Keith Tyler
Two weeks ago yesterday, Prof. Balkan called my house to notify me that a spot in the New York program had opened up. Within four days my plans for this fall semester completely changed and I left with my parents for New York City. Growing up and living in New Hampshire my whole life has left me entirely unfamiliar with large cities and city life. The mere notion of taking a subway as the main means of transportation is as foreign to me as another language. Despite my anxieties of living in a large city, New York (at least Manhattan) has shown to be very beautiful and very easy to get around. The grid system of streets and avenues are extremely simple and the subway system is not as complicated as I had imagined. My parents and I were very impressed with the apartment building. The entrance hall looks like the Sistine Chapel and the terrace has an amazing view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the mouth of the Hudson River. Just outside the building is the very heart of the world's financial economy.
On my first day I walked along famous Broadway and Wall Street. My parents and I had lunch on Pier 17, and began to feel much more comfortable about living in New York. When my friend Christian arrived he and I walked through much of downtown Manhattan, exploring Chinatown, East Village, Soho, and little India. The vastness of cultural diversity in New York, though expected, was stunning nonetheless. Most cities I have visited in my life are tiny in comparison to New York. This summer I visited Rome, Athens, and Istanbul, but New York seems to dwarf them all.
The past two weeks in New York have really been spent exploring and learning as much of the city as possible. On Sunday, I marched with hundreds of thousands of protesters against President Bush at the Republican National Convention. This was a wonderful way to see the importance and power of New York. I marched down Fifth Avenue and down Broadway. I have found, however, that some of the most beautiful parts of New York are just outside my apartment. Battery Park, located directly across the street, and the adjacent park system is gorgeous. The parks have pristine lawns and gardens, fountains and pools, and a large new brick walking path. The park runs along the Hudson River, where a great number of ships, including many Coast Guards ships, have been passing through.
I have yet to begin working at my internship, but plan to start this Tuesday in the financial sector of Miramax Productions. After my interview, I have been very uncertain about exactly what I will be doing at Miramax or if I will even be working in the financial department at all. I am looking forward to starting Tuesday and sincerely hope the internship is what I want and that I will learn a great deal about the financial world.
The greatest downside, thus far, to New York has been its expense. New York prices for just about anything are astronomical, especially in comparison to New Hampshire. Regardless, I have had a wonderful first impression of New York, and am looking forward to the following semester.
