There aren't many better skylines in the world than New York's
Big cities. I love them. With a population of around 2.5 million people, my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri is not a small town, but it certainly doesn’t compare to New York, London, or Bangkok. Even though I grew up in a city where public transport is all but non-existent, a car is pretty much mandatory, and food, dining, and drinking choices, while many, are very spread out, I have a fascination with giant cities.
On our year long RTW trip, some of our favorite places were the giant cities. Lima, La Paz, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Bogota, Bangkok, Hanoi, Saigon, we loved pretty much all we came across (sorry Delhi, I still don’t really like you very much).
My love of giant, bustling metropolises was confirmed yet again around the New Year as we made our way to New York City to visit friends and celebrate the New Year with my favorite band at Madison Square Garden.
Times Square , New York, NYE 2011
It had been over seven years since our last visit to the Big Apple. Back then, in 2003, with the exception of Chicago, a great city in its own right, we had never been to a massive city like New York before.
I fell in love with it almost immediately. The hustle. The bustle. The food. The noise. The people. The food. The chaos. The food. The subways. The buses. The food. The edge. The crowds. And did I mention the food?
All of it, everything about it, I loved it. Coming from a city where we literally have to drive EVERYWHERE, it was amazing to me to be able to step out the doors of our hotel and have options for everything within walking distance. Italian, Indian, Pizza, Greek, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Colombian, Thai, Vietnamese, Venezuelan, and pretty much any ethnic food I could ever imagine was at our fingertips.
Radio City Music Hall
But it wasn’t just the food options that appealed to me (though those were important-hey, what can I say, I love food). It was the energy and feel of the city that I loved. I know it sounds weird, but I love a lot of the things that people hate about big cities. I love that everyone walks fast. I love that you get annoyed looks from locals for sauntering around the sidewalks. I love that no one smiles on the subway. I love the dirt and grime. I just love the chaos of it all, which is why cities like Bangkok and Saigon were some of my favorites.
Don’t get me wrong, I also love the laid back nature of big cities like Buenos Aires, or small, sleepy towns like Cafayate. I love nature and green space, too. But it’s simply hard to beat the melting pot that is New York City.
This time around, it was the plethora of cultures we encountered that really had me excited. It had me remembering our trip and realizing that this is the true reason that New York City is one of the greatest places on Earth. Walking around Astoria in Queens and hearing a number of languages that weren’t English. Seeing signs in Arabic and Spanish had me longing to go on another international adventure. Talking with a native Colombian server about her country, one of our favorites in the world. All were things that had me falling in love with New York City all over again.
While I may never live in a giant city like New York, cities like it will always appeal to me. New York reminded me yet again why it is that I love travel. I simply love to experience and learn about other cultures. New York itself has one of the most interesting cultures around, and the cornucopia of ethnic groups just adds to the major appeal.
Are you from a smaller city or town? What are your thoughts on big cities like New York? For those native New Yorkers or those hailing from a big city, do the things I love get annoying to you after a while? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
