Why New York City Is The Greatest City In The World To Me

Or you think of Broadway, where talented hopefuls from all over the world flock in the hopes of one day gracing its respected stage, or you might immediately picture The Met, just one of the numerous museums the city boasts, home to some of the most famous artifacts, paintings, and sculptures ever to exist. Of course, these are just a few things that instantly come to mind when the subject of New York City is brought up.

For years, New York has been regarded as the greatest city in the world. And with such a grand, sweeping, lofty title, it’s bound to get a bit of questioning and garner a few haters; after all, it’s still an imperfect city, with warts and unique challenges and downsides, that’s subject to romanticization. It’s still a (ridiculously) small piece of land being inhabited by way too many people, all of whom have different backgrounds and customs and get in each other’s way. 

But as someone who’s lived there, right in the middle of the city, for four years, I think I’ve gained some insight on why it’s still widely thought of as the best city in the world, why more people than it can hold still move there every year, why New York City still has a hold on our hearts – all while being realistic about all of its difficulties.

Yes, It’s Expensive, but for a Reason

The very first thing anyone who’s ever lived (or even simply visited) New York will complain about is how expensive it is to exist there. Rent takes a significant chunk of the paycheck each month, eating out can get pricey (which is what inspired me to learn how to cook), and saving money there isn’t a simple task.

That being said, it’d be silly to pretend New York is that expensive for no reason. We pay overpriced rent in exchange for living down the street from The Metropolitan Opera House, one of the most coveted stages in the world. We shell out money to live within walking distance from Central Park, filled with historical sites and natural beauty. We spend so much money to live there so we can live around the corner from a slew of options for a dinner date, whether made by a hardworking Halal food truck attendant (which is some of the best cheap food, by the way) or a classically trained chef at a fancy restaurant.

New Yorkers are the first to admit how outrageously priced everything is; we’re also the first to boast about how lucky we are to live in a city that’s teeming with the best food, entertainment, and culture in the world — a city that attracted 66 million visitors in 2019 alone.

New York’s Diversity Will Introduce You to New Things

I think one of the best things about living in New York is how incredibly diverse it is. No matter what part of the city you live in, you’ll be surrounded by a vast array of people, all of whom come from different cultures and practice different customs. This is part of what makes New York so unique – it truly is a melting pot. If you’re looking for authentic Chinese food, you’ll find a family-owned restaurant that use recipes passed down through generations; the same goes for every other kind of cuisine.

The close proximity of New York means we’re given the opportunity to experience other cultures up-close, getting to taste dishes we didn’t grow up with, listening to stories that aren’t anything like ours. This helps us not just “accept” other cultures, but find the undeniable beauty and value in each of them.

It Really Is the City Where Dreams Are Made Of

Whatever your dreams are – becoming an opera singer, a fashion designer, a chef, an architect, a writer, a professor, or anything else – there’s a place for you to thrive in New York and have the opportunity to pursue a career that feels meaningful to you. And you’ll be surrounded by people who are dreaming and pursuing, too.

New York is filled with millions of people, each of them doing their own thing, following their own passion, investing in their talents. It’s a city that prides itself on its endless possibilities, offering its inhabitants (whether immigrants or U.S.-born citizens) a place to follow their dreams and try their hand at something that wouldn’t be possible elsewhere.

There’s Always Something To Do

They don’t call New York the city that never sleeps for nothing; it often feels like an ongoing party, and we’re given the option of joining in whenever we want. 

There’s always something exciting to get in on, a new adventure to embark on, whether that’s checking out McSorley’s (a world-famous Irish pub), going to the Guggenheim Museum, renting a boat in Central Park, seeing some of the best performers in the world perform a Broadway musical, visiting St. Patrick’s Cathedral, going to a concert at Madison Square Garden, or literally anything else you can think of – all within a subway ride.

New York Is Rich with History

Practically every corner of New York is dripping with history, from the Statue of Liberty (gifted to the city in 1885) to Fraunces Tavern (built in 1719), which was originally a meeting spot for the Founding Fathers and has since been turned into a bar and museum, to Trinity Church (founded in the 17th century) which serves as Alexander Hamilton’s burial place, to Washington Square Park’s beautiful arch (built in the 1890s), to the Chrysler Building (opened in 1930) with its gorgeous art-deco design.

New York is a city that has a story to tell with nearly every building, every street corner; countless lives were lived in the city before everyone that inhabits the city today, and we’re all lucky enough to enjoy the beauty and history they left behind.

The Architecture Leaves You in Awe

Sure, New York has its fair share of new, modern buildings in its skyline (including one in particular just south of Central Park that every New Yorker disdains). But it has so many breathtaking older buildings whose ornate, detailed architecture simply isn’t found in cities that were founded much later.

Whatever your taste in architecture is, New York most likely has it somewhere: art-deco, Renaissance Revival, gothic, postmodern, neoclassical, or Beaux-Arts, just to name a few. Just by looking up in New York City, you’re bound to see something beautiful and worthwhile.

It’s Thoughtfully Laid Out

To get entirely practical, the city’s grid-like layout just makes sense. The streets and avenues were planned out in such a way that you can easily find your way around, even to a part of the city you’ve never been to. 

Whereas most other cities don’t have a straightforward, easy-to-grasp layout, New York’s map is intuitive, thoughtfully planned, simple to understand, and its areas feel clearly delineated – so getting lost isn’t easy to do.

Closing Thoughts

New York, with all five boroughs included, houses over eight million people — so yes, naturally, it’ll have its challenges, drawbacks, and issues. But this doesn’t change New York’s place in countless hearts as the greatest city in the world. With its rich culture, top-notch entertainment, gorgeous architecture, and plentiful history, no city can totally measure up.

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