New York, a place of variety, diversity, experiences, and a myriad of other mysteries waiting to be discovered. A place that in my opinion, cannot be compared to the likes of any other place throughout the world. The reason being that for one, it practically follows no specific format and is structured like a buffet, an all you can eat for a tourist who craves adventure and experiences. You have a sundry of Middle Eastern Asian cuisines and ideals being expressed within Jackson heights, you have the same concept expressed within the likes of Chinatown, minus the Middle Eastern vibes. By now you should get the gist of it, New York can simply overwhelm a foreigner, as it has so much culture to explore, understand, and experience. I for one am grateful for being born in New York, having so much time to experience all the places around me that reflect a variety of cultures. As it seems so much more interesting than the likes of growing up exposed to one specific culture in a certain part of the world. Had I been born in say, India, I doubt I would get the chance to experience the authentic Mexican cuisine that I have exposed myself to in Williamsburg, and grown to respect. Now I don’t want to seem biased with my positive experience in New York, but I simply don’t think it can be compared to anywhere else across the world with all the variety of goodies and treats it has to offer. It’s like a video game that is constantly being updated with new downloadable content, you will find it very hard to run out of content, that you can experience. Joan Didion’s essay “Goodbye to All That”, shares various feelings and experiences regarding New York City that I have found rather interesting, along with that some even being quite relatable to. Zadie Smith’s “Under the Banner of New York” offers a different perspective on the same subject regarding New York, offering a strong sense of optimism for readers to absorb. Didion depicts the inevitable end of her journey in New York, which I respect as it may not be something meant for everyone, as individuals come and go with expectations of New York not being met or sustainable. 

Queens has been a chapter of my life that seems to have the most memories, the majority being positively reinforced. The various parts and pieces of Queens and other Boroughs are what makes New York City special. Don’t believe me? Try living in Elmhurst Queens for a period of your life, and then finally experiencing a place like Sunnyside or even Astoria. It’s like teleporting from one city to another, of similar structure but apparent differences. I remember the first time I arrived at my Middle school in Maspeth, IS.73, an experience that was rather quite unexpected. The first time I went to middle school, the bus ride in itself was quite the experience, it was like being guided through different sections of a museum. I could no longer feel the atmosphere and personality of Elmhurst as the q53 crossed the road which aligned with Queens Center Mall a few blocks away. An unexplainable feeling washed over me as I encountered Maspeth for the first time. From trying to get used to the majority of it being filled with housing, clean and beautiful parks, and a bunch of gas stations, emphasis on the last one. While this may seem normal to many people, my life in Elmhurst consisted of primarily 5 story apartment buildings, run-down parks, and bubble tea from Quickly’s on Broadway. This experience of transitioning from Elmhurst to Maspeth for the first time was one so memorable that it’s safe to say, has indeed impacted me in a way that is life-changing. All my childhood I did not have much respect or nationalistic feelings for Queens New York, up until I had the chance to explore more of it, down to the details, rather than just seeing the different parts of it from the view of our local 7 trains. Never understanding back then why people seemed so prideful for growing up in queens and saying things under their Instagram post captions such as “Queens for life”. Anyways moving on, one of the most memorable chapters of my life, was during my pre-teen years.  I remember how ecstatic I felt when classes were over on the first day of Middle school since all my friends from elementary school, happened to share similar feelings. We were a close group of friends that were all from Elmhurst and went to PS.89.  Once math was over, our teacher led us to the cafeteria, where the boys and I discussed what we could do after school. Throughout the remaining school day, we eventually decided that we would walk back home together, as we all lived within the vicinity of Broadway Park. It was a grueling journey in the sense that it was a couple mile’s walk from our school, yet it was exciting in the sense that we went on a detour to explore Maspeth and its parks. I remember when we first walked into Frontera park and noticed something right off the bat, the basketball courts were empty. Immediately I recalled the courts in Broadway Park, Elmhurst, where my friends and I would have to wait at least 30 minutes to get our own court or end up taking turns with other people on a court. It was a bittersweet moment for me in the sense that while there was always free basketball courts there, Broadway Park was light years ahead at being lively. This sense of contrast between Elmhurst and Maspeth indicated to me that, while Maspeth may seem more fitting for the term eye-candy, Elmhurst won in the category of spirit and diversity. Of all my years that I went to Maspeth for school, one thing I noticed was that its general population seemed to consist of Caucasians. While this is just my general perception, I can safely say that Elmhurst Queens is significantly more diverse in terms of the population, why is why I will always prefer it. It has developed my way of thinking and helped me understand now, that queens truly does have personality and a spirit that cannot be mimicked.

Joan Didion’s “Goodbye to All That” is an essay that provided me a whole new perspective on New York City. As an individual that has resided in Queens and Brooklyn for the majority of their life, I have not had the chance to venture deeper into the culture and scenery of Manhattan, except on special occasions such as New Years or Christmas. Within Joan Didion’s essay, one of the things that caught my attention was on page 227 which states, “In retrospect, it seems to me that those days before I knew the names of all the bridges were happier than the ones that came later…” This analogy stood out to me in the sense of discovering different parts of Queens during my childhood and understanding them. It’s a feeling that I do not believe I can no longer experience in Queens, as I have had my fair share of experiencing Astoria, Elmhurst, Maspeth, Forest hills, etc. While there are definitely more areas that I have yet to explore, I can say for sure, that I have experienced a majority of it, especially the nicer neighborhoods. Going back to why I am so attached to New York, this idea of exploring all there is, of each borough, is what makes it so hard to experience all the aspects and cultures New York City has to offer, in a short amount of time. Nevertheless, Didion also points out another interesting detail on page 229 which states, “Nothing was irrevocable; everything was within reach. Just around every corner lay something curious and interesting, something I had never before seen or done or known about.” This idea really speaks to me on a personal level since I too feel this way about New York City. I could leave my house right now and get ice cream right around the block, pizza two blocks away, electronics a couple blocks away, clothes at many retail stores around me, etc. Accessibility to things has never been a problem for me in New York City, it truly has access to practically anything realistic, that an individual may need to live a normal life and enjoy themselves. I specifically can relate to Didion’s statement regarding there being something interesting around every corner, because it speaks to me as more of a physical expression than rhetorical. I have felt this way in Times Square, as it is such an overwhelming area to absorb for someone who does not go there often.  Along with this, Didion also states on page 231, “I am not sure that it is possible for anyone brought up in the East to appreciate entirely what New York, the idea of New York, means to those of us who came out of the West and the South…To an Eastern child…New York is just a city.” This idea that Didion expresses, regarding the different perspectives of individuals in the East, to the individuals in the West and South while growing up, is something that I myself can agree with. I have always as a child, looked forward to the day that I could go to Times Square and Manhattan in general. The massive skyscrapers and jaw-dropping views made it seem almost magical, just from television alone. I never thought about it the way that Didion describes it, it inspired a sense of gratefulness within me, for not growing up in the East and being constantly exposed to it. Since otherwise, my sense of beauty for Manhattan and Times Square would not reflect as strongly.

To add on, Zadie Smith’s “Under the Banner of New York” helped me improve my understanding of New Yorkers as a whole, and helped me realize that New York and New Yorkers cannot be generalized due to the overwhelming sense of diversity. According to the second to last paragraph of the text, it states, “New Yorkers choose to gather under the banner that says “New York”—which is so elastic it really means nothing at all—and that is exactly what I love about this place. The capacity to gather without precise definition I experience as a form of freedom.” I cannot put into words just how much of an eye-opener this expression of New York was to me upon comprehending it. Smith shows us that New York cannot truly be defined in one or two words, as it is ‘elastic’ in the sense of having an undefined amount of terms to describe it and its continuously increasing percentages of diversity. She reminds me that New York is truly incomparable in the sense that it has no true personality or character in its name, thus being why she loves it, as it depicts a sense of freedom. A sense of freedom that no other nation or country you can think of off the top of your head can replicate. 

As you can see, New York has been a place of constant transitions for me, both emotionally and physically. My perspective of New York has matured and aged like a fine wine as I continue to explore it every day, not knowing what lies ahead. Jane Didion’s perspective on New York has expanded my own, showing me a view of New York from a different angle. Yet one thing remains the same in me after reading her essay, how can anyone not want to experience New York at least once in their life?

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