I-Heart-New York
I always used to laugh when folks came to New York for the first time and stuck their chins all the way up to where their noses ought to be, just straining to take a look at how tall all the buildings are...
I always thought how uncool that was. I mean, that's like the universal law of being a New Yorker--remain nonchalant about the splendor around you. Statue of Liberty? Never been there. World Trade Center? How many floors did you say it had? (Never mind that you worked there, you're just too cool to notice). The unwritten law is-- never express how amazing and intimidating it all is.
There's just something about the hypodermic needles you walk over and the baptisms of piss in the air that make you think that you are born in the greatest city in the world. It doesn't matter if it's not true. It doesn't matter that many of us who say that have never really been anywhere else. You just know that when your best friend gets his ass kicked by the NYPD or when you choke on the car exhaust from the roaring of big city traffic that hey, it just can't get much better than this.
I mean, can all those "I-heart-NY" t-shirt wearing tourists be wrong? Although I may not have traveled extensively, I was pretty sure they knew what they were talking about, right? And what about all those suburban actors that hit the tinsel town lottery and unlike me, can now afford to call the magic island home? I mean, they can't be wrong--they are from Hollywood for chrissakes!
The funny thing is though, is that the last time I visited New York I found myself standing on Union Square doing that stick the chin up in the air thing. See, it all suddenly hit me--just how big it all is. I can't even tell you how many times I've been to Union Square in the past, I mean, my high school is right around the corner. I used to smoke Newports (choke!) on those benches and party at, yes, the Palladium. I guess the difference between then and now is, I just ain't cool no more...
I always thought how uncool that was. I mean, that's like the universal law of being a New Yorker--remain nonchalant about the splendor around you. Statue of Liberty? Never been there. World Trade Center? How many floors did you say it had? (Never mind that you worked there, you're just too cool to notice). The unwritten law is-- never express how amazing and intimidating it all is.
There's just something about the hypodermic needles you walk over and the baptisms of piss in the air that make you think that you are born in the greatest city in the world. It doesn't matter if it's not true. It doesn't matter that many of us who say that have never really been anywhere else. You just know that when your best friend gets his ass kicked by the NYPD or when you choke on the car exhaust from the roaring of big city traffic that hey, it just can't get much better than this.
I mean, can all those "I-heart-NY" t-shirt wearing tourists be wrong? Although I may not have traveled extensively, I was pretty sure they knew what they were talking about, right? And what about all those suburban actors that hit the tinsel town lottery and unlike me, can now afford to call the magic island home? I mean, they can't be wrong--they are from Hollywood for chrissakes!
The funny thing is though, is that the last time I visited New York I found myself standing on Union Square doing that stick the chin up in the air thing. See, it all suddenly hit me--just how big it all is. I can't even tell you how many times I've been to Union Square in the past, I mean, my high school is right around the corner. I used to smoke Newports (choke!) on those benches and party at, yes, the Palladium. I guess the difference between then and now is, I just ain't cool no more...
