I was raised in New York City, born on Fifth Avenue opposite Central Park. I'm a die-hard Yankee fan. I maintain that NYC pizza is unparalleled. The same can be said for Jewish delis, Italian bakeries, fried rice, bagels, street hot dogs, and coffee. I started drinking coffee at the age of five. You can blame my mom for that! She would prepare us a good café con leche before sending us off to school. I suppose she wanted us to stay alert in class, though I'm not sure the teachers appreciated our caffeine buzz.
I never took a school bus because there weren't any available. We walked to school in all weather conditions, even snow, as the New York City Metropolitan School District didn't believe in snow days. When I got to high school, I began taking the public bus. At 16, I quickly mastered the New York City subway system. My mom even allowed me to travel to Macy's Herald Square after school for a seasonal job I held during my senior year.
Macy's wasn't my first job. At 14, I had my first summer job serving lunch at an elementary school to kids in an underserved area. The next year, I worked as a summer camp counselor. When I received my end-of-summer work evaluation, the camp director was unsure how to rate me. She thought I was one of the campers. I could understand the confusion, as I was petite and skinny, easily blending in with the younger campers. Or maybe it was because I joined in on the fun.
Somehow, I made it to college, which even surprised me, as saying I disliked school is an understatement. Art and math were the only subjects I enjoyed. Art sparked my creativity, and math provided an interesting challenge. I enjoyed solving problems. Everything else bored me. I never actually took my homework home. Honestly, I don’t remember what happened to it!
The same goes for parts of my childhood and young adulthood. I can't recall much. I'm not sure if it's intentional or if my memory is just bad. One thing I do know is that from a young age, I found my way growing up in New York. NYC made me fearless, sassy, and independent. Just like Frank Sinatra's song New York, New York, "If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere." It's up to me. I have a New York state of mind.
~lo
Nice photo. NYC is my favorite city!
That subway brings back memories.I grew up in Brooklyn and rode the R line to work. I still visit frequently just to stay true to my "roots." Thanks for sharing the photo and story.