I think there’s nothing more comforting than spending quality time with your family, eating too much food and basking in the warmth that is familiarity. Unfortunately for me, home and family are across the world from me right now. So instead, I spent my Thanksgiving in New York City, exploring the city that truly never sleeps.
I am a city girl through and through. It’s my domain and I have always felt right at home among the hustle and bustle. But my goodness, New York City was a lot of hustle and bustle even for me. I couldn’t help but love it.
People there are loud, rough and always angry. But they are also the most interesting and diverse lot of people I have ever seen. Every single one of them has a story so different that the writer in me can’t help but want to stay and discover each one of them. Now I understand why artists and musicians come to live in the Big Apple.
Times Square is so bright even in the wee hours of the morning, you could mistake it for daytime. The streets are always full of people, making the atmosphere constantly loud and scary. Yet, it is always awe inspiring.
My Airbnb was just two blocks away from Times Square, so I spent almost every night wandering those streets. Yet, I never got tired of feeling so small and insignificant in the middle of the chaos.
I know that many people have a tendency to compare Boston to New York City, but I fail to understand what the basis of comparison would even be. They are both major cities, yes, but they couldn’t be more different and perfect in their own ways.
New York City is loud and chaotic but also magical and inspiring. Its streets bleed with arts and culture, but also drown in trash and graffiti. Boston, on the other hand, is a lot quieter and less chaotic. It is also a lot cleaner.
I love Boston and New York City equally but for different reasons. Boston is the kind of place where I’d like to live forever, but New York City is the kind of place I would dream to live if I were a multibillionaire.
If there’s one thing I have learned about New York City, it is that as much as those big lights could inspire you, it’s a mean city that will chew you up and spit you out in a heartbeat. It’s a grinding machine you do not want to enter unless you’ve already formed a solid foundation of your own identity. It is not for the faint of heart, or for the confused looking for themselves. Boston, on the other hand, is where I know I can spend time exploring myself and what I want. It is a warm embrace that cold New York City lacks.
Singapore is home for me, and one of the most amazing cities in the world. I couldn’t help but compare New York City to Singapore as well.
New York City is so big in its stature. I have never felt so small, not even in Singapore’s business district, with buildings that are as tall as those in New York City. But there is something extremely overwhelming about being in New York City. Perhaps it’s just because New York City is a foreign place to me, though I can’t help but feel that the largeness of New York City has nothing to do with the buildings and everything to do with its history.
At the end of the day, while it’s natural to compare cities, we should just learn to love each one in its own way. Kind of like how you would appreciate different people. Comparison is normal and natural but it shouldn’t be your basis to estimate one’s worth.
Singapore, Boston and New York City are all amazing cities in their own right. I am just grateful to have visited each one for any period of time.
