New York, New York … Bild: AP / AP
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The Big Apple – you may love or hate the city – but it has a very special charm. Seasoned New Yorkers talk about their lives and their relationship with the metropolis.
If you talk to New Yorkers about their city, the word “love-hate” is quickly heard. As in many big cities, the positive is very close to the negative: You step over the homeless to have a better view at a free concert in Union Square. You wade through flooded subway stations to try out the next food trend in the restaurant around the corner. You grit your teeth for months, defying icy winds and blizzards, in order to lie on the beach during the summer months and dance nights on roof terraces.
It took me a while to feel at home here. Since that is the case, I have understood what people mean when they talk about the city’s addictive potential. But let’s let them tell for themselves. About why they love the city and why they hate it at times.
Jahmad (25)
Comes from LA and has lived in New York for more than three years.
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“I spent my very first night in New York in jail. I was 19 years old and visiting friends. The police caught me drinking on the street and since I was dressed like a skater at the time, they were sure I belonged to a gang. After this experience I was convinced: This city is not for me! Just three years later, I returned for a job – I work as an in-house photographer at Marc Jacobs and I love what I do. New York is quite difficult, especially the cold winters. But the attraction of the city is that anything can happen here. Like the evening when I didn’t really want to go out, but then did and unexpectedly got into conversation with Leonardo DiCaprio. “
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A (51) and Hani (49) with dog Max (10)
Moved to NYC from Thailand or Kuwait eleven years ago.
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A: «We saw each other regularly for three years in Central Park attending free concerts. When I happened to move in next to Hani, we became a couple. The vibe of this city is incomparable, but there is no rest here. It’s so fun living here, but I always have to take care to maintain my energy. My recipe: I do what I love. Last August we opened a Thai restaurant together. I love to cook for and serve guests. My husband takes care of the music. “
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Eva (24)
Moved here from LA six years ago.
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“A fat rat ran over my shoe on the subway. My girlfriend and I just looked at each other unimpressed and continued our conversation – at that moment I knew that now I am a true New Yorker! But I generously ignore such things, because this is where I can live my dream as a dancer and costume designer. “
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Jason (40) with daughter Nomi (3)
Lived in Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, Stockholm and San Francisco – but he has called NYC his home for 19 years.
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“Yes, I wear these shoes because Nomi likes them. Yesterday we painted our fingernails to match this. I like living here less and less, especially because of the steep prices, but because of my daughter I stay. We’ll definitely go to four different museums a week. Today we go to the Noguchi Museum. Sure, I also want her to be surrounded by nature, but that has to wait. Nomi, what do you love about New York? ” – “When we were camping.” – “Oh, there we were in Maine, yes.” – “What else?” – “When we were rowing on the Hudson River.”
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Jamie (35)
Has lived in New York for 16 years with interruptions.
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«I’ve been coming back here again and again since 2001. Obviously I love this place. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot more about how much I hate him: the bad air, the garbage everywhere, the public transport that sucks. But then I get on the subway and someone is playing beautiful Spanish music on the guitar – or some crazy person is dancing in a thong through the car in the middle of winter. That’s wonderful! Not to mention the artistic boom in this city. As an actress, there are simply a lot more and well-paid jobs here than in New Orleans, where I’m from. “
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David (47)
Moved here from Massachusetts six years ago.
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«For a year now I’ve been commuting 1.5 hours a day to work as a postal worker. And that for an hourly wage of 13 francs. But it’s worth it to me because here in Williamsburg I meet inspiring people. Just yesterday a woman came by to have her book printed. She is a stripper and has written a biography. The saying “If you can make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere” is nonsense. It’s the other way around: In NY everyone can do it, the possibilities are endless. For example, I also work as a music photographer. “
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Anna (33)
Has lived in NYC for eleven years and is just discovering Broadway.
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«I’ve always struggled with my appearance. Am I too fat, too thin, even too bony? Today I took the first selfie this year. And only yesterday I told my sister that I think my eyes are beautiful. It’s difficult when I go to Times Square and smile at me immaculate beauties from the billboards. But I’m on the way to loving myself. I just bought this book of love poems by Rumi. “
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Nelson (42)
Lived in New York for 15 years.
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«Sorry, I don’t speak English very well … I’m from Puerto Rico. New York is ok; my two sons and my grandfather live here. But I miss Puerto Rico, where my three other children live. I haven’t been home for seven years, but soon I’ll have two weeks vacation from my job as an assistant cook and then I’ll go visit her. “
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Cynthia (25)
Lived in New York for eleven years.
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«Phew, the men – that annoys me about New York! As if the city wasn’t loud enough without them constantly yelling after you. You can be really aggressive. That’s why I usually walk around with headphones on. To get away from the noise, I prefer to take the Metro-North Railroad and go hiking to Beacon, Poughkeepsie or the Catskill Mountains. “
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Shimon (30)
Was born and raised in New York.
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“I don’t understand the hype about New York. For me it is a city like any other. That is probably because I grew up here. As a tattoo artist, the city is heaven to me; I find inspiration everywhere. Just the heat in summer, without which I could live well. Sorry, but I have to keep going, work is calling. Typically New Yorkers, we never have time. “
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