taste that corned beef sandwich. Part of his text I really find engaging discusses the changes that old mainstays can go through when you grow up in a city – “Go back to your old haunts in your old neighborhood and what do you find: they remain and have disappeared.” I don’t have his nostalgia for what has changed yet, though, because for now the current New York is still my first New York, so my experiences are different there. However, the longer I stay here, I’m sure I will experience old landmarks coming and going just as he did, which is a sentiment I can very much relate to.