I’m a better person in New York City—more optimistic, kinder, and more relaxed. These qualities are probably the exact opposite of how the average person would describe NYC. The city’s constant, insatiable noise and energy are stressful for most, but, for me, they absorb my worries right up.
I’ll admit my relationship with NYC is paradoxical. The chaos of the city quiets my brain. Everyone around me is in a hurry, yet I find the time to slow down. I’ll walk endlessly across the city—up and down, in any direction— never taking the same path twice. Sometimes, my AirPods blast my favorite songs, while other times I walk in complete silence, deciphering every noise as I pass by.
Although I was born in Boston, my roots are in New York. My family members are all New York sports fans. Their thick New York accents cheering on the Mets and Jets are warm and comforting (though, to some, indecipherable). Every time I parallel park perfectly, my grandma jokes that New York City is in my blood. She’s right.
I am my family’s historian, and in NYC, I feel like I’m living my family history. As I stroll through the city, I find myself daydreaming about the New York my family experienced generations ago—the NYC where you would make casual conversation while waiting for the subway, instead of staring intently into your phone, deafened by the combination of noise-cancelling headphones and your favorite podcast. I can almost hear that world as I walk through the neighborhoods where my great-great-great-grandparents once lived.
I’m not sure exactly when I fell in love with NYC. I visited often as a child, but I don’t remember feeling particularly attached to the city then. After COVID, I remember driving through the empty streets—a shell of the NYC I once knew—wondering if it would ever regain its energy. Luckily for me, it has
I definitely idealize the city—it can be kind of gross sometimes—but what place is perfect? Each time I leave, I reset the countdown until I can return. I read books and watch movies set in NYC, placing myself in the characters’ shoes, comforted by the thought that their city is my city too.
I’m lucky to have found my place—22 square miles of pure comfort and joy. As I look ahead beyond graduation, unsure of what my future holds, I know the New York City I love will always be there. I will always feel that bubble of excitement when I get my first glimpse of the skyline and see a bright yellow taxi flash by.
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