The following exercise is intended primarily to get you familiar with commenting on our course blog, however, I may revisit the following topic later in the semester after you've learned more about the city.
In ONE or TWO paragraphs, I'd like you to write about your experiences of visiting or living in a large city (roughly 250,000 pop. or more). General impressions are fine but also include at least ONE particular exerpience you had which you believe is indicative of urban life in America today.
Please post your comment NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, SEPT. 12TH.
This exercise is worth 5 activity points.
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My experiences in large urban cities has shown me how much an individual must rely on themselves for survival. Historically, people came together to form cities so that they can work closer, share resources, and depend on others more than rural farming peoples did. However, in large modern cities that I have visited, such as New York and Seattle, the hustle and bustle of daily life leaves little time or concern for others.
A particular incident that sticks out in my mind was when a friend and I were walking across the street in Dublin, Ireland last interim. After learning the right ways to look before crossing we attempted it and were almost completely ran over by a zooming car, I think it even caught my friend’s shirt a little. So scary! The driver obviously was not bothered by our presence enough to interrupt his commute. I have had similar experiences in New York City plenty of times. To survive in cities like these you really have to look out for yourself. My friend and I had to and also the driver was probably en route to a job or event that their status and life may have depended on. I do believe the personal demands of large cities takes precedence over common courtesies like holding the door for someone, stepping to the side for someone to pass, or even a genuine smile, which seem to be lacking from modern urban scenarios. Inhabitants of large cities and even tourists hurrying to squeeze in every sight-seeing are mainly focused on themselves. I do not necessarily think that these actions are done meaningfully, just that most people are so hurried that they often neglect those around them. Seems full-circle from the historical basis of a city.
My experiences of living in a metropolitan area has helped mold some of the characteristics and ideas I held about these areas. I live in Prince George’s county Maryland which borders Washington, D.C. Although I do not live in the heart of the District, the population density is very high therefore the characteristics of inner-city places spill over into the suburban areas. I see many sociological issues such as: inner-city poverty, distinct class and racial division, and also many of the reasons for migration to these heavily populated areas.
First, there is the issue of inner-city minorities who live in D.C., and are often stuck in poverty and not able to pull themselves out. While others who are more financially stable are able to move into the suburbs on the outskirts of the District. Prince George’s county is statistically known as the wealthiest predominately black county in America yet so many people, mostly minorities, living minutes away are living well below poverty levels.
Second, there is a distinct class division in this area. Although predominately black, the minority of whites live in upper class neighborhoods, often in a more expensive part of D.C. The city is divided into four sections (NW, NE, SW, and SE), with Maryland on its northern border and Virginia on the southern border. Along with these geographical borders there lies a social and racial border as well. For example, entering D.C. from predominately black P.G. County (north-eastern) it is nearly all black and entails project housing and poor facilities. Continuing through until what is known as downtown D.C. (government buildings, etc.). At this point there is a drastic change in race, lifestyle, and wealth; continuing well into northern Virginia.
Thirdly, there is the issue of migration to larger cities for better opportunity. From a personal account, I know that my grandparents who are both from small towns in the Carolinas, at different times moved to D.C. simply because the large city provided far more opportunities as far as jobs, housing, entertainment, etc. As we talked about in class, people from rural areas often moved to large cities to acquire a better opportunity.
My mom, grandmother, and I went to Atlanta, Georgia a few years ago for my spring break with the main focus of going to a lot of the tourist attractions in the city. Although we did spend most of our time at tourist attractions, we still got somewhat of a feel for Atlanta as a large city. I remember when we first arrived in the heart of the city, we spent quite a while trying to decide where we would park, that is if we could ever find somewhere to park. I can picture us now sort of just sitting in the car pulled over a little bit trying to figure out where to go. I don’t even remember where we ended up parking, just the trouble we ran into with the huge amount of cars everywhere.
Once we were out walking around, I noticed that there were not too many people walking around except for when we got close to where the subway or metro was. All sorts of people were coming in and out of that entrance. Also, on the sides of the streets we saw quite a few homeless and handicapped people. They were not doing anything, just simply sitting there. It was interesting to see the large amount of people in certain places and the variation of types of people throughout the city.
The city that stands out in my mind most clearly is Chicago. I'd been to London at the age of nine, and I carry a few memories of the vastness of that city, but when we approached Chicago from the interstate two springs ago, it felt like an entirely new experience. The buildings rising from the horizon were so huge and majestic, and there were so many, that I was filled with a sense of wonder that downtown Spartanburg (or Greenville, for that matter) cannot evoke. I'd been to Atlanta as well, but Chicago left more of an impression on me, perhaps because of its foreign nature (it seemed busier and faster than the southern towns I knew) and its extensive depiction in movies, television, and books.
One of the my experiences that epitomizes the nature of the city was the ease with which my family navigated it. After driving in, we used only one cab for the entire trip, and walked around in the heart of the city for the duration of our adventures. We had access to multiple art museums, monuments, and critically acclaimed restaurants in a relatively small geographical section of Chicago. In half a day, we toured the Institute of Art, the lake front, and went to a concert venue. The arrangement of such places created an extreme cultural intensity, and it was liberating to find so many different experiences open to us at any given time, day or night. It's this cultural opportunity that I feel embodies the spirit of the city.
When I was 10 years of age, my family and I went on a trip to Cleveland, Ohio to visit relatives. Being from a rural area in West Virginia, I was amazed of the large number of people that were walking on the sidewalks and the many cars on the streets. Also, I could not believe how everyone seemed to be in a rush all the time. For example, we were driving through downtown Cleveland and were stopped at a stop light. My dad was not paying any attention to the light and was gazing off at the towering buildings. The light turned green and within a second, the person behind us blew his horn at us. I believe that people are not only in a hurry in Cleveland, but also in other cities.
When I was around 13 years old, I went on a trip to New York City for a vacation and to visit family. By me being from a small town in Georgia it was a really different experience. The life in New York was so fast paced and it seemed like it never slowed down. I was use to going to sleep with everything outside really quiet, but there it was always something making noise such as sirens or horns blowing. The houses were compacted really tight on streets and the houses did not really have a backyard and normally just one place on the street to park your car. There was more walking and bike riding in New York than back in Georgia.
One experience that I remember while in New York.
While we were walking and looking trying to take in what the big city had to offer, it made us move at slower pace than what the citizens of the city were accustomed to. While walking someone came by and bumped me really hard and I said, "You can not say excuse me?" The person replied, "You better move faster I am almost late." I realized then that people in the city are sometimes rude and just always rushing to get where they have to go no matter what is in their way. Overall, the city was life was decent , but I would not want to live there because it is just too fast for me.
I have not had many experiences in cities as large as 250,000 people (the city closest to my hometown of that size is an hour and a half away). Probably the largest city I've ever been to was New York City and my experience there was an overwhelming one. I was overwhelmed by the scale of everything and also the impressiveness of all the buildings and the sheer number of people. The thing that I remember most clearly about that trip was walking through Time Square late at night and being shocked at how many people were still out. It didn't seem to me that the flow of people had changed at all and that is in high contrast to my experience growing up where everything in town shuts down by 10pm. I think one of the most consistent experiences that I've had whenever I visit a city is the traffic. It seems that wherever you are the people there seem to think that their traffic is the worst and it feels that way while you're sitting in it. My image of cities, no matter where they are, always includes heavy traffic, both on foot and in cars.
Growing up in the cities is all I have ever known. I went from living in Atlanta Ga to living in Cincinnati Oh. Living in the cities has taught me a lot, you have to learn quick and protect yourself. Growing up I saw a lot of the bad in the cities but I saw some of the good as well. I saw drug dealers murderers but i also saw communities coming together to fight for a cause. I saw communities protecting one another. Cities taught me everything I known about surviving in the world, that its all about who you know not what you know and how to get along with people.er12
I grew up just outside of Washington, DC, in Alexandria, Virginia. I spent a decent amount of time in the city; it became something I adjusted to (whenever I was in the city). I've noticed behavioral differences in myself when I'm in the city (as opposed to Spartanburg or Alexandria). Cities are much more individualistic; I am more alert / aggressive when driving, and definitely walk faster.
I still don't feel like I've really experienced a city. I've always been a visitor. I want to live inside a city and really become a part of the life there; while I've gained initial impressions of many different cities,in the U.S. and outside, I don't think it's enough. There's so much more to each city I've visited, and I don't feel like I've gained a fully realized perspective. Perhaps, as an initial impression, I generally find cities a little daunting at first. They become something you adjust to, though. I have a lot to learn and experience -- in any city.
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