kestrel

kestrel
2021-09-29 20:37:29 (UTC)

Prompt 132: Why NYC is Amazing

132. New York City has a lot of history, culture and people, but what do you think is the most amazing thing about the city? Why do you think that ranks on top?
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I don't think much at all about NYC (so a lot of these prompts will likely be brief), and when I do I certainly don't think of it as an "amazing" place. Were I to think something were amazing though, it would likely be its transportation system. To outsiders it appears convoluted, arcane, and a "walled garden" of city privilege. But to someone who lives there and takes it nearly every day, it's just another thing. Their underground replaces personal vehicles for most of the city's residents.

The NYC subway system is so massive that there are entire terminals and stops that have been closed and replaced, and now people live in them. City public works kind of just forgot to shut off the power in several of these terminals, so the residents in these places have power, running water, and in some instances heat in the coldest time of the year.

Meanwhile, their city bus drivers - to put it plainly - have balls of steel. In my experience, nobody fucks with a NYC bus driver on their route. They must be paid well, because in general they're quick with a smile. Well, I suppose it's the measure of insanity they have. I'd imagine you'd need to be just a little unhinged to be willing to drive a 40-foot-long vehicle in that town.

...So maybe there really is one thing about NYC that I'm unabashedly impressed with. Necessity, combined with human ingenuity, combined with mass transit and public service, combined with the titanic rock bed of Long Island.




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