February 14, 1968. The date the world’s most famous arena was built (Wikipedia). People outside of New York know it as Madison Square Garden but we New Yorkers simply call it “The Garden.” The Garden is not only the home for many live acts and musicians, but also the home for prominent sports franchises such as the Knicks, Rangers, and Liberty. If you are a New Yorker and haven’t stepped foot inside The Garden, then you haven’t met the real New York yet. The Garden is the quintessential New York because of its competitive nature, rowdy and loud fans, great sense of pride, busyness, and giant-like size.
The Garden is the world’s most famous arena and that cannot be changed. The competitive nature of The Garden affects everyone who enters it. When you hear New York, you hear competition. New York is a business that will always be light years ahead of its competition and The Garden is exactly that. No other arena brings in more money, people, attention, and live events than Madison Square Garden and it will most likely stay like that for many years to come because The Garden is the capital of all American arenas, just like New York is the real capital of the United States of America.
The fans of MSG make it what it is. Walt “Clyde” Frazier, the New York Knicks commentator, had once said that even the best players get rattled by The Garden crowd. This statement cannot be truer. You have never heard or seen a crowd filled with more rowdy, noisy, and tougher people than the Madison Square Garden crowd. A famous person sighting is not a rarity in The Garden because famous people are just like everyone else, they are fans of the New York world. From Spike Lee to Patrick Ewing, The Garden is home to many famous faces of the country.
Whether you’re a Knicks fan or a Rangers fan, you have something in common. You’re a New York fan. New Yorkers are the most prideful people on the face of this planet and that sense of pride is evoked when people enter the Madison Square Garden atmosphere. Sellout crowds of 19,763 come to watch their mediocre New York Knickerbockers team take on the challenge of achieving a win; something they’ve been having trouble doing in the past several years. That pride is what drives New Yorkers to participate in such festivities as this because even though we know the Knicks aren’t too good of a team, we still come to support New York, because that’s what The Garden is all about.
When you think of New York, one of the first words that come to mind is busy. New York cannot be described better using any other word but busy. The Garden, however, is New York too because it’s just as busy, if not even busier. People are packing in to The Garden to enjoy the live events that will be held. Concession stand workers are scurrying from row to row to satisfy hungry and impatient families, who are waiting for food that will fill their bellies and leave them wanting more.
Nothing beats the Madison Square Garden look. Words cannot describe the feelings people get just by looking at this gigantic structure that brings in a ton of revenue and big bucks. The Garden is an empire; the New York empire. Its circular shape yells the words fun and excitement over an entire city of New Yorkers and Americans. The Manhattan lights reflect off the beautiful architecture of The Garden, giving it an even more exciting look and feel. You can see advertisements and posters all around this amazing, tall and wide structure and you can just get lost for days.
The Garden will always be a part of New York and New York will always be a part of The Garden and everything it has to offer its anxious visitors. It’s like a drug because it leaves people wanting more and more as they start becoming regular visitors of the Madison Square Garden experience. The Garden becomes a relaxation nest for people to come and escape their everyday realities, worries, and fears. The economy, wars, and personal problems all get left outside as people walk inside one of the most amazing parts of the New York culture.
In conclusion, Madison Square Garden is quintessential New York because of its competitive nature, pride, loud fans, busyness, and physical appearance. You haven’t lived until you’ve witnessed The Garden experience. Whether you’re a common die-hard Knick fan or Fortune 500 CEO, The Garden is your home away from home and always will be, as long as you stay a New Yorker. Just like with New York, many people leave, but there’s no doubt that they come back. They come back because they have no other choice. They come back because The Garden is New York, and New York is in their hearts forever.
Sources used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Square_Garden