new york

i remember when i was in the grand canyon laurie went to new york. she sent me a picture on her cell phone of the manhattan skyline. i hated the picture - i think i felt sickened by it. when i was driving into manhattan and i saw the buildings, i felt a sort of crushing overwhelming anxiousness knowing i'd be going into the concrete jungle.

it's not just the amount of people. or how tall the buildings are. or that there is no horizon. does the sun set in new york? do people see sunsets? or do they just watch the sun hide behind buildings? it's this other thing that's sort of indescribable to me. but it has to do with what it means to be a black kid growing up in harlem. i wonder how different the view of your self, your culture (whatever it is), your family, your history is when you are living in a community that has such deep roots? or what it means to be living in new york city as the wealthy elite? or what it means to be a starving artist? or a hipster, even, living in brooklyn. or a jew living in williamsburg. for each people group - this is the epicenter for their culture. i just think that must change you. and maybe it intimidates me.

lately i've been comparing pittsburgh to natural wonders of the world. in this competition, pittsburgh loses, time and time again. no trip to frick park, beechwood farms, highland park will ever compare to the west. i haven't visited new york since my freshman year of college, besides a trip or two to see a show outside of the city. i was in chicago for 1 night. there were a few trips to boston in college, too. some trips to the phoenix airport (by the way, i think phoenix is the closest to hell i've ever been). but it's been a while since i've been able to compare pittsburgh to another city. fortunately, in this competition, pittsburgh always wins.

i spent some time with lacy in harlem. and then spent some time in brooklyn with laurie. these are some pictures. i think new york has really nice bridges.

everytime i've been to new york i've taken this picture on my way out through china town and into the holland tunnel.