Becoming a New Yorker

Whether or not you've travelled to New York, you likely have an idea of it in your mind. Maybe it's because of the many films that have been set there, or because of the songs you've heard that evoke the city. Thanks to the artists and writers that have flocked to New York for generations, few places have been as oft depicted as the Big Apple. People from around the world have come to New York with the goal of getting ahead, and the cultural melting pot that has resulted is unlike anywhere else on earth.

My first experience of New York came when I was twelve years old. My family had booked a weeklong holiday there so that my sister could visit some of the city's museums. She was doing a degree in Art History at the time, and was writing her thesis about a group of paintings that are housed at the Metropolitan. While she wandered the stretch of Fifth Avenue known as "Museum Mile", my father, mother and I took ourselves sightseeing. We snapped pictures of the famous lights in Times Square, admired the Manhattan skyline as we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, and explored Chinatown and Little Italy. I was left entranced by New York's grandeur. It felt to me, as it has to so many others, like a place where things "happened."

Years on, I had the chance to spend a year living in New York. My company had decided to open an office in downtown Manhattan, and a junior manager like myself was needed to set up shop. When I received an email letting me know that I had been selected, I was over the moon. The next month passed in a blur as I got everything planned. Not only did I have to book flights and find a flat, but I had a lot to arrange for the new office as well. Two days before I left, my friends took me out for dinner and presented me with an "I Love New York" t-shirt. It was a memorable evening.

I can't say it was easy adjusting to life in New York, but I loved the experience all the same. When I was there as a child, I was drawn to the hustle and bustle of the urban environment. I found it exciting to navigate the crowds, for example, and enjoyed the challenge of adapting my gait to the rapid pace of the streets. As an adult, these aspects of the city sometimes produced stress. It was hard to get used to my rush hour commute. Supermarket shopping in the company of thousands of other people – literally – was also tough. In those moments, I sought out peaceful locations where I could sit back and observe New York from a distance. I became very fond of the Hudson River Park, where locals go to walk their dogs and ride bikes.

After one year of living in New York, it came time to make a choice. Should I stay, and continue to discover the metropolis? There were huge areas of the city that I'd barely set foot in, much less get to know in the way I desired. My parents and sister had been to see me, of course, but those visits were no match for the weekly meals and catch-ups I usually enjoyed in their company. In the end, my job proposed a compromise. I would be based in our London office, but would travel to New York for two months each year. Thus, my relationship with New York has been able to deepen. The city has now become a comfortable second home.