Welcome to New York (It Hasn’t Been Waiting For Me)
New York Diaries. Part 1/5
I’m going to be posting a five-part series over the next few weeks, which consists of journal entries from my recent trip to New York City. I hope you enjoy!
Okay, I’ll admit it. I was listening to Welcome to New York by Taylor Swift as we were landing in New York City. Contrary to what Taylor Swift sings, New York hasn’t been waiting for me. Quite frankly, it doesn’t give a shit about me. And perhaps that’s why I feel so free here. I feel like I can be my best self here. I have this complex where I think I’m always annoying people, that people are judging me. No one in New York is thinking about me, and I love it. I know a lot of people come here to make a name for themselves but I love the anonymity of this city. I’m obsessed with thinking about the lives of the service staff who help us at restaurants. Do they do this full-time? Do they go to NYU? Are they actors? I NEED to know. I’m certain this emotional investment is not reciprocated.
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When we were flying into New York City, we were seated a couple of rows behind a cat named Scoot. Through eavesdropping, we learned that Scoot had taken 16 flights over the last 3 years, so he was a seasoned traveller. I know a lot of people’s travel plans were effected by the pandemic but I was glad to know that COVID hadn’t slowed down Scoot’s jet-setting lifestyle.
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Once we arrived at LaGuardia Airport, we ordered an Uber and waited outside in the carpark…or should I say parking lot. The Uber driver’s car smelled like McDonald’s and I found that weirdly comforting. I’ve been vegan for a long time but I still remember the days I would shovel down a McDonald’s meal in the car. I would bury my hands into the brown paper bag, hoping to find a few stray fries. Licking the salt off my fingers before washing everything down with a Fanta. Interestingly, the smell of his car made me feel safe and at home when in reality, I was far far away from home.
The driver was really friendly which surprised us because we were expecting all New Yorkers to hate us, in the most lovingly way possible. He seemed excited to tell us about himself and New York. He was from Jamaica, Queens and had been Uber driving for about a year. He asked me if I would prefer to live in Manhattan or Sydney and I said that if someone wanted to pay my rent in Manhattan, I would live in Manhattan, which he found way funnier than I had expected. He told us that 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, New Yorkers think about money. As we pulled up to our street, the car next to us was blaring Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin with their car windows down. We are staying on St Mark’s Place, where the photo for Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti album cover was taken, so they were likely paying homage to the rock history we are honoured to be living a few doors down from.
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Something I have noticed and appreciated about New Yorkers is their lack of shame. I often feel like I need to make myself small in order to be palatable for other people. New Yorkers will walk down the street with their boom box playing the most feel-good music, and not give two fucks who has a problem with it. As I’m writing this, I can hear Everybody Wants to Rule The World by Tears For Fears blaring from the streets.
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Since we arrived, we have been doing lots of wandering around, getting coffee, cosplaying as locals. Tim has been incredible at navigating and getting us around. I would be lost without him…literally. He could definitely pass as a New Yorker. I noticed he has started waiting to cross the street while standing on the road as opposed to the footpath. Something I have observed the locals do. I’m still the idiot tourist who is looking the wrong way when crossing.
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I was walking to CVS on my own to find some medicine for Tim. I did my best impression of a local: coffee in hand, AirPods Max, walking with a sense of purpose. I gave myself away when looking the wrong way before crossing the street. I heard a car beeping it’s horn repeatedly trying to get my attention. With my newfound New Yorker attitude, I looked at them as if to say I’m walkin’ here! Then, I looked to my left and saw a bus fly past me. The person in the car was trying to save me from walking out in front of the bus. Perhaps New York cares for me more than I initially thought.
The reason I was buying medicine for Tim was because he had been throwing up. Tim tried blaming the Kin Euphorics drink I convinced him to try because Bella Hadid endorses it. I assured him it was the vegan chicken waffles he ate the night before. Funnily enough, he did find some reviews online with people saying they got sick for days after the drink. I don’t know what I’m more offended by, the fact Tim got violently ill from a health drink endorsed by a supermodel or the fact that the health drink endorsed by a supermodel didn’t make me look like a supermodel. I’m going to go with the latter. Shocked and upset.
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We saw Beabadoobee at Brooklyn Steel the second night after we arrived. I’m so glad we did. We were worried when we realised we needed ID’s to get in because I had forgotten to bring my passport. Thankfully, the event was 16 and up and they let me in. I was thrilled but also offended. I joked to Tim that my face is my ID. We were surrounded by teenage New Yorkers and a few people our age and older. It was such an incredible show. We got to hear an acoustic version of an unreleased track called Glue. Beabadoobee broke down in tears while performing her song Ripples. There was an audible ‘aww!’ from the crowd when she was weeping and struggling to get through the song. I don’t know what came over me but I couldn’t hold back the tears. She explained that the song was inspired by her absent father. Listening to the lyrics with that context made me overcome with emotion. The jet-lag and exhaustion probably also played a part. Nonetheless, it felt amazing to be a part of such a special show. When she addressed the crowd as ‘New York’ I had to pinch myself that we were there. The crowd was very young and Gen Z. Their outfits looked fresh out of 2002. A Skinny Jean Free Zone. I saw one kid use a Nintendo DS to take a picture.
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I’m my best self in New York. I’m eating sugar, sleeping with my make up on. Who is she!?
