BULLISH IN NEW YORK CITY

Alberto Felix
Eng 2150
Professor Penaz
10 March 2009

New York City’s roots are characterized by a multiplicity of cultures and lifestyles integrated by the individuals who sought to dwell in its ambitious terrain. However, in present day, very few locations capture the entire essence of how culture cultivates New York City.  One of the locations, however, that maintains a visible variety of cultures and encompasses both the past and the present is the Lower East Side. Unlike most New York City neighborhoods, it is difficult to characterize the Lower East Side; contrasting the Fashion District, whose name is self-indicative, or SoHo which is coined for its contemporary appeal, or even the famed Fifth Avenue which is defined by upscale shopping. For the Lower East Side, however, one could say it has a historically immigrant community, or that it’s a trendsetting enclave. Or one could say it is simply diverse. Better yet, one could begin a walk on its streets and indulge in what is evidently an eclectic and multi-dimensional community whose streets are unlike any other, meanwhile, they are able to define New York City wholly. Thus, when considering the quintessential New York City experience, no walk will thoroughly exemplify the city’s historical richness in culture, as one would find in the streets of the Lower East Side.

A walk through Delancey will suffice in giving any spectator the uncut and authentic New York City experience. After all, the vast variety of people and living spaces you will find here are characteristically “New York”. Exiting the J train by the Williamsburg Bridge, you will find yourself in a seemingly barren place surrounded by low-income housing buildings scattered throughout relatively open spaces. Walking up the street, you will notice that the ambience is undoubtedly urban and graffiti drawings on buildings and trucks help reassure this. It is quickly evident that different kinds of people convene on this long street and that they are not necessarily representatives of the environment. Walking through Delancey, you notice a seemingly old New York City, or as I like to think of it, a more thorough New York City; free of all touristic attractions, leaving only the true New Yorkers who frequent these streets.

Walking through Delancey, you notice that the pre-war buildings and underdeveloped spaces are sometimes reminiscent of the streets of other boroughs. Nevertheless, wandering around Delancey you will find intrigue in seeing the new developments’ proximity to these old and deteriorating spaces. For instance, just one block to the right of Delancey, one would believe he or she has entered a new and different neighborhood. On Rivington, there is a dramatic contrast in businesses and buildings that differ from the shady shops on the main street. On one block, I was particularly intrigued at how a modernly designed condominium was erected right behind a housing project. Nevertheless, this evident disparity is a representative of the New York City population. Although, the signs of gentrification are clear in the Lower East Side, the different kinds of inhabitants are surprisingly open to live within several feet of one another. It is as if talking a walk through a historic portrayal of the neighborhood’s roots while at the same time witnessing its future. As if the crane in a construction site is gently adding new aspects to the neighborhood while being careful not to disturb it’s originality.

Despite the neighborhood’s evident diversity, the eastern end of Delancey Street is palpably influenced by the Latino population that has for a long time called this home. On other ends, and with further walking, one begins to witness shifts in people as if navigating through a cultural spectrum. A large Jewish community also, calls part of the Lower East Side home. Continuing up Delancey, one comes to a historically Jewish section of the neighborhood that has maintained its cultural presence since the years of their own immigration into the city. Unlike, any other neighborhood the acculturation that takes place in the Lower East Side is indicative of the entire city’s overall acceptance of differences.

            On Delancey there appears to be an absence of the gourmet shops that have flourished throughout parts of Lower Manhattan. Instead, mom and pop shops dominate the street and are identifiable by their characteristically shady appearance. Some businesses even utilize the term “Loisaida” which describes the pronunciation of the Lower East Side with a Spanish accent, alluding to the time of vast Latino immigration into the neighborhood.

I noticed some of the old-timers trying to maintain ownership of the streets they have for so long dwelled upon. Interestingly, I noticed them on an inner corner within Delancey engaging in a game of dominoes and simple lingering. On the opposite corner, I noticed a relatively large group of trendy adolescents who did not seem to be doing much and seemed to be claiming ownership to the region. Meanwhile, I stood intrigued with how two different worlds can cohabit within a shared space so naturally and New York-like.

Although undergoing the changes that are typical of any modern society, the Lower East Side still exhibits the roots of its historical underpinnings, which parallels the history of the entire city. Moreover, unlike most walks in New York City, few have been as dynamic as a walk through the Lower East Side. With its rich immigrant background and abundance of newcomers bringing further diversity, it is hard not to seek inspiration for writing in a neighborhood as historically true to the roots of the city; a city where many came to seek a dream.

The quintessential New York experience involves moving away from the city’s attractions and focusing on what makes it unique: culture. Given the inevitable modernization that most of the city’s neighborhoods have undergone, only on the streets of the Lower East Side does there seem to be a compromise between the old and the new and the rich and the poor, alike.