A Walk to the Urban Greenland

A Walk to the Urban Greenland

We New Yorkers are privileged.  We each hold a piece of the majestic city-like atmosphere, and we subconsciously forget about how good we’ve got it.  Every day is an adventure, one that is taken unexpectedly, simply because anything extraordinary is more than likely to occur.  New York is made famous with distinct idols; lady liberty looking over the people, and the Empire State building staggering among the tallest buildings, daring any and every one to make the frightening trip to the top for a better view.  We, the New Yorkers, treasure the city as our backyard, using the imagination to celebrate all the remarkable locations.

Manhattan is prominent for the busy, chaotic streets and hectic individuals driving through dumbfounding avenues looking for work or play.  Out of all the disarray, there is one location that persuades the active New Yorker to take an inevitable look at what’s going on.  The noisy construction conducted nearby cannot overtake the wonders of this landscape.  Out on Union Square, a site is strangely beautified with a touchstone, the diamond in the ruff, the Green Market.

I advise every walker to have a sense of openness and vulnerability to the capabilities of this escapade.  The unforgettable discovery of the Green Market will leave the individual skeptical, insane, as if he or she were driven into another realm. Nevertheless, one will find it hard not to unleash the curiosity within to venture through this nonnative environment.  This is where the magic begins and the real world of rational reasoning ends. 

While walking through the market, I could not formulate any idea as to why a plantation has found its way to the gritty streets of NYC.  The answer lies at the headboard of a particular goat cheese stand.  There are considerate human beings who cherish the agriculture and make an effort to spread the importance of organic alternatives to a sensible group of people, the true Manhattan dwellers.  These farmers make their way from the counties of upstate New York to the intimidating streets, humbling our society with the simplest contributions on earth.

   Following the rush of uncertainty, I could not help but be breathe-taken by all the collages of farm delights.  The stands are filled with fresh apples and fruits, eggs galore, and whole grain bread.    The foods symbolize the reflection of a lifestyle we know nothing about. The common New Yorker does not plow fields or grow grains for food; rather, we can find a local supermarket or conveniently buy groceries over the internet.  Our lives are surrounded by technology, not the wilderness.   The market represents the hard working society, and allows us to gain insight on the toughness of rural life.  The young lady selling jam of all kinds and the woman holding down the bakery stand reminds us of the simple labor that New Yorkers are unfamiliar to, for we prefer to shed sweat and tears when it comes to battling the ferocious demands of the stock market.  The farmers prefer to deal with the ‘greens’ put on the market.

            As the stroll continued down the pavements of curious passersby, I came upon a rather corky spotting.  A middle-aged African American man stood behind a stand that read “Hand Made Glass Pipes, For Legal Tobacco Use Only.”  An immediate just of incredulous thinking erupted, and the Ah-ha effect affectively overtook the mind.  Only in New York, I thought to myself.  How can something as illegal as ‘legalized’ tobaccos become an element of familiarity among New Yorkers?  Is it acceptable to pursue creativity to correspond the vulgarity of smoking trees and inhaling cocaine?  The Green Market shows the adequate righteousness to this controversial illustration.  New York is the epitome of diversity, where it comes to human beings or ways of thinking.  The city gives the ‘warm welcome’ to the unique and unjustified entities that exists in life.  New York takes the ugly mechanisms and purifies them, creating something innocent, or in this case, comical.  In another point of view, New York is the place of marketing, regardless of what you’re trying to sell.  The notion of getting by and living the American dream has to run its course.  We are privileged because we can speak, do and advocate anything that seems considerable through our democratic focal points.

            In another part of the Green Market, there stood a man offering to the public his own contributions.  With a comrade at his side, the gentleman spoke of the inspiration dispensed by the rocks, and what they meant to his peace of mind.  He told a story of their history, the comfort, and the stability that comes from these distinct and decorated fragmented stones.  These rocks are the metaphors of what New Yorkers desperately want in their lives.  The back-and-forth, up and down, and side-to-side whirlwind that New Yorkers experience becomes greatly exhausting.  Sometimes, it is best that we kick those heals up, take a deep breath, and appreciate the wonders of the city, and take into account all the measures that city life can offer. 

            The Green Market is the illustrious microcosm of what New York stands for.  It is different, diverse and greatly opinionated whether direct or indirect.   The all-natural food stands convince us that life is worth going green and New Yorkers have the choice of following that motto.  The guy and his “art” reiterate that fact that New York is never what it seems, yet it works anyway.  The gentleman and his divine rocks present the idea that despite hard and hectic times, the city and its residents can still offer hope and simplicity that is greatly attractive.  Manhattan, for me, like other New Yorkers, is an element of DNA that the urbanized cell cannot live without.  The Green Market is not just an area of distinguished buyers and sellers offering complicated and never-before-seen products.   You have to deconstruct its characteristics and look for something below the surface, an intellectual hollow ground.  This green market is here for the individualist to dig deeper into its filthy appearance and discover its grandeur.