The Vast Edges of Opportunity and Prosperity
A vast majority of Americans have zero/minimal concept of size and of just how big and how vast their country truly is. When discussing the urban/rural differences, discussing the immigration issue, discussing the myth of overpopulation, I find the complaints to be silly. The United States is giant, diverse, beautiful, and full of so much potential, and The Edge to me is a real-life visual representation of what this country is capable of.
The Edge is over 1,000 feet up, giving you arguably the best view of New York City and North Jersey in the entire NYC Metropolitan area. At the very peak of a building that features a multi-story indoor mall connected to a beautiful park, The Edge is the crown jewel of Hudson Yards, a fast-growing and advanced section of New York City that kinda feels like its own separated section of Manhattan. In the queue, you see an interactive visual discussing the history of New York City before you ride an elevator that shoots you all the way to the top.
The view isn’t only spectacular, but there’s also plenty of space to roam to soak in the scenery. There’s a staircase, a small seating area, a thick glass floor so you can look at the view a thousand feet down, and even a nearby restaurant in case you want some fine dining with a backdrop of miles upon miles of big city lights (granted I went there at night, I’m sure it’s a very different experience in the daytime).
This is beyond a mere tourist trap, this is a must-visit for all New Yorkers and anyone that lives within close proximity. Take a trip to Hudson Yards, roam around the High Line Park, soak in the beautiful downtown space within Manhattan, and then take the trek up to truly realize how damn big the city is, and just how big this country is altogether. It gives you an appreciation for just how vast the boroughs are, how many delightful secrets they hide, and how even with the problems and shenanigans is an ecosystem that’s always changing, evolving, and always presented as a space for you to succeed in. Nearly any kind of terrain imaginable can be viewed from here, showcasing the truth behind the cliché about how within NYC’s borders you can pretty much find anything you want—the metro area offers a sample of what the rest of the entire country offers, culturally and environmentally.
The Edge is basically that moment in Legend of Zelda’s Breath of the Wild, when Link climbs to the top of a high power and sees the entire scope of the adventure he’s about to engage in. Reach the top, and observe the adventure presented before you.
I’m not sure what else there is to say, it’s a beautiful sight thanks to a city that has spent generations morphing itself into the global powerhouse that it has become. There are indeed cities that are bigger in size, bigger in scope, and bigger in terms of popularity. But they aren’t New York, New York City is a specific vibe, a specific personality, and despite being just a fraction of a fraction of the U.S., they have 6% of the entire nation’s population and with a GDP that as a separate entity would be 10th in the WORLD.
And that’s why it hurts when I see their damn mayor discussing the immigration crisis as some city-killing situation, when New York City is far too big and far too successful to turn its back on the very reasons it has such a successful nucleus in the first place----immigrants. Immigrants built this city, sustain this city, and prevent the city from falling apart into urban decay as the country continues struggling politically with awful leadership, deadlocks within the government branches, and an entire political party that has pointed at the city as part of the problems with America.
Eric Adams seems to be caving in to the MAGAt’s nonsense with the way he has responded. The Edge is proof that the city has too many resources, too much money, and too much space to fall apart because of the latest generation of immigrants seeking a better life. How dare the mayor of the city that had seen generations of waves of immigrants ranging from the Irish to the Germans to the Italians to the Chinese to the current wave of Latin Americans and Middle Easterners suddenly point to these flights of people seeking better lives as a problem that will break the city.
How dare he.
Adams has spent billions on the police, has upgraded their weaponry, has shipped them all over each corner of the NYC map, even has given them hordes of drones to inspect backyard parties, and he doesn’t have the money and resources to help migrants? Notice he doesn’t even have the guts to point out the Republican Party’s awful shitty actions at the border with the death traps and the bussing them to random parts of the country with fake promises. Its embarrassing and disappointing.
Politicians like him lack the scope, lack the focus of the larger picture, and lack the cohesive mindset that understands the history of America and the history of the boroughs. Immigrants don’t drain the system, they sustain the system, the elevate the system, enhance the cultural flavors of the city region. Every major metropolitan in the world has their major factors for success. With Tokyo, it’s the government focus on an area that’s more than 10% of the entire nation’s population. With Singapore, its because the country is just this one city and they use intense taxes to boost the major tourist destinations to cover all the services for the people living within the city limits.
New York City?
It’s the hustle and bustle of the hundreds of cultures blended together and battling for a good prosperous life for themselves and their descendants. People must remember this as the latest waves of immigrants related to a century’s worth of U.S. intervention make their way up here.
The Edge is the best visual reputation for New York City’s success and potential for anyone that wants to build a life here. Eric Adams should visit and remember what city he represents before using the vocabulary he used.