Dear Diary:
I moved from Minnesota to New York 18 months ago, and if I had to summarize my experience here so far, I'd do it with F. Scott Fitzgerald's line from “The Great Gatsbyâ€: “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.â€
This May, literature and life collided at the Harlem-125th Street subway station. It was about 11 p.m. and I was waiting for the downtown 4 train. Normally a bit lively, the platform was almost silent despite the small crowd there.
When the train arrived, it was packed with fans from Yankee Stadium. The doors opened and the sound from within hit, actually causing me to step back. Nearly everyone on the train was talking, and loudly. I got in, and decided to enjoy this inexhaustible (and slightly drunk) variety of life.
My fellow Minnesotan had it right in his book. New York is, indeed, a city of contrasts and contradictions. I love it.
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A version of this article appeared in print on 07/08/2013, on page A16 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Metropolitan Diary.