Life in motion

Movement is key to this city and probably the best reason why people hate and love NYC so much. No one or thing is ever really stagnant, and it constantly feels as though people are surging toward some greater something that I can't, and even they can't, see. But this isn't Amsterdam on Queen's Day, when hoards of people stumble around high and drunk in literal circles (okay, half circles) in search of a happening party or reason to cram their faces with more fatty bliss. Nor is this Hollywood on a Friday night, when girls stuffed into too-tight dresses and guys in Ed Hardy gear take to the streets for nights of unplanned debauchery.

New York's movement is one that encompasses these two elements, sure, but also includes the kind of simultaneous uncertainty and confidence that only this city can create. Everyone's on a journey toward something, pursuing their dreams and sacrificing finances and practicality in the process - the grand difference being that they don't do so with blinders on.

The city's all about shortcuts and detours and having a general sense of direction while pretending to know what's up. I understand now why New Yorkers are notorious for being know-it-all and condescending (though this stereotype has only held true in a rare instance so far). Living in this city means having to build up an aura of knowledge, culture and self-assuredness. If you appear that way from the outside, people are more likely to treat you as such so that you can build yourself up to that level on the inside.

Fake it till you make it.

Not to say that people are fake, just that it's getting easier to tell who's from the city, who's been here and assimilated for a bit, and who's freshly transplanted from another town. The quick pace of NYC streets reveals this well enough - seasoned pros charge into traffic, dodging cars and buses while bobbing along to their iPods. Those who have been here for a few years attempt to get away with this internal calm, but usually balk at the last minute when an errant taxi bludgeons down the street.

The newbies - they wait. They look left and right and then left again for good measure and wait for the rest of the crowds to shuffle over to the other side of the street. Their movement is more about getting to their destination in one piece than showing off their street savvy. They're more willing to wait for the "OK, go" and ironically, don't notice as many things along the way because of this dogged concentration on the end goal.

Street numbers will jump from 42nd to 14th, and it's a question of what each individual will have processed in that numerical gap.

Uncertainty and confidence.

It's a lot to try to embody and learn all in the first bit of this journey, but it's amazing how inspiring and curious walks down NYC streets can be. Time to get me some moving and shaking, and I don't mean no chess or salt.