To many, New York City is “The Big Apple”. To me, New York City is the night sky. It’s the Milky Way, filled with constellations of vibrant, unique, codependent communities. In the heart of each community is a soul star: the language, food, and traditions of the people. The lines between the stars are pieces connecting the vast transportation network of the city.
One of my earliest memories is an unplanned detour into Astoria. A train heading the wrong direction led us in exactly the right direction towards delicious food. Taking advantage of the new situation, we walked down the streets, past bustling cafés decorated with vines and pastel paintings, grocery stores with the most amazing cheeses, and Orthodox churches of ornate designs. I’ll never forget the dinner we had that night: a roast of lamb, the meat so incredibly juicy and flavorful. I was exposed to combinations of flavors that I had never experienced before. Yet still, there was more of Astoria to explore, and it remains a neighborhood that captures my awe and imagination today.
My next defining experience comes out of Flushing. My grandparents moved from China to Queens, and their first apartment in America was in Southern Flushing. I particularly remember taking the Q44 select bus every weekend to visit them. My favorite spot was, and still is, the food court in the basement of the mall. So many different stands, serving so many different foods from all over China. I particularly remember, one weekend, my mother took us to Flushing to explore, rather than the usual grocery run. She bought us bowls of cold noodles, explaining that it was a specialty from when she was living in China. What struck me about these noodles was the contrast of sensations that they provoked. The spicy, numbing dressing, provoked simultaneous feelings of cold and hot, against the near-iciness of the noodles, and the cool, fresh taste of the cucumbers. It was as though, in my mouth, there was a simultaneous war of a firestorm of passion, against a blizzard of tranquility…
Of course, the second major aspect of how I view the city, is the connections between the metaphorical “stars”, and the connections between communities. These connections are opportunities to unite and synergize, but they can also push apart, and siphon away the energy of the people. In the spaces between the stars, a war rages, the dark energy forces of greed, car dependence, and pollution fighting against equity and sustainability. The very highways that send motorists zooming between far-flung suburbs tear apart neighborhoods, sapping away the stellar energy of the folks living nearby. In these, and other areas, transit deserts and rivers separate folks. It is as though we are looking through a glass window: The other side is palpably close, yet still inaccessible.
My lens of the city is guided by my interactions with its communities, and the networks that connect them. Above all, I wonder: How can we empower people to explore, flourish, and develop through access to transportation? How can we preserve, promote, and celebrate the cultures of New Yorkers? How can we ensure a comfortable quality of life for all New Yorkers? How can we erase the stains of the past and build a transportation system that works for all?