welcome week

ended up in saint marks sunday night, and got a dose of how much the neighborhoods' changed as i walked through east village and into union square before taking the subway home. 

walked past our old place on 12th and 3rd ave and it (ji, your room in particular) has turned into a tarot card reading place.. 

in addition to:
1) a HUGE westside market now adjacent to the loews on 11th
2) the store that literally had a little bit of everything (am i delusional or is this store called "A Little Bit of Everything") with the green scaffolding always covering it, has now transformed into a luxe bed and bath wannabe with floor to ceiling glass windows.  
3) new thai food resto near kiehls
4) the high-rises on 13th that seemed like they'd be under construction forever are now complete.  they stand out… in a bad way (feel the same way about LES lately) 

makes me think about an article i read about jerome audureau, one of the last small business owners in soho forced to close his bakery on saturday because the costs were too high.  his bakery was the neighborhood go-to for 23 years for so many… what's it gonna turn into next? 

i know that the city is constantly changing, but it just makes me wonder how much more of it i'll be here for.  how much longer will i stay here.. it's a reminder to me that change can be good, but it also means something to acknowledge what it used to be before it changes into something else.

i also passed by carlye, third north, and palladium (three NYU dorms) on the way to the subway, and in front of each dorm was a group of doe-eyed, clueless freshman, getting to know each other.. trying to fit in.. newbies(: 

i hate it when people say that they wished they could go back to college and do it all over again… or when people (seriously) wish that they could relive their teens, their 20's, whatever.  the years i have on the those younger are years i'm thankful to have lived.  i think the other side of "ignorance is bliss" at that age is the perspective that comes from experiences gained.  the caveat is that caution and fear sometimes follow and linger because of them.  getting through that is what "live & learn" is about. i think having faith, whether blindly without reason, or cautiously for good reasons is something worth fighting for in the present, today, whether you're 17 or 27. the best is always yet to come, and that's why i don't wish the same when someone says they wish they could go back and do it all over again. 

dear nyu freshman (and anyone else who's come here for welcome week):
good luck! you'll be great.
welcome to the greatest city. ever.
i hope you end up loving it. 

to be honest, my freshman year wasn't all that great.  i even considered moving back to maryland because i thought i wasn't cut out for it..  but i stayed and stuck it out. and i'm really glad i did.  along with the city, i've also changed a lot since that first welcome week, and i'd like to think it's all been for the better.

xmon