Unlike much of the class, I found that Alfred Kazin’s essay, From a Walker in the City, was very relatable. I lived in Long Island my entire life and noticed things that stayed the same and things that drastically changed. Before some time, the town that I lived in, from my young perspective, seemed to be full of life and full of people. You would walk down a main street and run into at least 10-15 people you knew. The shops were thriving, the restaurants were always booked, and movie theatre had lines outside the door. When I think of my childhood and my town during that time, everything feels sunny and lively. Everyone seemed to be content and doing well, until one point, where everything completely changed.
I mean, the economy was going sour and it really made a strong impact on the town. Shops would be open for no less than a month and parking spaces were abundant. Some department stores, which were popular for many years, were soon vacant. We even lost a bowling alley, which I had a lot of memories in as a child. There just wasn’t the same aura anymore. The tone of the town was different. Getting pizza was a lonely chore and walking down the street seemed unfamiliar. This time, you would run into 1-2 people you knew or maybe nobody at all and they would sigh as they mentioned that things could be better or things could be worse. I don’t think I will ever forget this one time where my friends and I practically had the movie theatre all to ourselves. It was weird to think that nobody wanted to enjoy themselves anymore. At the same time though, there was nothing left to do and nothing left to see.
At the end of the day, I was growing up and things didn’t look the same. I didn’t live in the same house that I did as a child and I switched from private to public school. My perspective changed immensely. I guess my only question would be: Is change more of an internal or external mechanism?
