"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter - the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in search of something . . . Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion."
E. B. White (1899-1985) Here is New York
This is an excerpt from an essay by E. B. White nearly 60 years ago, but still rings true to this day. If you live in New York you probably recognize it. The MTA has been using it as part of their Train of Thought series since April of 2008. Train of Thought is a "thought-provoking program for subways and busses" feauturing short quotations in history, philosophy, literature, and science chosen by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and is an extension of Poetry in Motion.
As far as this particular quote, I would fall into that thrid group, the New York of the person who was born somewhere else but came to New York in search of something. I give New York its passion.
