New York, Interrupted: My Introduction and Farewell to the City Kaashif Hajee
It was my first time in New York, and the US in general, for that matter. I
was a brown Nick Carraway, getting my first taste of the American Dream, only a century later. It was the year 2020. The roaring twenties were back, this time with their own set of promises: discovering a new city, the most
iconic and storied of all time, the one most of my favourite movies and TV shows were set in.
On the very long flight there, I imagined what this magical land would look like, the one I had seen extensively through the gaze of motley
writers, directors and cinematographers. I imagined a wholesome land of friendships and camaraderie, that of Central Perk and MacLaren’s. I imagined the realm of Blair Waldorf, Carrie Bradshaw, Harvey Specter, Jerry Seinfield… all the Goodfellas. I imagined the territory of Alex the Lion, the king of New York City.
I also imagined the streets of Travis Bickle. The basement of Rupert
Pupkin. The psyche of Arthur Fleck. The neighbourhood of the Central Park Five. The romance of Fonny and Tisch. Theirs was a land of
alienation and resentment, of injustice and oppression. These worlds had nothing in common, yet were portraits of the same place.
What was it about New York that was so special? I had to find out. I had to explore all the places these characters inhabited: the Upper East Side, Central Park, Grand Central Station, 5th Ave, the Empire State
Building, Harlem, Queens. I had to see everything in flesh and blood, this time through my own lens. I had to see the famous Times Square, the
place that’s always under attack in most thrillers and superhero movies. I
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