I love New York.
New York really does have a feeling about it that is different from anywhere else. I have also been feeling that I belong here. Maybe it is just that I have been so busy meeting interesting people and doing rewarding work, or maybe it is that after being in Beijing anything would be more pleasant, but I am not even minding staying in a tiny apartment with my parents.
On friday night I went to meet Vincent. He was working in the Chrystler building on 42nd st for the "Europe-America Chamber of Commerce" so I met him at his office. I had never been in the Chrystler building before and I was definately impressed by the details of the interior. The view from the 67th floor was pretty good too.
After taking a quick look around there, we went for a bit of a walk over to Broadway and then up Broadway to Lincon Center. Walks in New York always go so much faster than anywhere else because the streets are so packed with people, stores, and life that you are always engaged in your surroundings. When we reached Lincon Center, we decided that walking all the way to Columbia (on 120th st) was a bad idea, so we got on the subway.
The New York City subway system is really not what it should be. Although it is certainly comprehensive and fairly efficient, it is one of the least attractive subays systems I have ever been on. The cielings are low and nothing is inspiring. I get the feeling that they just wanted to get it done as quickly as possible, no matter how it looks. I think this is a real shame, but also representative of New York in general. That is, its primary function is work, looking good is optional.
At Columbia we met up with Vincent's friends, had dinner, and then went down to the Village. The village is really alive on a friday night. It is alive in a different way from Granville street. There are not hordes of drunk people doing stupid things on the streets everywhere, but rather there are plenty of small bars and cafes full of people having a good time. After being rejected by two such places on account of Vincent's friends not having proper IDs, we found our way into a smallish bar with live music. On stage was a 20 something Jewish guy with an accustic guitar singing songs about the neo-fashism of the Bush administration. The whole scene was very New York.
From there we took a cab to Midtown to meet some of Vincent's friends. They were two Americans who had studied at Sciences-Po and were back in New York working. It turned out that one of them had done an internship at the American mission to the UN under Bolton. Before I could even tell him how much of an asshole Bolton was, he started defending him. I guess it is true that the UN needs to be more efficient, but the American argument that paying most of the bills means they should control the whole oganisation is really against the whole purpose and spirit of the UN. I guess it is just hard for Americans to accept that they are paying to give North Korea the right to get heard in an international forum. Apart from that they were cool guys, and both vaguely knew my sister from when she was on exchange at Sciences-Po.
Saturday I saw Roger again. With him it is always the same thing. All he ever wants to talk about is Chinese power and criticise everything western. He just does not stop talking about how he is an oppressed minority and how the only way for him to get respect in North America is for China to be a military power. He has come to the point where he can not criticise the Chinese government. Even the Chinese relationship with North Korea, or the North Korean government its self for that matter, are both good things. I hope when he goes there he will be able to see past the Xinhua propaganda and start to understand the nature of the Communist Party.
On sunday my parents took me out to Jersey City to see Coleen and Clancy and their kids Christ and Andre. They are from upstate New York and our families have been friends for as long as I can remember. We would always go drive down to their place to see them. In the 10 or so years since I have seen them, Chris and Andre have both grown up. They are both a few years older than me and now they are working on Wall st and starting up a new forex firm. I was very impressed. It also gave me the impression that the financial industry in New York is not as hard to break into as I thought it would be. Even outside of the biggest firms there are still lots of opportunites for good jobs that can provide a New York lifestyle.
Last night after work my parents and I went to a Chinese new year's party. It was thrown an old lady that my father has done some work with. It turned out that she lives in an apartment on Central Park South, two doors down from the Plaza hotel, with a great view of the whole park. There, to my great surprise, there was only one Chinese person and no one under the age of 40, with most of the guests easily over 60. After I started working the room I discovered that I made the right decision to go to China, if only for the stories to tell. Everyone I talked to was interested in my experiences in China, and many people had been there themselves. People there in general, although not particularly intelectual, were active and engaged with the world. This was the kind of party that I don't think I would ever find in Vancouver.
That said, I have found a place in Vancouver. I am going to be living in East Van in an apartment shared with some aquaintances of Rachel's. I don't know how long Vancouver will keep me interested, but Rae is there and that counts for a lot. Also, life is pleasant and I will be able to save money when I find a job... Lets see how that goes.
Marc
New York really does have a feeling about it that is different from anywhere else. I have also been feeling that I belong here. Maybe it is just that I have been so busy meeting interesting people and doing rewarding work, or maybe it is that after being in Beijing anything would be more pleasant, but I am not even minding staying in a tiny apartment with my parents.
On friday night I went to meet Vincent. He was working in the Chrystler building on 42nd st for the "Europe-America Chamber of Commerce" so I met him at his office. I had never been in the Chrystler building before and I was definately impressed by the details of the interior. The view from the 67th floor was pretty good too.
After taking a quick look around there, we went for a bit of a walk over to Broadway and then up Broadway to Lincon Center. Walks in New York always go so much faster than anywhere else because the streets are so packed with people, stores, and life that you are always engaged in your surroundings. When we reached Lincon Center, we decided that walking all the way to Columbia (on 120th st) was a bad idea, so we got on the subway.
The New York City subway system is really not what it should be. Although it is certainly comprehensive and fairly efficient, it is one of the least attractive subays systems I have ever been on. The cielings are low and nothing is inspiring. I get the feeling that they just wanted to get it done as quickly as possible, no matter how it looks. I think this is a real shame, but also representative of New York in general. That is, its primary function is work, looking good is optional.
At Columbia we met up with Vincent's friends, had dinner, and then went down to the Village. The village is really alive on a friday night. It is alive in a different way from Granville street. There are not hordes of drunk people doing stupid things on the streets everywhere, but rather there are plenty of small bars and cafes full of people having a good time. After being rejected by two such places on account of Vincent's friends not having proper IDs, we found our way into a smallish bar with live music. On stage was a 20 something Jewish guy with an accustic guitar singing songs about the neo-fashism of the Bush administration. The whole scene was very New York.
From there we took a cab to Midtown to meet some of Vincent's friends. They were two Americans who had studied at Sciences-Po and were back in New York working. It turned out that one of them had done an internship at the American mission to the UN under Bolton. Before I could even tell him how much of an asshole Bolton was, he started defending him. I guess it is true that the UN needs to be more efficient, but the American argument that paying most of the bills means they should control the whole oganisation is really against the whole purpose and spirit of the UN. I guess it is just hard for Americans to accept that they are paying to give North Korea the right to get heard in an international forum. Apart from that they were cool guys, and both vaguely knew my sister from when she was on exchange at Sciences-Po.
Saturday I saw Roger again. With him it is always the same thing. All he ever wants to talk about is Chinese power and criticise everything western. He just does not stop talking about how he is an oppressed minority and how the only way for him to get respect in North America is for China to be a military power. He has come to the point where he can not criticise the Chinese government. Even the Chinese relationship with North Korea, or the North Korean government its self for that matter, are both good things. I hope when he goes there he will be able to see past the Xinhua propaganda and start to understand the nature of the Communist Party.
On sunday my parents took me out to Jersey City to see Coleen and Clancy and their kids Christ and Andre. They are from upstate New York and our families have been friends for as long as I can remember. We would always go drive down to their place to see them. In the 10 or so years since I have seen them, Chris and Andre have both grown up. They are both a few years older than me and now they are working on Wall st and starting up a new forex firm. I was very impressed. It also gave me the impression that the financial industry in New York is not as hard to break into as I thought it would be. Even outside of the biggest firms there are still lots of opportunites for good jobs that can provide a New York lifestyle.
Last night after work my parents and I went to a Chinese new year's party. It was thrown an old lady that my father has done some work with. It turned out that she lives in an apartment on Central Park South, two doors down from the Plaza hotel, with a great view of the whole park. There, to my great surprise, there was only one Chinese person and no one under the age of 40, with most of the guests easily over 60. After I started working the room I discovered that I made the right decision to go to China, if only for the stories to tell. Everyone I talked to was interested in my experiences in China, and many people had been there themselves. People there in general, although not particularly intelectual, were active and engaged with the world. This was the kind of party that I don't think I would ever find in Vancouver.
That said, I have found a place in Vancouver. I am going to be living in East Van in an apartment shared with some aquaintances of Rachel's. I don't know how long Vancouver will keep me interested, but Rae is there and that counts for a lot. Also, life is pleasant and I will be able to save money when I find a job... Lets see how that goes.
Marc
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