Review: A City That Never Sleeps

A City That Never Sleeps

New York is one of the most fascinating places to live in. There are around 26,000 people living in each square mile, it is also an city that contain huge amount of diversity, with much cultural influences spreading every single day. In the novel "The colossus of New York" by Colson Whitehead, he describes his experience while living in Manhattan. Now, we will discuss what it's like to live in New York and be a New Yorker through the eyes of Colson Whitehead.

Whitehead explains in details about how it's not a good idea to listen to what history books and television talks about New York. "Never listen to what people tell you about old New York, because if you didn’t witness it, it is not a part of your New York and might as well be Jersey" (7). He also states that it is all hokum with the facts that you have heard from anywhere else, the only real fact that you will get is to be there to experience it. This is Colson Whitehead's though on what real facts to consider whenever he listens to anybody else talk about New York.

The author talks about how it's like to live in New York the attachments that he has build up while living there.

Colson discusses that the apartments that he lived in has been filled with memories of his wardrobe, musical tastes, relationships and who he is after midnight. He goes on to state ,"Cherish your old apartments and pause for a moment when you pass them. Pay tribute, for they are the caretakers of your reinventions" (9). Always remember the place where you live. Your character, your personality, memories, the apartment will always be the place for the good and bad days, and caretaker for your improvement throughout

life.
Colson also describes what is like to be a New Yorker. "Maybe we become New Yorkers, the day we realize that New York will go on without us" (6-9). Colson describes that you know you are a New Yorker once you realize that old coffee shop is now a chain pharmacy , the place where you first kissed, and stores that you knew use to be there, is now gone. There isn’t any proper good-byes here in New York. Old shops close and new franchises opens. This is the feeling Colson believe you are a New Yorker once you have gone through this experience.
In the city that never sleeps, know that everyone else have their own city in their mind. Like Colson states, " there are eight million naked cities in this naked city"(7). Everyone has their own thoughts on what the city is to them. For me, while living in New York for about 10 years now, moving from Chinatown, Manhattan to Brooklyn, I have experience a lot on the diversity of the city, the environment, and places that I have visited. Given my time in this city, I realize that I am a New Yorker when people ask me about directions and I didn’t know what to say. The reason why I didn’t know what to say is because I only remember the route that I always take to go somewhere. Street signs only matter when you are going to a place you did not know.
Given these facts and description on New York through the eyes of Colson Whitehead, it is clear that New York is a unique place to live, from your first apartment to realizing that there are no real good-byes, things always move forward. We might live in the same neighborhood and never bother to make a conversation. Most of the time, when we lock eyes, we do not say anything, just a shrug on the shoulder and on with our day. I remind myself that the people of New York is always moving fast, you will get left behind if you don’t catch up.