By Ruby Gul Shah

Alumna of 2013 “Art for Social Change” exchange program

The city of lights, New York! Although I was never fascinated by the artificial brilliance of busy cities but I found New York to be one of a kind. No wonder, an old blind and deaf lady like Helen Keller wished to roam its busy streets.

The beauty of this unique city lies in its diversity encompassing all from rawness to sophistication. New York is a world of its own where persons with any tastes will find themselves at the right niche. Specifically to artists, it promises an outpour of creativity and inspiration.

The excitement of seeing this huge city starts taking it roots in you many miles away and the reason is the sky scraping edifices that can be seen from far away disappearing into the clouds. There is just one word that can describe the architecture of New York: “formidable”.

The towering buildings seem to hover over you erasing the sky completely out of view. As in competition with the elevated buildings, reaching high to the sky is the torch of the “statue of liberty” that stands tall and proud, a symbol of strength.

There is something I have for bridges that leaves me breathless and in New York; this exhilaration is on a whole different level. A city with over-all twenty-seven bridges and tunnels is bound to blow your mind.

“The Brooklyn Bridge” is the most classic and grand piece of construction I have ever seen. A walk on this bridge energizes as well soothes you and to preserve this majestic beauty on canvas would be the dream of every artist. This bridge is one from the list of sixteen bridges in Manhattan that connect the island to neighboring areas.

Roaming around Manhattan felt like being in one of those movies in which I used to adore the active New York life. It is a totally fresh establishment portraying everything modern from today’s world. A sense of immortality pervades you while wandering in this city.

Places, as busy as the Times Square and as calm as the Central Park, are a part of this exciting and lively burrow of New York. The different past-times of people in the Central Park are a proof of its tranquilizing atmosphere. You would see people painting, singing, dancing, exercising or just simply relaxing. My favorite part was the leisurely walk in the Park while someone nearby played a pleasing tune on the guitar.

The real hustle of the New York City is experienced in the Times Square. If the sound of the continuously tapping feet, the sight of the never ending buildings reaching high in the clouds and the jungle of screens around you cannot empower and elate you, then I don’t know what will.

The huge level of variety in this city is not just seen in the concrete but in the living as well. The New Yorkers have a strong loyalty to fashion and style and it’s on a completely different level. The people in Manhattan truly looked elite. The sense of vogue is prominently exhibited showing the creativity of people. The artistic graffiti on the walls impresses the fact that dreams and ideas are alive even in the poorest of the neighborhoods. New York is truly an artistic city.

The thing that you notice about the people here is their unapologetic expression of freedom and a confident comfort with what they are. It shows in their attires, their speech, their behavior and daily activities and past-times. I remember watching a girl dance, in the Central Park, to a certain beat played by a group of musicians and I felt like dancing with her.

A vast diversity of ethnicities dwelling in New York is also one the amazing facts about the city. You would see people hanging out in groups with all kinds of ethnic looks. The different cultures and ethnicities are so well preserved that it became difficult for me to believe I was in US when I found myself in ‘China Town’.

Moreover, this diversity is followed by the variety of cuisines offered in the abundant numbers of restaurants in the city. You can have almost every country’s food and relish it just like you would in that country. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Italian, German, Arabic etc are the different food categories that you might have to decide among from, when eating out.

New York is purely an amazing city and an example of harmony among different people from all over the world. It’s a city of busy and lively lights that excite and electrify. It is entirely stimulating. New York can rightly be termed as a global city that welcomes foreigners from all over the world into a world of its own.