Americas Melting Pot

Brandon Hallinan

ENC 1101

Professor Jones

October 10, 2007

America’s Melting Pot

        It is the city that never sleeps. It is the Big Apple. It is what makes the Empire State, the Empire State. It is The City of New York. One of the leaders in business, finance, and culture, as well as a strong influence in politics, education, entertainment, fashion, and arts make New York City a major global city. The most populous city in the country, it is home to over 8 million Americans who refer to themselves as New Yorkers. These New Yorkers are people of all walks of life, having heritage from all over the world, living in one of New York’s five boroughs; Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and, of course, Manhattan. Each borough is rich in culture, heritage, and history, and has so much to offer. Only in New York City can you transfer seamlessly between one area responsible for an entire movement in literature and art to another area that brought rise to an entirely new genre of music. From the language, to the food, to the traditions, you would be hard pressed to find someone who has not been influenced by the mix of people that has been culminating for centuries. New York City truly is America’s cultural melting pot.

As an outsider of New York City, you find yourself astonished by the commotion of what is going on around you. The sounds of people, cars, subways, sewers, and the atmosphere are almost overwhelming to a first timer. After the initial shock of being submerged into such energy, the next thing you may do is stretch your neck while marveling at the mere size and architectural beauty of the skyscrapers. After regaining your composure once again, you might be able to decipher the dialect of a typical New Yorker. Perhaps you pick up on some Italian, maybe a few words of Chinese, or quite possibly a combination of several different languages. At this point you are welcome to The City of New York. [pic 1]

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Chances are, you are in wonderful Manhattan, but what do you do first? Do you explore the rest of Manhattan? You want to see the Statue of Liberty of course. Maybe admire the lights of Times Square? There is plenty to do there. Perhaps you would rather take a stroll through the 50 blocks of Central Park? A peaceful walk will bring you back down to earth. What do you do in a city that has everything, yet you have no idea how to learn about it? The simple answer is to start at the bottom: Staten Island. You can come back to Manhattan later, save the best for last.

So you rode the subway to South Ferry, after fighting your way through crowds, turnstiles, and the unpredictable closing of the subway doors. Obtaining your fairy tickets, you may have passed a few street performers, people selling paintings, and hustlers trying to make a few bucks off of fake merchandise. Being the smart traveler that you are, you avoid them and head straight for the screening tents to get on the ferry. The smell of salt water invades your nose and the sound of seagulls penetrates your ear drums and you embark on a peaceful ride across the water to Staten Island, passing by Ellis Island and Lady Liberty.