Creative Writing: Dear Mr. Jones

285 Lafayette Street: Mr. Jones' NoHo/SoHo/East Village apartment building

Dear Mr. Jones,

Today I went to your favourite places in New York City.  It's a bit weird thinking that when you were alive I saved up money to travel to your city (the last time I was here, you were actually alive).  And now I wander through your old haunts as if I'm trying to communicate with an old friend.

I went to visit a grocery store you frequented (it's still standing), your apartment building (also still standing), and I went back to your favourite park (again, still standing).  It's weird to think that some of our favourite (or at least most frequented) places are still here - alive and thriving - after we ourselves are long gone.  It makes me realise that my favourite places back in Florence or Los Angeles will continue existing, as they've always done, whether or not I choose to visit (or are, indeed, alive to enjoy them).

But morbid thoughts aside, I have already grown to understand why you loved this city so much.  It's only been ten days (nine full days) since I've moved here, and I've already completely, irrevocably fallen in love with the city.  It's a bit of a cruel prank to pull, since I've fallen in love with a place you - my first inspiration for moving here - no longer inhabit.  But this city is ALIVE.  The one word that keeps coming to my mind when I think of it is: ENERGY.  It may be the city that never sleeps, but I think a better description of it would be the city that is LIVING.  There's so much to see and do here.  Even within a few hours the tone and feel of the city changes as it wakes up and goes to bed (and I've only experienced the waking city!).

Not to mention all the good New York has done so far for my art.  Although still a bit lonely, I definitely can see why isolation and new environments are great for your art.  My writing has just increased since I've moved here (and gotten better and better, if I do say so myself), and I've already got hundreds of concepts, ideas, and themes that I want to one day put into a new work.

I still don't know what I want to do exactly (or what I want to make), but the idea of being an artist in some way, shape, or form is always present.  How could it NOT be in a city where it's just as likely to find someone with a book in hand as it is to find a phone in their palm? (Most of the time it's a two-handed operation - novel or journal in one, with a phone or music device in the other).  Not to mention all the history (national, artistic, cultural - you name it, New York City - specifically Manhattan - has got it) that has gone on in these mere 22 square miles.

And I haven't even talked with you about the community I've experienced yet! My God, New York has got to be one of the friendliest places on earth.  You were right when you emphasized the PEOPLE here.  There's no where else on earth like it.  Both London and Los Angeles house good people, but they don't exactly "warm up" to you.  It's very difficult to break into any sort of social group or make new friends (or even start a conversation with someone on the tube).  New York is different.  Sure, it's a city so there's always that one person who's rude or unfriendly.  But from my own experience everyone I've encountered has been warm, generous, and welcoming.  If you communicate that you want "space" then no one will bother you, but if you indicate that you want a conversation then New Yorkers are more than happy to chat with you.

Which, speaking of, I channeled your own bravery today by meeting a new acquaintance on a bench today in Washington Square Park.  I remembered that you wrote one of my favourite pieces ("African Night Flight") after conversing with pilots in Africa.  Well, I wanted to gain new experiences, so I took the plunge and started a conversation with the young man beside me (my brilliant conversation opener? "Do you have a pen I can borrow? Oh, is that Hume you're reading? I love Hume").  And I officially made my first (second to my new roommate) friend in the city! His name is Jim (not of the Moriarty disposition), and he's a senior music major at NYU.  We ended up talking for (literal) hours about art and philosophy (my favourite things) before exchanging numbers.  I can't wait to meet more people like him.

I also got to spend more time with my roommate this evening and talk with her about my experiences here and my life back on the west coast.  I also listened to her experiences growing up in New York (almsot all of her family live in the city) and her holiday traditions.  She's been a great fit so far, and I'm so happy to have met her.  She also complimented my Instagram and my park poem (while she was reading it she said that it was, "totally Washington Square Park").  That compliment has definitely given my spirit major encouragement.

But all of this being said, there have also been small interactions I've had every day with at least one person that has made my day.  For instance, my uber driver the first day on the way to my new apartment, who was from Jamacia and gave me a sermon about following God's Will and praying every day.  He was ecstatic that I had followed God and moved here without a job or a plan (he also said he believed in my success).  Or another Jamaican man who I met during my first visit to Washington Square Park who told me all the best places to find good food and great music (there's every culture in the world within walking distance, and apparently there's great Chinese on 7th street).  I also met a lovely Japanese woman at the church I went to last Sunday who greeted me so warmly and genuinely that I couldn't help but smile in return (to which she complimented me and said she liked my lovely smile - a much better compliment than my own hollow 'I like your jacket'), before she implored me at the end of the service to come back.  Or even yesterday I met a young boy named Jack.  He can't have been older than three years old and he came right up to me in Battery Park and started chattering away at me (he was playing hide and seek with him mom, but he couldn't find her [she was "hiding" behind a tree about ten feet behind him]).  I got to hear all about his time in New York, how he was going to play with his legos, and his love of Batman before his mom (Welsh?) came to tell him that it was time to go back to the hotel (he waved and stared at me all the way out of the park).  All of these things have not only been good for my writing and art, but good for my soul.  (There is still kindness in the world).

In short, Mr. Jones, my decision to see what all the fuss was about (why DID you pick New York City to call your home?) has so far been fruitful.  Don't get me wrong, it's been lonely and I've questioned my decision to move here every other hour (that I'm not exploring).  But somehow it seems right that God has led me here (via you and your work).  I can't explain it other than despite being so lonely here (and indeed I started today feeling down), I also know that there's nowhere else I need to be right now (there's just something RIGHT about this place with my soul).

I still wish that you were still around (if anything so I can pretend to be tourist that needs help with directions just to speak with you - that is, assuming I would've had the nerve to even approach you in the first place).  And it feels as if I'm trying to embrace your favourite parts of the city.  It's as if I want to relive the history and be a part of the groundbreaking moments that happened there.  I suppose it's no less than you yourself did when you moved to New York City to the area that your well-loved beatniks and other artists came from.  Yet all of that being said, I can't help but thank you for leading me here (or rather, having the Spirit use you to lead me here).  I know I would've never picked New York City after graduation if it wasn't for your work guiding me here - right where I need to be (for some as-yet-to-be-determined-reason - Dear Lord, I need a job and a sign).

Thanks for the Music,
Jade

P.S.

You have excellent taste in coffee shops, eateries, and bookstores (Caffe Reggio, Bottega Falai, Olive's, McNally Jackson, and the Strand are all excellent).  But your taste in grocery stores is a bit excessive (Dean & DeLuca is unreal and so are you).