New York City: A Lonely Old Place?

New York City. The home of multi-million dollar movie sets, home of movie stars, stars of television, stars of sports, -- the much mythologized place where dreams are made, broken, and (if you’re lucky) made again in the blink of an eye. Things, cultural things, things beneficial to humanity, things in the name of democracy, things in the name of America, things to commemorate September 11 -- things happen on a phenomenal scale in New York City. It’s a big city a big distance away, full of big buildings, big stadiums and big people, with big personalities, big jobs, big salaries and bigger egos. Size matters and I don’t.

I have never been so far away from home before. I’m looking at a map on my wall. Three thousand miles of solid water between me and where I grew up. The furthest I have ever been away from home is Valletta, Malta. That seems just a stones throw away now. Getting to the Unites States is a serious business. 7½ hours, maybe 8 hours, sat in the same seat across ‘the pond’, after getting up at stupid o’clock to leave Liverpool at 06:00. The journey there and the first day is all I can think about. I can’t sleep on an aircraft. How can you sleep when you’re ‘cruising’ at 10,000 feet with what can one can only describe as a bloody deep pong below?!

John Denver’s version of Mother Nature’s Son just came on my iPod. The opening line has stuck in my mind: Born a poor young country boy. I remember my dad a few years back saying that line put his childhood into perspective for him. To a lesser extent, it does for me, too. I only know of one other person in my family who has been to New York City, and experienced it in some way. He is not talked about in my family, because of hidden truths that are not yet commonly known. I, however, admire him for the positive things he did and what he achieved. I’ll write about him in a separate post when I get round to it.

Eventually, I will get there. But what then? What happens when we are all settled in to Manhattan life for five days? Is it possible to settle in to Manhattan life? I am a shy person, in a country (and a city) that doesn’t seem to ‘do’ shy! I suppose I am mentally preparing myself to be completely overawed by the sights, sounds, smells, highs, lows, pains and pleasures of a dominating metropolis. I think I’m ready to feel small.

Yours, wherever you may be,
Daniel C. Wright