The ever changing city
We first moved to NYC in the late summer of 1983. Just graduating from college and ready to begin our next phase of life. My boyfriend/roommate and now husband, and I rented an apartment on 28th and Madison which was at that time was prostitute row with SRO hotels being financed by the city. Not a great neighborhood but it allowed us to walk to work. After all, we really knew nothing about the city and obviously based on our choice of location, no one gave us any advice but it was within our budget.
We had just finished traveling around the country for 6 weeks before starting work. When we got to NYC, we were mesmerized. We traveled around our town, like we had around the country, at every chance we had. We walked down Fifth avenue, hung out in Washington Square Park, ate in sidewalk cafes in the village, walked through Soho, had dim sum in Chinatown, ate dinner in Little Italy, went shopping in the Lower East Side, walked up and down Columbus Avenue, Amsterdam and upper Broadway, had dinner in Harlem, had a picnic in Carl Schurz park, went to the museums as often as possible on the Upper East side and had brunch, shopped upper Fifth, went down to City Hall, ate in Brooklyn and Queens, did street fairs, went to new clubs in Chelsea. We took it all in. I even had my favorite places to shop located all around the city and would just hop on a subway to go there.
We still know the city, inside and out. I spent a year working in Brooklyn. Thanks to Macy’s, I also spent time cruising around all the boroughs, including Staten Island. I was also able to spend time in a variety of neighborhoods working with MOUSE. We continue to explore the “new” stuff. Our kids are learning how to navigate their town and know the neighborhoods.
Yesterday I took a bike ride up the West Side Highway from 10th street to 125th street. I’ve cruised up and down before but never that far up. Wow! It is fantastic what is going on. The parks, the outdoor cafes, the community areas, the tennis courts, the baskeball courts. I love how the city has kept all the old iron works as a backdrop for the new greenery. Driving by the myriad of different faces of every possible nationality enjoying their town.
It made me fall in love with this city all over again. New York City is an ever changing town and there isn’t a day that I don’t thank my lucky stars that I am able to work, play, raise our family and live in it.