I’ve been here before. But was it the same city? And was I the same person? As Heraclitus of Ephesus observed: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
For a person who enjoys variety and stimulation of every sense, it’s hard to beat New York. It almost seems as though the sheer number of people milling about in this dense metropolis necessitates the almost desperate expression of individuality. I love it. I find I make an effort to wipe the stupid grin off my face as I order a bagel (a visit to New York is incomplete without a hand-rolled bagel!) and watch the lively antics and banter of the deli guys behind the counter, or as I observe the mindless ritual of commuters in the subway system. I guess I just like “different”. Sameness is akin to death for me. Or at least to being in a coma. And New Yorkers have such richness of diversity here, all living in their own harmony and rhythms, without ever stopping to question or wonder at it. No one street scene is ever the same: Ever changing seasons, cars, pedestrians, store fronts… (Oh, don’t get me started on the storefronts! I have retail envy from my days running my lil’ boutique). I love my California home state, but I really dig this city, and I enjoy things that the residents take for granted. Like the myriad little ladies pulling along their wheeled carts behind them, sometimes with the quintessential poodle or terrier…we don’t HAVE this in Southern California. No one walks! Cue the Motels song “Walking in L.A.” …where the lyrics declare; ”nobody walks in L.A.” Or the street musicians, enthusiastic and entertaining, if not talented…again, who is going to perform on a busy corner in San Diego in the hopes someone will toss a $5 bill from the window of their Lexus?
This was a brief visit for me…I was really just on a long lay-over whilst scooping up my nephew to impose my passion and enthusiasm for all things Spanish on a trip to Barcelona and Seville. With limited time, I toured Greenwich Village with my brother and nephew and they seemed to see the neighborhood with a new appreciation as I stopped regularly to snap pictures of the normal daily sightings. I mean, the two of them were oblivious of the completely nude woman standing in the window of The Chair and the Maiden art gallery…holding up what looked like artful garland, until I commented, “There’s a live naked woman in that window” and my brother then recalled that he had read about this controversial exhibition (you can say THAT again) at this particular gallery. I opted not to snap my own picture, sorry. But I DID grab some colorful tidbits to share.
And who am I today, stepping into the river that is Manhattan? I wonder at the person I 
am at this point in my life, that I forgo a visit to Times Square or the lovely Chrysler and Empire State buildings in favor of a stroll through Greenwich to ogle and giggle at sex shops, gay bars and tattoo parlors. Nahhh, let’s not examine that too closely, shall we? 
(All photos by G.Stark)
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Back in the early to mid 1950's while in the Navy I spent some time on the east coast and like you I found my trips to New York were always fascinating. I had a friend that was from Newark who loved Broadway Shows and therefore we made many trips to the city during that time frame. I was a country boy from Nebraska that had an appreciation for all of the interesting sights of the city. My friend Tom Vinzetti's parents owned a small hotel along with a bar not far from the waterfront with easy access to the city. Tom was a big guy and loved to dress up for our trips over to NY to see the shows. The only problem was that Tom would look a mess an hour after spending all that time getting all dressed for the shows. He even wore spats over his totally shinned black shoes – which were always twisted and crooked around by the time we arrived at the show. It didn't really matter because who was going to make fun of a big man that was at least trying to look presentable. We also would just go over to the city during the weekend just to spend time being people watchers, and you are absolutely right New York has the most interesting variety of people in the world. I was relatively young (in my 20's) and like you found so many interesting things to see and do in the city. We would spend time at Times Square, did go up to the top of the Empire State building, strolled through Central Park, and yes even visited Greenwich Village. Tom and I both liked the ladies which is very normal for young guys in their 20's and I was always amazed at the variety of young girls. We met two girls at Jones Beach and ended up taking them to a dance somewhere in Brooklyn. We had another friend, Larry Greenwood, that was from Queens and we spent time in some of his favorite neighborhood pubs. Again, the variety of New York City was amazing and I'm sure that if I put my foot in the water at Jones Beach both it and the beach would be entirely as different as I am today. Your blog brought back this torrent of memories from my past and I thank you for that. I have been back to New York since that time and yes, the atmosphere was different but so was I. Thank you again for sharing – I follow you on twitter and invite you to check out my blog – http://www.budsbooksblog.blogspot.com
Hi Bud and thank you so much for your wonderful reminiscings (I don't think that's a real word) about New York and the waterfront. You put me there…especially because so much of those areas are still relatively unchanged and classic, even with some newness. Yet, I love this pondering thought, "I'm sure that if I put my foot in the water at Jones Beach both it and the beach would be entirely as different as I am today." ..and yet somewhat unchanged? 😉 I've heard there is a new Italian open air market called Eataly…can't wait to check it out when I next go to New York! Thank you again for a great comment and I shall give your site a cyber stroll through 🙂 Cheers, G
I loved reading this. I'll never forget our first week of living in NYC, I was traumatized that the Starbucks
employees weren't as cheerful and welcoming as in Canada. I was convinced we had made a
huge mistake. But after a month of walking the streets and familiarizing myself with the culture, New
York adopted me and I accepted. I hope to go back some day but feel that it would be like chasing a
moment in time, the city changes so quickly.
Nat
Hi Nat and thank you for your wistful mental meanderings. I agree big cities can change quickly, but tend to retain their deeper character and nuances. Delicious travels to you both! xo Gina