a summer in new york.

"my mayor muslim, my bagel jewish, my christian dior, knicks in four."

if you lived in new york for the summer and didn't know this phrase, well... i don't know what to tell you.

i didn't come to new york expecting to become a basketball fan. in fact, i had not watched a single basketball match from beginning to end prior to this summer.

as fate would have it, my arrival in new york coincided with the nba finals, where the knicks were playing. this was their first time participating in it since 1999 and they hadn't won it since 1973. so you can understand how hyped everyone in new york was. the hype got even crazier after they won their first 2 games. my cousin is also a big basketball fan so the house was all about knicks during the games. thanks to him, i watched the first three games. i missed the fourth game but even though he wasn't around for the final game, i watched it alone and cheered for a team i had not heard of a few weeks earlier. when the knicks were finally crowned champions, i was grinning from ear to ear like i had been a fan my entire life.

knicks championship parade

i guess that was my first lesson in new york. you don't always pick what you fall into.

there is just something about new york.

i don't know if it is the fact that you can walk out of your house and hear three different languages before you've made it to the next block. or could it be the stores, the food, the people, the subway, the noise, or the fact that everyone in new york is always going somewhere.

this is probably why someone once said "new york isn't a city. it's a world"

and after spending a summer there, i am inclined to think i understand what they meant.

for me, most of my adventures begin by simply walking. in new york, you don't really need a destination. sometimes the walk itself is the destination.

as you walk, you pass delis, restaurants, grocery stores, clothing stores and tiny shops selling things you didn't know existed. you see people sitting outside talking, people carrying groceries, and people who somehow look like they have nowhere to be.

and, of course, you see the deli.

i don't think you have really been to new york until you've walked into one, ordered a sandwich and watched it get wrapped in that thin aluminum paper.

my recommendation?

turkey, bacon and swiss cheese with mayonnaise, on a hero.

and it's just seven dollars.

add a one-dollar arizona drink and you have yourself a meal.

delis aren't the only things you need to get used to in new york.

if you don't smoke, get ready to cover your nose as you walk down the street because there always seems to be someone smoking at every turn. when i was new to the city and complained about it to my cousin, he told me "everyone is a secondary smoker in new york."

then there are the grocery stores. when you walk into one, you suddenly find yourself surrounded by people speaking spanish, selling fresh produce and doing business so fast you might not be able to keep up.

don't worry if you sometimes struggle to understand someone's english because you're not used to the accent.

that's new york too.

different languages. different accents. different foods. different religions. different stories.

and somehow, all of them are coexisting on the same block.

after walking around and wiping off sweat under the hot new york sun, i make my way to the subway.

with just three dollars, you get a ride through what feels like an entire continent.

the major reason why i love the new york subway is because it is perfect for reading.

i've lost count of the number of times i have gotten so engrossed in a book that i missed my stop. there is something strangely peaceful about sitting in a train while the city moves around you in silence. at stops, people get on while some get off. in the ride, someone is listening to music. someone is sleeping. someone is staring at their phone. someone is reading. someone might even be begging

each person in the train is unique and all you can do is make guesses about them, trying to figure out who they are. but one thing you know for sure: everyone on the train is going somewhere.

you just don't know where.

i take the 6 train down toward chinatown, and suddenly, the city changes.

the english signs give way to bold chinese characters and suddenly, the shops have a completely different character.

i walk through the streets and see elderly chinese men and women going about their day, working, shopping and doing whatever they have probably done hundreds of times before.

and for some reason, watching them reminds me of the dignity of labor. in a society that now exalts celebrities and famous people, they show that there is dignity in doing something well, even when nobody is applauding.

chinatown

of course, i don't stay philosophical for too long.

i eventually find my way to the popular ice cream factory, where i discover that you can taste the flavors for free.

so i enjoy the soothing and cooling taste of the ice cream after walking under the sun.

i get back on the train.

next stop: brooklyn bridge.

the brooklyn bridge is one of those places where new york almost forces you to slow down.

you walk across it surrounded by people from everywhere. you see people taking pictures. older people walking slowly. families. tourists. locals. couples. people taking selfies.

as you see the fascinated people, you also see those who walk by briskly. they've been here hundreds of times and they don't look impressed anymore. "the first time you do something, it is an adventure. the second time, it is an action. the third time, it is a habit." that old proverb couldn't feel more accurate.

i stop for a moment and look across the bridge to see the new york shore. boats move through the water, their lights reflecting against the distance. the statue of liberty beams away from afar as lights from the ferries shine on it.

for a moment, everything is still.

and then i look around.

some people are taking pictures because they might never come back. others probably pass this place every week. some people are running while others are walking. some are just standing still.

you may get to your destination later than someone else, but you're not working on their clock. you're working on yours.

brooklyn bridge

i eventually leave the bridge and make my way to central park.

after all the noise of the city, central park feels almost unreal. i walk through the gardens where the thick smell of the forest fills the air, a very much welcome change from the marijuana-filled air of the city. there are trees. little streams. open spaces. people sitting quietly. groups of friends walking around.

if you look closely enough, you might even see fish swimming in the water.

then, inevitably, someone runs past me.

apparently, even in central park, new york refuses to let you relax completely.

central park

eventually, i leave the park and make my way toward times square.

in times square, the quiet completely disappears.

the lights return.

the noise returns.

the people return.

advertisements tower over me with their lights flashing brightly at my face. the sound of people, cars and music from loud blaring speakers fills the air.

times square

and standing there, i realize that maybe this is what i love about new york.

it's loud and quiet. it's fast and it's slow.

it is a muslim mayor, a jewish bagel, christian dior and the knicks.

new york is a deli sandwich wrapped in paper.

new york is millions of people living completely different lives and somehow sharing the same streets.

it's that place that doesn't ask everyone to be the same but just gives everyone somewhere to go.

and maybe that's why, after one summer, i still can't quite shake the feeling that i didn't just visit a city.

i visited a world.

i love new york