The cold weather begins to turn New Yorkers inward, out of the chill winds that flow through the streets and parkways; but the city still burns with activity and inventiveness, innovation and determination — even if it’s beginning to be pushed indoors. During an election year, this energy is amplified.
New Yorkers are caught up in the same turbulent political energy as the rest of the U.S. this November. The election has brought to a head many concerns, some incredibly divisive. Rising healthcare costs across the country, the influence of money on politics, the huge divide between the rich and poor, these issues shape the world that New Yorkers live in. More so than most areas of the country, New York shows off the staggering wealth of American finance and business. The conjoined loss of the middle class is also present. But the people here are resilient. There are signs of real change — most notably the New York state’s commitment to a raise in the minimum wage to $15 — but there’s still a long way to go for most of the people living and working in this city. At its best, New York City has always stood as an engine of change and innovation for the world, and as the political landscape shifts this coming week, the metropolis and the people that inhabit it will continue to move forward with determination.
People the world over recognize the many landmarks of New York; but they rarely get to know the faces that pass beside those giant buildings and historic monuments. Life is too fast to take those slow looks as tourists and New Yorkers share a moment, a social media post, a bite to eat. And, to be fair, New York is a full speed kind of town.
The majority of New York City’s long blocks are dedicated to the churning engines of industry and technology — the things that, over a century ago, promoted the creation of the first skyscrapers, and made New York City such a marvel to behold. People contribute daily to that same spirit in their own motions through the street: rushing off to some business or pleasure, talking on the phone, or capturing a slice of the Big Apple on their camera. The face of New York has changed, but it maintains a step towards the future in its ideals.
Recently raised to tower over the city is another monument: the new World Trade Center. Still under construction, the new site includes the breathtaking One World Trade Center, 7 World Trade Center, a Museum and Memorial to September 11th, and the breathtaking open wings of the Occulus structure, a bold new transportation hub. All of the new construction, including the amazing, newly opened Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, just a block away from the World Trade Center, show that New York continues to reinvent itself. A two-fold celebration and memorial, the blue glass and pointed peak of the Freedom Tower shine out above Manhattan, reminding those within view of the possibility that New York holds — and the tragedy built into the recent history of the city. With a divisive election season almost at an end, that two-fold nature of the American experience in the 20th century seems to have risen to the top, and in New York right now, you barely need to scratch at the surface to find that buzzing tension.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City, One World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower.
© Digital Journal
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City: Inside the Calatrava’s Oculus.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City: Trump Tower.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City: Trump Tower.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
© Digital Journal
New York City alive with change as autumn slowly descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
© Digital Journal
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
File photo: New York City.
Digital Journal
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
New York City alive with change as autumn descends on its citizens and skyscrapers.
