Hello!
After discussing what it means to be a true New Yorker in class I was inspired to expand my ideas and this blog post is the perfect place to do so. Clichés about New York include; “The Greatest City in the World,” “The Big Apple,” “If you can make it here you’ll make it anywhere.” These clichés might sound cheesy (especially to a New Yorker) but hold their own truth/value and are a source of inspiration for hundreds because New York is the place where dreams come true!
So what does it mean to be a New Yorker? I don’t believe there is one perfect answer, we all have our own thoughts and opinions thus the concept of “New Yorker” is the same for everyone but the analysis and conditions of what it means to be a “New Yorker” will vary and always be different from one person to the next.
In The Colossus of New Yorker, Colson Whitehead states “You are a New Yorker when what was there before is more real and solid than what is here now.” I think this is a great way of thinking about the concept because I have had many moments similar to the statement. I think the city is constantly changing and is especially evident when I walk down a street I haven’t been on for a few weeks and all of a sudden I can pinpoint the changes, the new stores, and remember what used to be there not so long ago. I think Whitehead’s analysis is a great way to define what it means to be a New Yorker and is relatable.
When we were thinking about what it means to be a New Yorker in class the first thing that came to my mind was; you are a New Yorker when you know the city like the back of your hand, can give directions to others, and the ability to get from point A to point B multiple ways. Navigating a city is hard if you are not accustomed to it, we all see tourists having to stop and ask for directions, or constantly pulling out their map. A New Yorker knows the layout of the city, is familiar with the transportation system, and is comfortable walking out the door knowing they won’t get lost (but if we forget our way around a particular neighborhood because it can happen to the best of us, a quick look a Google map will get us back on track!)
I really enjoyed hearing what you (my classmates) thought it meant to be a New Yorker and I found myself agreeing to almost everything you had to say! This proves that there isn’t a right or wrong answer and being a New Yorker is multiple things, some more subtle than others. Some ideas that stuck out include: being a New Yorker is when you no longer stop in awe to look at the skyscrapers, or all the ads in Times Square, when seeing a “man riding a bike in pink underwear” isn’t shocking but in a funny way normal (only in New York :-D) and when what was once exceptional becomes ordinary. I think this is a great analysis and it proves true when you can walk down a street and differentiate a New Yorker from a tourist.
Being a New Yorker can be seen as an elite club that not everyone can join, however once you become part of New York there is no going back because nothing can compare to what has become your home!
-Angelika Pienkowska