The Empire City — Arjun Desai

I visited a fantastic museum: The Museum of the City of NY. It showcases New York City’s history, culture, and evolution.

Living in NYC, I take the sheer scale and breadth for granted. It began as a Dutch trading post in 1624 and became a world behemoth.

The museum chronicles the four pillars that make the soul of the City:

Money: A global hub for finance, opportunity, and hustle.
Diversity: A rich mix of cultures that fuels tolerance and tension.
Density: Crowded streets fuel both stress and innovation.
Creativity: Constantly reinvents itself through bold ideas.

Seeing these forces play out in real time can be awe-inspiring. Yes, it can be overstimulating at times, but I know I’ll fondly look back at this time in the Big Apple. A quotation from G. W. Stevens:

“New York… uncouth, formless, piebald, chaotic, it yet stamps itself upon you as the most magnificent embodiment of titanic energy and force.”