I grew up 30 minutes from New York City, loving my fairly frequent trips in, but never understanding the depth, meaning and intrigue behind it all. When I was young, New York was a place where my family and I would eat, buy cool things, see shows and go to sporting events. So it was nothing but a place of pleasure and entertainment. It had an incredibly different environment than my suburban home of Suffern. Bigger, brighter, crazier, more people and more excitement. More everything.
Attending college at Fordham University is where my love affair with the most untamable city in the world really began. I began to explore the city on my own and with friends with common interests. It was no longer guided tours by my parents. I was going to the neighborhoods they wouldn't have taken me to. To places they didn't know existed. I began to see what the city could really offer to somebody willing to dig a little. And there is A LOT for those with the interest in going beyond the surface. And while my friends, my personal interests and my work have taken me to more places in New York than the average person, I have still only scratched the surface. I have my constantly forming impression of New York that still only encompasses 1% of what New York has to offer.
It is always crazy to think about how en route to one bar, you can pass 100 more. So many places I have walked past dozens, if not hundreds of times and I have no idea what they are like inside. There is just too much in New York that it would take insane amounts of motivation and even more time to experience it all.
It wasn't until I began traveling a lot that I realized what it was I had at home. How New York has an energy and life force all it's own. And where does it all come from? The people. Without them, New York would just be one impressive collection of concrete and steel.
New Yorkers are some of the most motivated, inspiring and creative people I have ever encountered. For the sake of this article I am referring to New Yorkers as somebody who lives in New York now. Not the standard, pretentious term of saying somebody is only a New Yorker after 10 full years of pouring blood, sweat and tears into the streets. The way that people make money and support themselves is astounding. There are entrepreneurs, self-employed creatives and unbelievable success stories around every corner.
I have photographed hundreds of apartments around New York working for Airbnb and have come across a wide variety of individuals. Seeing the homes and hearing the stories of New Yorkers from all different backgrounds has given me loads of perspective on the lives of those who keep the city running and progressing to new heights. The reasons people come to New York, the reasons people stay, the places they have come from and the things they do to make it all work. One thing I have learned is that New York truly is a place where people come to make something of themselves. To do things you can't always do everywhere else. And the number of people who actually do make something of themselves is truly inspiring. Sure, there are tons who don't make it, but at the very least they are made stronger through the process.
Behind every amazing store, innovative company and perfectly executed restaurant is a group of people that made it all happen. Somebody who had an idea and the motivation to try. And in a city with thousands and thousands of bars, restaurants, stores and entertainment venues there must be a lot of people pursuing their dreams. That in itself is inspiring. To stop and think of all the people that keep New York moving and evolving.
Living in Chile enables me to see New York in a way not possible without being so far away for longer periods of time. For myself, it is New York, but it could be any other city or town for somebody else living far from home. Living abroad offers the opportunity for invaluable life perspective and personal reflection. I am learning things about myself, people, and the world around me everyday. What does it all mean? I have no idea. But at least I'm able to think about things in a new way.
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