I arrived safe in the city that never sleeps. Warm weather welcomed me and beckoned me to make myself at home (might as well because it is my new home). I love everything about NYC except the trash on the sidewalks. It truly is a “concrete jungle where dreams are made of.” New Yorkers have an attitude about them and understandably so. NYC is the only cosmopolitan city in the nation. We have several metropolitan areas throughout the country, but none can boast the cultural diversity and global immersion that NYC enjoys. That diversity is reflected all around. As I walk down the streets, I hear various languages and see people of beautiful shades of the rainbow. I’m thrilled to see the variations of shades brown. You can’t jump to conclusions in NYC. Appearances can be deceiving. At the same time, unlike the reputation for rudeness, New Yorkers have been helpful. I love them for their bluntness. I lived in LA and the superficial nature drove me mad. In New York, they tell like it is.
New Yorkers can best be summed up as the Spartans in the movie “300.” In the movie, Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler) yells “This is Sparta.” Sparta was different than Athens and the other city-states. Sparta meant business. When everyone else quaked and feared at the rise of the Persian empire, Spartans stood their ground. Likewise, NYC is not San Francisco, Chicago or LA. NYC leads and does not follow. It is the trend setter.
Last year, I visited NYC and made up my mind that this is where I needed to be. I visited the Ground Zero and the St Paul chapel across the street. If terrorists were going for symbolism, they sure picked the wrong city and people. NYC is Sparta. Tragedy only makes it more resolved to rise from the ashes. Defeat is not in its vocabulary. I think if 9-11 happened to another US city, it may have destroyed the people. However, NYC is resilient. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking, as if to say “that’s all you got!” Say what you will about the crowds and trash, but there is something about this place that all other US cities strive to compete with but can’t. It’s NY baby and I like it!
Ronda is an attorney, writer, and entrepreneur. She is a contributing writer for the Huffington Post. Originally from Chicago, she has lived in Los Angeles and New York. She loves to travel and is passionate about education equity, especially for first generation college students.