nyc — revisiting the big city (continued)
In some ways, Gotham has been on my consciousness for a slightly longer time than the Windy City has. The first time I came out here was in January 1993, and from what I remember, it was not yet fully Giulianified. Me and others from my high school were only there for a night, I think, on an East Coast college tour. I remember being cold, staying in a place infested with roaches, with holes in the walls where some guy on probably PCP decided to take out his aggression on the building. Ah, those were the days.
The second time wasn’t until 1997. This was when I became enamored with the irrational tangle of steel rail and electricity known as the New York City subway system. Me and my family did the whole tourist thing—the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center. We even watched Les Misérables.
Third was in 1999 while I was on the way to Farmington, Connecticut to interview for medical school. Bram was living out in Jersey City at the time. I got lost looking for the Port Authority and it was snowing. I remember wondering if I could actually die out there.
Fourth was again in 1999, after I had made my move out to Chicagoland. It was interesting to compare and contrast the two cities. Joce had just moved out there at the time, to Brooklyn Heights. Bram had moved out to Astoria. I had an interesting adventure navigating the N and R at 3:30 a.m. coming out of Brooklyn. I finally emerged on the Queens side by the time the sun started coming out.
From that point on, I think I may have come out there pretty much every year. In June 2001, Joce graduated from the New School, and a bunch of us from college came out, mostly from Cali. I came back out in late July 2001 with Ben, Jen, and Char. That was a lot of fun. it is somewhat eerie to think about that time, right before the WTC was destroyed.
Seventh was in late June 2002. Me and Y decided to go on an insane 15 hour road trip from Chicagoland to NYC, leaving inexplicably at midnight, finally rolling across the GW Bridge around 3 p.m. Bram was in Hoboken at that time. That trip, I think, set the tone for my lifestyle the rest of that academic year.
Eighth was in late January-early February 2004, when I was interviewing at Mt. Sinai for residency. I had flown in from Chicago, where it was 2°F without windchill. I remember coming up from the newly reconstructed WTC subway station and catching sight of a temperature reading of 18°F and I remember rejoicing for how much warmer it was.
Ninth was just last year, after my sister had moved out here for law school. She now lives in Astoria. that trip was less eventful, spending most of my time trying to catch people in their spare moments, or hanging out at the museums. I really dug the Cloisters and am thinking of going back up there just for the peace and quiet.
So this is my tenth trip to this city that doesn’t sleep, the city between two rivers. At least collectively over the past 8 years, I’ve probably been out here for a total of two months or maybe more. I still fantasize about moving out here some day, but it seems less and less likely. I am too in love with the eternal California sunshine and the desert. But, never say never, right? (Even if I’ve just said never twice… Anyway.)