I cannot make any comparison in the case of New York City. And I have just needed one day to realize that it is unique, a difference made of the most complex immigrant population. Faces from all the places of the Earth cross your vision with every step. And I did not need to speak English during my visit and also I could hear more times to speak Spanish in the streets than other languages. I lodged in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, close to Harlem, and in this point Broadway St. was an international showcase of small shops and restaurants.
But the different human colors and the colorful mixture of publicity in the Capital of Capitalism seem to vanish by a hidden sky. The huge buildings and skyscrapers only let the city dress in grey. Dirty houses and crappy and crowd streets, pollution, a messy and noisy traffic made me feel New York City without enchantment and want to runaway, while I wondered: "How can these people live here every day? It is so stressful and exhausting for our senses!” The metro is so old that I was scared when I had to use it.
Yes, New York City is special, but not in terms of beauty, magic or romanticism. It is special because of its size. It is a huge worker neighborhood. I walked down the street looking for its famous places: Empire State, Brooklyn Bridge, Chrysler Building, Central Park, 5th Avenue... And nothing satisfied me, nothing of this was surprising except its size. But is this something to admire or attractive? Not for me. And we are so used to see the images of the city from the sky or the distance, and at night with all the lights, that when you are inside of it you cannot recognize it as the same city. You just see cement and more cement. If there is any beauty inside of New York City, it is not made for a human scale.
I think that the City keeps its seduction into the lifestyle, in what it can offer day by day. And this is not something that a tourist who is visiting just for 2 days can appreciate or enjoy. And finally I would like to say that I prefer this ugly and strenuous city than Washington D.C., the city of the empty prettiness without life.
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