Not what it seemed: why the Russian-speaking tourist didn't like New York

Manhattan cannot be compared to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris or Rome. This is a unique place, writes the author of the channel "What's what" on the site Yandex Zen... However, New York itself is not suitable for everyone. Why - read in this publication.

Before getting to the United States, the author of this publication managed to add up his impression of the largest city in the country - New York. It seemed to him that all the best and most interesting is right here, in the "center of everything and everyone." “This is partly true. Who would argue that almost all the main financial tycoons and other "Wall Street wolves" have gathered in Manhattan, he writes.

But when he first visited the Big Apple, the tourist was shocked. “It would be experienced by anyone who first found themselves in such an unimaginable place. I'm sure of it. Many, probably, do not think so, but this is only because they have lived all their lives in the "village" and do not even imagine "what kind of New York this is," he writes.

It is difficult to convey feelings, the author admits. Firstly, when you get to Manhattan for the first time, you feel as if you are in a huge room, and not in the open air. Secondly, there is no feeling of the weather - neither cold nor hot. Thirdly, a variety of smells are heard from everywhere, both pleasant and not very pleasant. “In short, the first time in the center of New York is when you do not believe in what is happening and it seems that you are in a video game,” the author shares his feelings.

Gradually, when you move away from the shock, you begin to notice something specific - shops, restaurants, theaters, as well as people around, distinguishing between rich and poor, healthy and crazy. “It's all crushing and delighting at the same time! I want to try everything at once. It takes time to understand that you are not here forever and it is impossible to cover everything at once, - the author writes. - When you calm down, you start exploring the area and have fun. Manhattan cannot be compared to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris or Rome. A unique place. "

Disappointment comes gradually. “I don’t know how anyone, but it was like that for me. After the crazy vibrant city center, I want to relax, see a different New York. It was this stage of my trip around the city that allowed me to understand what's what, ”the author notes.

He believes New York is not a city for everyone. “I must say right away that in New York everything is good for someone, someone loves him and lives in this city. But it didn't suit me, ”the author admitted.

And the point is this: it is impossible to live permanently in the center, it is expensive and tiring. Life on the outskirts is completely different, not what it seems in American dreams. “Of course, there are successful people with good housing, there are poor people, but just happy people who have found themselves. However, the bulk of people, it seemed to me, live on the outskirts of New York in some kind of suspended animation, - the author writes. - In the black areas, something is constantly happening. There is no peace and no "just life." They are there in their mini-world. In Russian-speaking areas people are more or less calm and even seem to live normally, but in fact they seem to have fallen into a space-time hole and cannot get out of it. "

On the subject: 9 places worth visiting in New York instead of popular tourist attractions

As an example, he mentioned Brighton Beach. “Who are all these people and where are they from? Are they, in general, aware that they live in America and already the XXI century? It seems as if the people from Brighton took a piece of the late USSR and optimized it for the United States. And since those ancient times, there has been no development. I am exaggerating, but this is exactly the idea, ”the author writes.

This applies not only to Russian speakers, but also to all foreigners in New York, he added. “The Chinese live in their mini-country, the Italians in theirs, the Indians in theirs. And they wanted to chhat to this whole center of the world ... And America. You can understand them, but this is not for me. I wanted to see the real American dream, the real American values, ”the author writes.

It is believed that the first impression is the most correct. Perhaps this is exactly the case, the author notes. He added: “I must say, all the cities in the eastern United States made about the same impression on me. As a tourist, of course, I liked everything, but I couldn't find myself there from the first days. "

Neither Philadelphia, nor Pittsburgh, nor Jacksonville could captivate the author of this story from the first try. He did not take into account the small coastal tourist towns - they, he says, are good. “But I needed a different America,” says the tourist.

But the author liked Arizona with its good roads, open spaces and “special American comfort”. “Somewhere in Indianapolis or St. Louis, I began to notice how America was changing. And it was still very far from ideal ideas, but in a different way. The further to the west, the more I began to understand that the real America begins here, ”he summed up.