It was 3:00 in the afternoon when I woke up to a faint noise of the announcement on board from the cabin crew and the captain herself, “As we have started to approach the city of New York, all the passengers are requested to open their window shades as the temperature outside is 3 degrees with clear skies.” I sat up straight, stretched, and drank some water. It was sunny outside and the temperature was almost equal to my battery level. “We will start to descend in a few minutes. All the passengers return to their seats and fasten the seat belts.” As I drew the window shades, I was overwhelmed and mesmerized by the view of Long Island and its refreshing waters. An amazing element of silence was all over the cabin as everyone was still fast asleep. A perfectly structured city with its streets and avenues clearly visible and the waves of the waters bouncing over and passing the rays of the sun in a continuum was one unique experience in itself. The flight landed at JFK and as usual, my cab arrived a little late. I struggled a bit because I wasn’t prepared for the extremely cold temperatures, but I enjoyed everything I came across almost instantaneously. The people, especially the airport staff, cabbies, and the other fellow passengers, clearly had dreams in their eyes to achieve something big!
I was used to watching this city on-screen when various TV shows held their shooting in different boroughs, such as Friends, Brooklyn 99, 2 Broke Girls, etc. Every show depicted a unique angle of this city which I could relate to while I was traveling through the streets of Brooklyn. I saw a bunch of youngsters playing basketball out in the cold which made me wonder how! There were those rustic grocery shops and delis on the way with their boards hanging out in a shabby way. People were walking with a cup of coffee on the pathways, and I too was craving something hot. We made a stop at some restaurant and as soon as I entered the cafe, a cheerful sound came all the way from the other end of the room, “Good afternoon sir! How you doin?” It sort of brought me back from my lethargic state, and I greeted him back. My luggage was right next to me which prompted him to ask about my place of origin. “Qatar,” I replied and then came another loud and energetic response, “Welcome to the United States sir. What can I get you?” I wondered how people managed to be so zestful and vibrant. I proceeded with a hot cup of macchiato and a blueberry muffin to the front door and got in my cab. As we were driving, there came the Hudson River which made me go numb for a while. A perfect combination of sunlight being reflected from the skyscrapers in Manhattan over the riverfront. Next, we entered the one and only, Brooklyn Bridge. I opened my window without caring much about the cold breeze and took a deep breath and closed my eyes while retrospecting about the opportunities that this city has got to offer. The borough of Manhattan is known to be one of the busiest cities in the world with communities spanning across all different sections and cultural backgrounds. But the pandemic had its effects visible in the form of empty streets with very minimal crowds on the sidewalks. We took a turn on 33rd street and the Empire State Building lit up the skies with its windowpanes shining in an elegant manner. Then came the buildings of different banks, some of which seemed to be uniquely designed in the 90s whereas the others didn’t have a wall on the outside but glass! Starbucks was present around every corner with a small socially distanced line which kind of seemed like a luxury to me as I am used to the typical Nescafe. Museums, art galleries, and restaurants offering various cuisines made me want to explore the city even more.
As we entered the Lincoln Tunnel, it took 15 long minutes for a bright opening to appear and then eventually we checked into the city of Hoboken, and there it was again, the two newly constructed towers of Stevens Institute of Technology. I realized the fact that people struggle to set and expand their footprints in the city of New York and similarly it was a desideratum to give my best shot once again.
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