New Yorkers

[Danustouch]

I'm a half-New Yorker..kinda. I grew up about 1/2 hour away, but in CT. So..I am a DIE hard yankee fan, I've gone to the museums, hung out in the village, grabbed a hotdog from a street side vendor, been to see the Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade, Live....so...i feel i'm at least half "new yorker" (besides, most of the people in the town i grew up in worked in the city...so...my old home town is becoming a mini new york city:)

Anyway...so ..I saw my own upbringing in this article. I think all Americans have a touch of New York in them:)
**********************************************

I AM A NEW YORKER
>
> I am a New Yorker
> I do not live in the five boroughs or on the Island or Upstate
> I may live hundreds or thousands of miles away
> Or I may live just over the GW Bridge
> But I am a New Yorker
>
> I am a New Yorker
> Whatever took me out of New York:
> Business, family or hating the cold
> did not take New York out of me.
> My accent may have faded and my pace may have slowed
> But I am a New Yorker
>
> I am a New Yorker
> I was raised on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Rockefeller Plaza,
> The Yankees or the Mets
> Jones Beach or Rye Beach or one of the beaches on the sound
> I know that "THE END" means Montauk.
> Because I am a New Yorker
>
> I am a New Yorker
> When I go on vacation, I never look up
> Skyscrapers are something I take for granted
> The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are part of me
> Taxis and noise and subways and "get outa heah" don't rattle me
> Because I am a New Yorker
>
> I am a New Yorker
> I was raised on cultural diversity before it was politically correct
> I eat Greek food and Italian food, Jewish and Middle Eastern food and
Chinese
> food
> Because they are all American food to me.
> I don't get mad when people speak other languages in my presence
> Because my relatives got to this country via Ellis Island and chose to
stay
> They were New Yorkers
>
> I am a New Yorker
> People who have never been to New York have misunderstood me
> My friends and family work in the industries, professions and businesses
that
> benefit all Americansl
> My firefighters died trying to save New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers
> They died trying to save Americans and non-Americans
> Because they were New Yorkers.
>
> I am a New Yorker
> I feel the pain of my fellow New Yorkers
> I mourn the loss of my beautiful city
> I feel and dread that New York will never be the same
> But then I remember:
> I am a New Yorker
>
> And New Yorkers have:
> Tenacity, strength and courage way above the norm
> Compassion and caring for our fellow citizens
> Love and pride in our city, in our state, in our country
> Intelligence, experience and education par excellence
> Ability, dedication and energy above and beyond
> Faith--no matter what religion we practice
>
> Terrorists hit America in its heart
> But America's heart still beats strong
> Demolish the steel in our buildings, but it doesn't touch the steel in
our
> souls
> Hit us in the pocketbook; but we'll parlay what we have left into a
fortune
> End innocent lives leaving widows and orphans, but we'll take care of
them
> Because they are New Yorkers
>
> Wherever we live, whatever we do, whoever we are
> There are New Yorkers in every state and every city of this nation
> We will not abandon our city
> We will not abandon our brothers and sisters
> We will not abandon the beauty, creativity and diversity that New York
> represents
> Because we are New Yorkers
> And we are proud to be New Yorkers
> "REMEMBER THE WTC"

[Faery-Wings]

Hear Hear!!!

I guess I am a half NY-er too, gowing up in NJ. :)

I love the City and can't wait to get in again. It will never be quite the same however.:(

BB

Chris

[GoddessofWisdom]

I for one would love to go back to NY but I just can't bring myself to do it.

I haven't seen it since before the Sept. 11th attack and I'm not sure how I'd handle seeing it the way it is now.

But I'll get there someday and I'll feel just as much pride in NY if not more than I did beforehand:)

[Kadynas]

I'll be going back at the end of the month. I was on the Thruway on 9/11...I had just hit Angola when I found out about WTC. But as I live in PA and my love lives in MA, I'll definitely be making quite a couple trips thru NY... :)

[talamh]

This is an alternate view of New York... not in any way as a put down... but being a Canadian who lives in the boonies, i have an aversion to *all* big cities. Three days in Toronto makes me sick from the pollution and the cold, nasty, big city environment.

i've been to New York a couple of times and quite frankly... it's pretty close to my definition of hell.... dirty, polluted, loud, alienating, incomprehensible, toxic and dangerous. Yes, i know there is also a treasurehouse of creative activity there but i would go totally insane if i had to stay there, or in any mega-city for any length of time.

But i understand that even before Sept. 11, NYC was an icon of the American dream...and for people who actually enjoy that kind of environment... well, good for you. i just know that the price of living in a big city isn't worth it - and i'm not thinking of the monetary price. So i wish all New Yorkers well.... and thank the Goddess that i do not live there. bb talamh

[Amora]

I've lived in NY my whole life, born and raised here. But it is so much more then the city. Upstate is absolutely beautiful, that's where I live a little over 2 hours north of the city...But I'm still a New Yorker, I still live here, always have. Sometimes I think people forget NY is so much more then a city.

[Margie]

Originally posted by talamh anEiac
This is an alternate view of New York... not in any way as a put down...

i've been to New York a couple of times and quite frankly... it's pretty close to my definition of hell....

and thank the Goddess that i do not live there. bb talamh

Wow, I don't know how anyone thought it was a put down.:rolleyes:

[LadyWinter]

I agree Amora...

Sometimes I feel that people forget New York is much more than one big town..The minute I say I am from New York State I get oh...were you hurt? I actually live a ways away from NYC...in a small town.

Regardless of what state we live in though I think we should all be proud of America.

Slan Astar
Winter

[Danustouch]

Yes..you are right, people sometimes forget that NY is more than just NYC. And yes..it's got it's problems. But this email came from a person who was born and raised, in the City. A person who knows those streets like the palm of his hand. A person who feels pride in allllll of the wonderful things that NYC has to offer. This email, is meant to honor the lifestyle that NY city dwellers live, to honor their spirit, how they came together in this tragedy. I think it's quite a testament to the human spirit. That although NYC is dirty and polluted on the outside, for the most part, the human spirit triumphs OVER alllllll of that. Especially...the NYC pride. There IS something special in the air, in New York City. There is a blending and coming together of SOOOOO many differen't ethnicities, and religions. When I visit New York City, I am always keenly aware of that Great Lady standing in the harbor, and what she has stood for for so many billions of people who came onto our shores from destinations allllll over the world. When I visit New York City, I think of all of the industriousness of those immigrants. I think of the difficulties that our Italian, Irish, German, Polish, Asian, Hispanic forefathers all faced when they came here, and yet..how incredibly, they overcame them..to make this nation so prosperous. When I Sit in the Ball Park at Yankee Stadium, I see the dreams of little boys, who are hoping to one day be legends and hero's playing on that same field. When I visit New York City, I think "Opportunity". Yes..it's everywhere else...but it never strikes home quite as hard, as when I visit that city.

A few years ago, on the Fourth of July, I was lucky enough to see the Macy's Fireworks Display. There was all kinds of patriotic music being simulcast with the explosions, as we watched the show. Beside me, there was a little old lady, of Asian descent. When they started simulcasting..."America the Beautiful"...she started crying..and waving an American Flag. She and her husband spoke VERY broken English..and yet..there she was, totally feeling the patriotic moment. I could see a million stories behind those tears. I could how much she loved this country, how grateful she was to be there. Somehow, that gets lost at times, in other parts of America. That..Raw contact, that raw reminder, that soooooo many people count themselves SOOOOOOO fortunate to have made it to our shores.

Lets face it. Many of us grow up in rural or suburban areas. Especially for the rural people..you grow up with the same group of people, go to school with the same group of people. You don't get that sort of contact. The people you know growing up, more than likely have been here all of their lives, and their parents before them, and their parents before them. Yes..you are still patriotic. Yes..you can still appreciate the freedom that we have. But..there is just something about seeing it through the eyes of a "Newcomer" to our shores, that makes it SOOOOOOO much more vivid, at least in my mind. And ..the best place to find that sort of thing, is in NYC.

As dirty and as dingy as it can be....what makes it beautiful, is not just it's buildings. It certainly isn't it's harbor, it's not it's tunnells, and subways. What makes NYC beautiful..is the ether of opportunity there. And the contact with so many others, who are tasting that opportunity for the very first time.