Trouvaille — Manhattan
Why a lucky find? As a traveller actually, you are in the hustle bubble and out. Visited it for our son's admission to college, so for us now the city is a second home, as part of our heart beats here. So is it because of that it became trouvaille, not sure? This city does have a heart to it.
My first tryst with it was when visited in a short stint in March 2023, and was exposed to some of the streets in Soho, and wasn't a great experience should say. The smells wafting around were of putrid urine and weed. Did have an instance when a man standing at the traffic signal started pissing while crossing. So that labeled the city as a dirty one at least in my mind. Glad I didn't give up on it, or rather I didn't have the option to get back to it and know of it. It does have a lot of faces just as any city would be. But voila this city amazed me. Have lived in Mumbai which is a comparably crowded city with diversity. This city brings in people from every part of the world.
Sad to see, we desis trying to blend in with colored hair and dress which is more Western, but others carry their ethnicity on their sleeve. Glad they do too. With braids, caps that are Jewish, prints that are very African, and frills that are more Chinese. Didnt see any Jhumka or Salwar anywhere though. Most Asians seem to be in pursuit of being unknown here. Might have their reasons which are conditioned from earlier times of immigrant settlements. But I think now it is acceptable to be one and can flaunt to be one.
How the city has maintained its green pockets is amazing and should give big kudos to its city planners. The subway network which is tucked away in the underground, keeps that mad buzz well below the surface and it's amazing how you can get anywhere in the city seamlessly using it. Now getting back to my favorite the green pockets, the star being the central park, When I started walking through one of the entrances I was comparing it with my reference to Cubbon Park/Lalbagh. By the way, this park has a unique statue of Ammal(Ancestors by Bharati Kher) with multiple heads on it by Indian artists at the entrance. The plaque with it says leave your troubles with her and move on to the park. For me, she depicted what we all carry always, the ancestral conditioning which seems like what the artist was trying to depict by calling it Ancestors. It was amazing to see our art here though, swelled with Desi pride should say.
The park is amazing with its trees, its pathways, its statues, and its animals. It is much bigger than my Bangalore references, just like them it's the green pockets that provide much-needed oxygen to the crowded city. Not to forget there are many parks in all the areas which always have people sitting around and connecting over food, books, and just talks. Here I saw a lot of people carrying around books and reading on the metro, in parks, and in cafes. So the reading the old-fashioned way isn't dead. Less of them are hunched over the phone, which is our metro scene.
The food choices are amazing, with all kinds on offer. Whenever we stepped into these American fast chains, it was a disappointing experience, but all the small joints had so much to offer in variety and taste. The portion is of mention though, all the American diners give you a portion which is sufficient for your village, no that's a bit of exaggeration at least for your whole extended family. You can pack them all and handover to the homeless which is just outside, but its a lot of waste most of the time. So we stuck to small joints from all over the world and enjoyed Thai, Chinese, Arabic, and Indian food. There are much more on offer.
The homeless can be spotted everywhere. They could be with a stroller of their belongings and murmuring all the time. They could jolt you from your reverie by telling you to buzz off from their land or just plain expletive showers. Yes intimidating at times, the trick which our sons tell me is not to look at them in the eyes. So my people-watching has to be filtered a bit, otherwise, you can get into serious trouble with them. While offering food to them as well, you need to tell them the ingredients and what is on offer as well. Some of them could be vegan too. Just my dash of sarcasm. I am told if you are homeless government does give them a handsome amount, so they maintain their status and use that money to get high and that also gives them all the license to murmur or sometimes to shout, be the vigilante of their land, which is anyways a land of immigrants. Who are the real Americans, I really did wonder seeing the crowd in NYC.
A city with so many shades, which can be explored many times over, still would have loads to offer. A true street photographer's paradise.
