New Years in New York

Photo by Matt H. Wade via Wikipedia

Zoé Lawrence/ Contributing Writer

 

I’ve never considered myself much of a country girl.

 

I was born and raised in Pembroke Pines about 20 minutes via the 95 from FIU. I grew up in the suburbs where the grass was always lush and green, and the houses were always well kept and uniformed.

 

People not native to Florida assume we’re either beach-goers, clubbers experiencing the wild nights of downtown Miami or in rural areas home to orange trees. South Florida is definitely different from the majority of the Sunshine State.

 

We have come to call this melting pot of many different cultures “home.” We share our lives with countless ethnicities and our children are brought up seeing diversity in their classrooms.

 

The life of a south Floridian is far from “country” and although it comes nothing close to the congestion in Times Square, being stuck on flamingo and pines during rush hour could make any New Yorker nauseous.

 

In many ways I consider South Florida a lot like NYC. We have a fast paced lifestyle, and we share our lives with people who come from different backgrounds just as they do in the city.

 

For winter break I decided I wanted to take a trip to the Big Apple. While most people were flying down south to escape the brutal winter, I wanted to go up north and experience the brisk weather and explore the magic that comes with the streets of New York City.

 

As I walked out the airport and stepped onto the concrete jungle I remember thinking to myself, “This cold isn’t so bad!” It was around 45 degrees that night and temperatures hadn’t reached frigid weather, which I would later feel first hand.

 

My first few nights in NYC, I noticed that people didn’t smile much. Maybe it was the cold weather that made people withdraw from social interaction but everyone seemed to be too busy inside of their own heads, especially while riding the subway.

 

I feel as if train rides should connect people. Regardless of where our destination is, for the moment everyone is sitting on a bench next to people they have never met and yet the fibers of our coats are touching one another. Instead people’s eyes looked desolate and weary.

 

Once off the subway and in the heart of the city, the vibrations of everyone seemed to rise. People were laughing and gliding through the streets with bright, glossy eyes and hurried steps. One thing for certain about cold weather, it certainly makes you want to grab the person you’re walking with and cling onto their arms for warmth.

 

Above me buildings were strung in lights, and the windows began to look like shimmering rivers currents flowing in the sky. All I can describe the city as is “lights.” Lights that make you feel small, and buildings that make you feel even smaller, but an atmosphere that makes you feel like the whole universe is inside of you.

 

My friend took me to all the hot spots such as Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building and Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. We also explored SoHo, and found our way in beautiful craft stores and peaceful bookstores.

 

On the train ride back to my family’s house on Jamaica Avenue in Queens, a peaceful look overtook my face. I became somber and my eyes were beginning to droop. In that moment it hit me about the faces I had seen earlier on the subway. After a long night of exploring the city I started to realize people weren’t miserable (well maybe some were) but simply exhausted as I was beginning to feel.

 

New York City is a beautiful and awe-inspiring place, and it’s enough to drain you if not mentally, with all the noise and sights physically from the long walks. South Florida and New York City may not be exactly the same, but the foundations.

 

There, sitting on a train, reminded me of a long day out spent with friends. That day we went thrifting and found a little lake where we had a picnic and spent a day in the water and on the banks. It was a great day, but on the bus ride back home, we were all quiet and absorbed within our own thoughts.

 

I rang in the new year in a new city with a whole new array of people and it was spectacular.

Though I didn’t go to Times Square, I still had a wonderful time watching fireworks.

 

As a sentimental feeling drifted over my shoulders, I couldn’t help but think about the people back at home watching fireworks at Bayside.

It made me smile to think that I had flown all this way to experience the romanticized city of New York during the holidays, and yet I missed the cool, humid air back home. South Florida is always warm and inviting not only with its weather but her people. I am proud to say I grew up in a place as bright and sunny as Florida, and even though NYC was a beautiful experience, there truly is no place like home.