As I sat on the corner of Coney Island and Cortelyou in Brooklyn eating my authentic Italian New York pizza (made by a Hispanic), I wondered if anyone really gets to see the real New York.
I’ve been to New York City once but stuck to Manhattan following a tour bus ride into the city. What I experienced was completely different from any tour bus could have shown. I was able to experience a small piece of New York that is often overlooked.
Today, I navigated my way from JFK airport to Brooklyn using the New York subway. It was a very unique experience nearly impossible to put into words.
There was an overwhelming smell of urine that filled my nose as I waited for the A train from the airport. Not what I expected. I’ve heard stories from people about the smell of the subway but always assumed it was an exaggeration. I was wrong.
The smell, however, was just a small part of my experience. I was one of only a handful of passengers leaving the airport that spoke fluent English. The melting pot of cultures I experienced from the airport to Brooklyn was amazing.
My first train was filled with dozens of European tourists who waited for their stops.
It was on my second subway car that I really began to see the true side of New York I never expected. The number of minorities was eye-opening for me. I know New York is a diverse place but I did not understand until I was on the C train riding into Brooklyn.
Orthodox Jews sat with their yamakas upon their heads quietly as the train passed along the way. Numerous African-Americans filed on and off the trains. A woman from India held tightly to her grocery sacks waiting for her stop.
What I experienced was a different world.
Millions of tourists travel to New York so they can catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty or take a picture from the Empire State building but never truly see New York for her true self.
While eating my pizza, I wondered if I could ever appreciate such a place. I talked big game about riding the subway but honestly I was terrified from the second my plane landed. I did not know how to find my way to Brooklyn and due to that, I was uncomfortable my entire trip into town.
I was reminded of the episode of Seinfeld when George Costanza posed as a tourist from Little Rock to gain the affection of a girl. She told him New York would eat him alive if he ever considered moving. George was obviously offended because he was a New York native and wanted to prove her wrong.
On my way to New York, I kept replaying this episode in my mind and though to myself, “this city will eat you alive.” I honestly believed I would be eaten alive by this city.
I was uncomfortable and out-of-place, but once I sat down for a slice of pizza I really began to appreciate my surroundings. So many people have come together and continually share their cultures with those around them. From a 24-hour fruit stand to the Hispanic making my authentic pizza, New York is a place where community is built.
I never appreciated the idea of New York before, too many people in such a small place, but I understand that can create a good thing. I know crime comes with such large groups of people but more than that is the community.
I finished my pizza, said good-bye to the guy behind the counter and was given a second chance to look at the city I was convinced would try to eat me alive.
James Buce 