New York State Provides Variety
The first time I remember traveling to New York was in a visit to my great-grandmother that lived frustratingly far from all the exciting high-rises and streets of the Big Apple.
Climbing up hay bales and sleeping in a farmhouse built in the 1800s is definitely a far cry from the literal walls of people that represent New York City as their home.
However as I grew up, I would also come to visit N.Y.C. and its legendary boroughs every couple of years.
I have been up and down the Empire State, and though its flaws become more apparent as I get older, New York still holds a special place in my heart.
Upstate
After my great-grandmother died in 2015 at the age of 101, my family came into ownership of her 28 acre farmland located in Swan Lake. In the years since we have made it our annual reunion spot.
Making this a new tradition was natural because of the tranquility surrounding our second home.
In October, the Catskills Mountains our land sits in inspire a person’s heart with calm as the leaves of the foliage turn their autumn shades.
In these woods, I cannot avoid engaging with nature and it becomes a dialogue with the listener about all the wilds have seen.
New Yorkers call it upstate.
The field where Woodstock took place is preserved to this day and museum-goers can stroll onto the field at their leisure, taken in 2016 in Bethel Woods. Photo by Malcolm Castelli.
Around twenty minutes away from our house is the town Bethel Woods, where the legendary Woodstock concert took place in 1969.
A small but dedicated museum and music pavilion stand overlooking the hillside where thousands once jived before the stage as the artists played live.
Spruced up homes and dilapidated shacks scatter the more rural parts of the Catskills. The rustic residents carve out a life for themselves in a place that used to be heavily trafficked just a few decades ago.
A traveler can still find great rest stops though towns are sparse. My favorite spot is the local pizzeria Sal’s Pizza in Jeffersonville, whose owners make some of the best pizza New York has to offer.
Though it becomes easy to feel isolated on my family’s land, the small towns and communities gathered around these parts are close-knit.
The long journey from the city is worth the drive to experience the slow pace of life up here compared to urban life.
In the rural parts of upstate New York, farms cover the countryside and distinguish the state from the city, taken on Oct. 6, 2018, in Swan Lake. Photo by Malcolm Castelli.
In fact, it seems like a miracle to fall asleep without the sound of cars driving by in the background. This resounding silence is a welcome reprieve from the sprawl that is Southern California.
A natural vibe takes hold around the woods after dark. It is eerie yet peaceful and only chirping insects and birds can be heard in this night.
However N.Y.C is ever-pervasive, and even two hours away from the city-that-never-sleeps the light pollution blocks out the shining stars in the sky.
The Big Apple
Coming from the Inland Empire, skyscrapers are a novelty and a city with so many high-rises and windowed buildings seems as unique as the wilds themselves.
I first visited the city after getting acquainted with the rural upstate, an
d the only thing on my mind as an 8-year-old in 2002 was to visit the old Pokemon Center store, now a general Nintendo Store, and play with every related toy in sight.
Since then I have journeyed to the city a handful of times and my love of the city has yet to dwindle.
Except in the summer when it is hot and humid, feel free to book flights elsewhere.
There was a surrealness to New York City at first, but as an adult it has become a puzzle I get to solve a little bit more every trip.
Dense and almost alien, a sense of adventure takes hold that I cannot quite explain. Though I can confirm the city smells awful in many places.
Every street in New York City has people coming and going while they go about their day to day business, taken on Oct. 9, 2018, in Midtown, Manhattan. Photo by Malcolm Castelli.
There is no constant other than the traffic, construction and smells.
There is always something going on in the streets like musicians playing instruments in the parks, hustlers trying to sell their merchandise and bike riders weaving in and out of traffic like professional stuntmen.
It was not until I was older that I came to appreciate the true scope of this city, and that distinction can be seen in every square corner of the bustling, honking and don’t forget smelly metropolis.
Even if somebody hates to participate in the tourist traps, there is one thing every traveler must see: the 9/11 memorial and underground museum that sits where the Twin Towers once stood.
At the old base of the towers lies a somber memorial where the names of those who died are engraved into its edifice. Below the stone, water flows into twin pits at the bottom of these bases.
An American flag is placed on the names of first responders who lost their lives in 9/11 on Sept. 7 at the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan New York. Photo by Michael Quintero.
Underground, the foundations of the World Trade Center can still be found made into a comprehensive museum of that fateful day.
The museum includes mementos such as a recovered firetruck still in its broken condition and a breathtaking room that holds the pictures of most of the people who died in the attacks.
Though I was only in second grade at the time, I remember the constant loop on the news of the first plane hitting the tower and my Brooklyn-born grandmother looking on in shock.
My new Pakistani friend confided in me his fear of being Middle Eastern and how others would view him, though at that age he could not exactly explain why.
My journey to this memorial was a somber form of closure.
Anyone interested should make sure to book tickets several months in advance.
While I have been in the crown of the Statue of Liberty, walked through Central Park, been to numerous museums and have had the displeasure of being in Times Square, I still have much more to experience.
Times Square, taken Oct. 9, 2018, is one of the most crowded and trafficked spots in the city and is prime real estate for advertisers. Photo by Malcolm Castelli.
The history and culture of New York cannot be taken in with one visit, even after visiting it four times. My experience so far is decidedly touristy, and next time I would like to break this mold.
Every time that skyline comes into view and my plane touches down, I cannot wait to see more of the Empire State.
