New York and Me

Sitting in the countryside of Kent, a place like New York seems more mythological than real. A modern-day Atlantis. London is more familiar, less than an hour away on a train and a regular place to go when heading north in England or going to a gig. When I travelled with my best friend to New York last summer, the myth of the city became reality. After a 7-hour flight, we were soon standing outside Penn Station at night. Smoke rose from the grates in the sidewalk and the Empire State Building was bathed in a warm, blue light. Aside from feeling like Anne Hathaway in ‘Devil Wears Prada’ I felt shocked. This was New York City. There was no Frank Sinatra in my head nor any 2000s rom-com. I was truly in New York. Walking one block away as we attempted to navigate to the nondescript Air BnB, I was unable to get over it; a surreal feeling that persisted for so long that it followed me back to Kent. 

My favourite writers, artists, musicians - people in general - have all been to New York and through them I have been able to connect with the city. I felt like I belonged there and I felt alive-the journey mattered little to me because as we walked past people starting their night by heading to the bars and people heading home from work, I felt like I was one of them. I’ve read about New York and I’ve heard about New York, all in the attempt to feel like I could experience it before I was actually there or connect with it in advance but nothing, nothing at all, prepared me for how overwhelming the city was. I thought ‘the city that never sleeps’ was a romantic exaggeration but throughout the entire night there was not a single bit of silence. Again, it was overwhelming. But I adored every second.

I fell in love with the city within hours of being there. Starting the first full day there, I was head over heels in adoration. I yearned to live here and I knew that when I returned to my small village in the UK I would want to be back in the city. I love London and Paris and if someone asked me to choose between the three cities I would crumble under the pressure; it would be like choosing my favourite child. But the city, the city, will always be New York to me.

The connection to New York is a romantic one. It is surrounded in such legend that it appears to be an artists paradise. Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, the Beat poets, The Strokes, Interpol, LCD Soundsystem, Joan Didion, CBGB, Warhol and so many more all influenced me to such a great extent when I was growing up that when I did eventually find myself in the city I felt myself guided by these people. Songs especially helped to emphasise certain areas and as I walked the avenues and experienced New York, I felt myself forming a playlist of songs that were, for me, New York.

Music can play a vital role when discovering a place or visiting a place. Much like how painting can influence (think any Impressionists like Renoir, Cezanne or Monet and Paris) or books (Eve Babitz or Joan Didion for LA), music can be a gateway to deepening an understanding of a place or time. Songs can be extricably linked to not just the general idea of the city but to specific moments or areas. Being in the city, it’s hard to ignore the impact music has had and this informs you when discovering New York and making it your home-if only for a few days.

Walking round the city, especially if you’re walking through Times Square or across the Brooklyn Bridge, it is hard to escape the hit song ‘Empire State of Mind’ by Jay-Z (feat. Alicia Keys). Few songs are so iconic to New York as Frank Sinatra’s ‘(Theme from) New York, New York’ or Jay-Z’s 2009 hit.  In these hotspots are tourists vendors, standing on the side with a small phone setup onto of a rotating plate. They line the entirety of the bridge and as you complete the ~15 minute walk across you would hear the 30 second snippet of the Jay-Z song on repeat. At the end of the bridge I wished to never hear it again, the chorus haunted me. I had expected Times Square to be a small slice of hell on earth but after hearing the 30 second snippets on loop, I don’t believe even Dante could imagine anything worse.

Chelsea Hotel is one of the most iconic buildings in the city, especially within the musical and literature world. In the 60s and 70s, it was a cultural boiling pot and was the home for Dylan Thomas, Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, Janis Joplin, Sid Vicious and many more. Leonard Cohen even wrote the beautiful ‘Chelsea Hotel No.2’ about his relationship with Janis. As I saw the red sign hanging outside the Victorian gothic building, images of all the notable residents and influential artists that came through fleeted through my mind. I thought of Leonard Cohen’s song and how poetic it was-unsurprising considered the amount of gorgeous poetry he had written-but I thought it was incredible how he managed to capture not only the time period he wrote about so beautifully but also the people, the atmosphere, the entire image of Chelsea Hotel. Within seconds of the song you can find yourself transported back to the hotel, back to looking at the red bricks, the neon sign that was beautifully lit up at night.

Prospect Park in Brooklyn was one of the prettiest areas of New York, especially one of the prettiest natural areas. Separated from traffic, you can find peace and quiet right by the Brooklyn library. As I walked through the avenues of Brooklyn and headed into the park, I had ‘Ever Since New York’ by Harry Styles playing through my headphones. A New York song straight from the title, the song reminisces on New York after hearing bad news but for me, listening to this song in the city that is making a home in my heart, the song is far from negative; especially when relaxing under the sun. 

PJ Harvey’s early-2000s album ‘Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea’ is a New York album, despite her stating otherwise. While recorded in places like Milton Keynes in the UK, the album features photos taken in Manhattan and lyrics that frequently reference the city: “I’m in New York…the city sunset over me”, “On a rooftop in Brooklyn…In Manhattan… The Empire State Building” and “In Chinatown… Little Italy”. These references throughout the entire record reaffirm its link with New York, painting a vivid image of early-2000, post-90s New York with the yellow taxis, glittering lights at night and the constant energy that powers the city and when standing in the observation deck, looking across lower Manhattan, the words became even more poignant.

While Chelsea Hotel, and all the musicians linked to the building, are iconic to the city and to the history of art, there is an argument to be made that no music scene quite captured New York like the 2000s Indie-Rock scene. Researched in depth by Lizzie Goodman in her book ‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’ (a title taken from a song from The Strokes’ sophomore LP), the scene consisting of Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsytsem and most notably The Strokes dominated western media. The Strokes are still, over 20 years since their first album, credited with being one of the greatest influences in modern music and it isn’t hard to understand why-‘Is This It?’ is not just an incredible album, it is a New York one; even if that is because the band lived and breathed New York. They made their mark there and when listening to the songs, like the title track, ‘Last Nite’ or even ‘New York City Cops’ it is easy to hear the city within each drum thud, each guitar chord, each raspy song lyric sung. 

This is the same with the other artists mentioned, each striking me when I visited the city. LCD Soundsystem’s song ‘New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down’ was on repeat when the sun set and the buildings were illuminated by their artificial lights, the city transforming before my very eyes as night took over. Interpol’s entire first album ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’, fittingly, was also playing when night took over. ‘NYC’ was all I thought about as I descended onto the subway, wondering if it truly was a porno or if I was 20 years too late to that frightening image.

Music has a way of informing and accompanying and I found New York, a culturally rich and vibrant city, to be no exception. Seeing these iconic buildings and immersing yourself in the atmosphere, I was constantly reminded of songs that I had loved and that had built up these vivid images of what the city would be like. They were my own personal tour guide for the 6-day period. I felt that my experience was heightened because of this, because of the companion of my music library. They added depth to the faces of buildings and the tips of skyscrapers. I didn’t just see Chelsea Hotel, or the entirety of New York, I saw the Hotel and the City with its decades of history, with influential artists taking asylum and making their mark on the world. My music was a gateway for fully understanding the city and allowing me to appreciate the whole experience that little bit more.