i think the awe towards new york city has a lot to do with the fact that everything feels familiar in a way because you know the city a lot from the media; from movies or tv shows you watch, books you read, songs you listen to, or from your study. like you know them at the back of your head as an imagination. it's maybe like feeling how your imagination appears in real life in front you.
the first night my friend took me with our take away dinner to sit at one of the ferry points in east river in brooklyn overlooking manhattan skyline. that's the first moment that got me like, "holy, i'm in new york". and i can say that that was basically how i felt almost the whole time i was in the city, except when i fell sick due to so many reasons, which wasn't cool at all.
like when we were walking down the street of manhattan and suddenly we arrived at times square, it was really unexpected for me. like we all know times square. but when you're there it's a completely different feeling. you got to feel the vibe that couldn't be translated in any form of media unless you're being there. then there were lots of many more places that turn from just names into a real experience of the place: williamsburg, brooklyn bridge, greenwich village, east village, battery park, bryant park, central park, the guggenheim, moma, lincoln square, grand central, the high line, bowery, chelsea, soho, park avenue, fifth avenue, harlem, chinatown, and a lot others.
