New York, september 2013.
New York, a year later in review.
“New York, electric to the soul, ecstatic to the mind”, the Huss
It was sudden, it was brute, so are the best things, they come without prior notice, but they have the strength to swipe you off your feet in a million ways, New York that’s what you are to me.
I never expected to be taken away that fast, my adventure was one of a kind, that today, one year later I can’t wait to be on your streets again, again and again, ever wandering for more? you-bet-you! seeking that rush of adrenaline, the one that comes from your little hidden gems and beautiful little secret locations, but certainly and most prominently from these people, these encounters, that makes you so special and make me drawn in an infinite realm of possibilities, a city of a million colours, my rainbow city, electric to my soul, ecstatic to my mind,
New York, this one goes out to you,
A year late, top experiences/encounters in replay,
New York in a flair of my own,
1. The Big Number One: Thank you Jamar,
Jamar Thank you! If it weren’t for Jamar, my friend from the UN, I would have never took the courage to take the SPARTAN Training Run, yes the name says it all, it is not as bad but still quite challenging. Most importantly, it was the time I experienced New York in its most beautiful state, somewhere on the corner of 60th street and York Avenue near the Queensboro Bridge Street Bridge, and what a beautiful sight it was.
The site is special in a way that is in the city while being somehow out of it, it is quiet and allows you to be a passive spectacular of this most active city in the world, taking the time to enjoy the New York experience from a distance, quite from far, but still from within. The training took place at sunset which was magical as we got to experience all colours of the city in a rather small time frame that lasted infinitely, most mesmerising view I have had of the city,
2. Cosmopolitan Rides
From the Egyptian taxi driver lecturing a friend of mine on how he should behave with me, how girls are rare to find, to the American taxi driver talking to me about Falafel, Lebanese food, and how the Kardashians are partly lebanese, yes apparently, to advising the best burger in town. To catching these cabs in between a Cuban brunch and an Italian lunch, to smelling a country’s food flavour in the morning, while jumping in another culinary experience in the afternoon, that was what I longed for most, random conversations, random people, holding so much more than random stories and experiences,
3. A Million Buildings’ Stories
One little pass time of mine is looking at buildings, you can imagine what a sight it was looking through the skies of NYC, most of the buildings seen today, date back to the period after the Great Depression, in the early 90s, whereby reform was taking place through mainly a postwar economic boom, I was in search of one peculiar building to proclaim it mine, wanders of the mind, and my heart’s pick was the Chrysler Building, I’d take a picture whenever I see it on the streets, from different angles. It is an Art Deco skyscraper, that should explain my interest in it, what i loved mostly though is the way it stands up high, a timeless piece in an ever-changing landscape,
4. Brooklyn, the Grand
New York, I had 11 full fledge free days to be exact, without work, and actual side-work, and I can say that from these 11, I had spent at least a third in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is Brooklyn, its brooklyn the grand, our love is not a hipster kind of love, but its a love for everything authentic and genuine, something you are surely to find there,
5. My Little Daily Routine
Food and sleep lover, I would deprive myself from the second, to meet my first every morning, treating myself every time to an overall breakfast experience, this was the top notch of my day. The other involved daily work routine, eating mint and chocolate M&M’s with Elnari, discussing Middle-Eastern issues with Vanessa, grabbing lunch with Patrick or Jee Eun and crashing parties, that was a first, it was on my to-do-list definitely and well I did it! It wouldn’t have been twice as much the fun without Nana’s remarks on young hot arab men, Maya’s explanation for what goes around behind the scenes, without attending a country’s ceremony, saying hello proudly in arabic, noting Lebanon is not there, realising I’m my country’s only representative as discourses are tensed between both nations, taking that super photo we have been waiting for with Vanny, teasing geoffrey, having a wonderful look from the 37th floor And And And, the list goes on!
Not that much of a routine after all, I had my comfort zone as I had my little surprises, a perfect balance and a resume of my new york experience,
6. The One with the Birthday Girl,
When one of my friends Rosie had her birthday, I spent one of the nicest nights in New York, I call it the ultimate new york experience that I believe you should try at least once, I couldn’t go out much as I had a lot of responsibilities but that night was one to remember; just do it once, go to that really good restaurant, rent a limo with your friends, continue to that really nice party, end the night in a Korean Karaoké box, it is worth every second, i think what made it super special was it was my close friends birthday and we were happy (and a bit drunk) but that said I do it all over again,
7. My encounters with Zeina, Maria, Robert, Kim, Dalia, Maryline, Elie, and Mira
This has a little ring of Lebanese names; when I first came to New York, there was only a couple of people I knew, and that was what I told my friend-slash-coworker- who, every time I’d see someone I knew or I knew-through-someone, would be to say the least quite surprised, from Zeina who took care of me as one of her owns, to Sako running in Central Park, Robert, who didn’t know me then but insisted to lend me his covers, Mira randomly entering the restaurant I was leaving, Kim and Dalia with yet another awesome birthday, Maria, Nour and their introduction to respectively food and music, and all things I love to Maryline whom I met randomly, shared more than one meal and life stories with,
this all seemed quite familiar, it brought me a little sense of home, and made me feel i fit just right in this city of eight million, a bit more, souls,
one with a soul of its own,
Milan
janasketches 