Mixed Feelings in New York City
New York City is interesting – I must say. When I arrived I first took couple of days really easy. I felt cold and didn’t really know how I liked the big city – probably the biggest I’ve ever visited. As a country girl I always warm up slowly in the cities. No matter if it’s Helsinki or NYC. But then I always get there. Now I’m already quite charmed of New York. In fact yesterday was great. Sometimes (or quite often) I like playing with my imagination and yesterday I could really go back in time – to my favorite era the 50’s! MAD!
I had a good luck because I got the great setting from the start and that’s all you need. I randomly (Do things randomly, spontaneously! = this is the best thing I have learned during this trip!) walked for a brunch to this nice little place near my place in Brooklyn – where they happened to play music from just the right era! I was having my sunny side eggs in the sunshine, enjoying really good coffee and sipping a nice mimosa besides having a very interesting conversation with the loveliest girl who was working there but mainly had just arrived to New York a while ago to start her career as a professional dancer.
This city is really inspiring with all it’s hope, magic and positive hard trying and I run into like minded creative people everywhere and enjoy watching them in their work. It feels that people do here what they want to do. Or at least they are reflecting positive vibes when playing drums in the metro station or running their tiny little corner store. The friendliness is something I am surprised of. In my experience this city is very friendly! There are maybe 20 percent of assholes but the rest are nice, helpful and having fun! That is great here. It is normal to dance or sing or do smt funny anywhere. Today I went to the top of the Rock (Rockefeller center) and while we visitors were leaving and waiting the turn to take the lift down the lift guys were just being energic and dancing and having fun with the people on line. The waiting time just passed by!!! And something similar happened in the metro station one night. Rhythms and moves all the time, I like it!
What has also been really interesting to me is how people are carrying themselves so well in a good self-confident way. I enjoy watching people in the metro and like what I see. People being perfectly comfortable with their being on that spot. Everyone’s looking different and all unique and having such a great details on them. I love that there’s no lambs here! Everyone is a lion king! They dress up just like they want and they look good! There’s no patterns or hipster-ford-lines. It feels that everyone is cool with themselves – but that’s the thing: they don’t seem cold! They are sticking to themselves but in a friendly responsive way. If someone would ask help, they would help. But what is interesting you don’t really know who is a tourist here and who is living here! Nobody wants to look at the map in public, that would be touristy!!! Hahaaa! Somehow I feel that this is the unwritten rule!! Of course there are always the exceptions when it comes to friendliness / secure feeling. Like one crazy guy kicking the rubbish bin the other night. But there is always the one lunatic.. All in all New York feels really safe to walk or to use the metro alone at night. I think the fact that the city never sleeps helps. It feels safe when there are a lot of people around.
There are a lot of sirens though, announcements of the missing people on the lampposts, homeless people, homeless dogs (byahh). Somehow I have felt compassionate here – that everything is good by me but they have nothing – and made my dollars rain here and there.
Also in the shops! GOSHHHH! There is everything in New York. New York is killing my purse softly. I have had mixed feelings also when it comes to f-crazy shopping! In the same time I found so many pretty beautiful f-fabulous things and in the same time I felt so bad. I didn’t really feel that bad because of spending my money (they say it is expensive to do shopping in NY but I don’t think so after Finland!) but because of the humanity! This is so wrong. Read the books No logo and Branded. And in general think about this paradoxal world. Sometimes it makes me puke. I think I’m having bulimia nervosa with this one. That place, Times Square is hell on earth. It’s literally like the flames of hell when it’s so light in the middle of the night and you can feel the warmth of the lights. Somehow all of the lights are fascinating in the end but when I was watching the craziness in the beginning I was very anguished. Started hating my job or actually the field; marketing! Watching people going from shop/entertainment spot to another like crazy, not even looking whether the traffic light was on red, and just buying buying consuming buying – like my fucking self! This makes me angry. But in the same time I do it, all we western pigs still do it and we never learn a thing. We are self-centered bastards living a self-centered selfie life in this big “save the planet” hard rock cafe.
Sorry I got a bit madwoman. But I am happy. There is a really good point that I was shopping. I feel warm now and it’s naturally much easier to enjoy the New York City! Makes sense. I don’t really need that much warm clothes anymore – heard that there is quite warm in Malta where I’m returning after a week. But anyway I really do love my foundings! I spent three days for scouting them. A jacket. Some pairs of shoes… Etc. But since I’m doing the shopping anyway I have learned to be a conscious shopper. It takes more time but it’s worth it. I don’t buy impulse things and what I always strictly do is check the materials. I estimate the ratio of the value vs the material. In other words I may buy cheap or I may invest in expensive brands but I always estimate. Never artificial materials, hate acrylic! I touch the materials, feel them and see if they answer yes – if they are worth me and if I can afford them!!!! Uniqueness gets extra points. But you can also create it yourself!
Well I started my post in the 50’s. Lets end it there too. Ms Henna walked to the Madison Avenue. She was thinking how hard it would have been a mad woman / writer / creative back then since it wasn’t the easiest on the 21st century either. That was a mad school that made me hard but I’m happy wearing this feminine red bowler hat and getting softer and softer every day. I think it’s the age too! Hahaaa! Bye!
