Beautiful beaches or man made concrete

            As a fellow New Yorker I see New York as a concrete jungle of flashing lights. Were the people are typically rude and pretty straight forward. Where the American dream became a hunt for a job, that later becomes a never ending cycle of a rat race. New York were the winter feels like a never ending season, were its all work and no play. This city has its up’s and downs just as any other city, but where is the fun, Beside a walk through central park, or a visit to the empire state building, or even a visit to the statue of liberty. In addition its expensive attractions that mostly appears in the summer and entertainment that glues you to your television. Where are the beaches and natural landscapes?  

             

              As I take my yearly vacation to Santo Domingo, first thing I see are the shallow turquoise-colored waters and feel the ‘tropical climate that maintains a state of “eternal summer” and maintains an average temperature of 82 degrees (enforrex.com)’. In Santo Domingo there is always something to do, just like New York but once the winter gets there no one goes outside in their right mind. Santo Domingo is one of the greatest cities where there are beaches and beautiful natural landscape, were the people are friendly with great hospitality. Where baseball is a national hobby, where in fact it had the Americas first hospital, two-story residence and university as well as its oldest surviving church (enforrex.com), in addition it’s a great Touristic city and most know for its beautiful beaches like Boca Chica, La caleta and much more. Its also know for it beautiful waterfront called "El Malecon" that attracts lot of tourist.

           

               In my opinion New York is a great city to create financial stability, to create a career but when it comes to living life, having fun spending time with your family and friends, drinking a little or a lot of beers “Presidente or Brahama” to be straight forward Santo Domingo is the best city for that. 

                                                        Work cited :

            

Santo Domingo guide introduction. http://www.enforex.com/santo-domingo-guide.html , Enforex S.L., N D, Web, 3/6/2014

The Rainy City

            People always say it’s best to get out of town, and see things differently. New York City being a very unique city it is not like many other cities out there. Some major cities around the world are Tokyo in Japan, Mumbai in India, and Mexico City in Mexico of course. As well as some right in here, in the United States. Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Detroit are a few. But, my favorite city of all is Seattle! It’s a beautiful sea port city located in Washington. Not very much like New York City at all. I believe it is much calmer and not as fast paced.

            Being a native “New Yorker” I can honestly tell you that it is not a totally different experience but, I would sure love to live there. Everything in Seattle seems to be less expensive than here in New York City. Groceries, gas, rent, you name it and you’ll probably find it cheaper in Seattle. Consumer Prices Including Rent in New York, NY are 34.43% higher than in Seattle, WA. ("Cost of living comparison between Seattle, WA and New York, NY")

            Not only is it least expensive, but it the people there are amazing. Us “New Yorkers” are known for being rude and aggressive. The people in Seattle are extremely nice and not as “blunt” I would say. Though, it is a very diverse city as well. It has many people of African-American descent and some Hispanics too. The U.S Census Bureau found that in 2010 7% of Seattle’s residents were of Hispanic or of Latino ethnicity. ("About Seattle")

Not too similar, but definitely they’re a few things the two cities can relate on. Seattle is much more laid back, easy going, and overall a better environment to focus in. I love it so much, I hope I really get the chance to move out there one day, and really experience the wonderful places and people the city has to offer.

           

Works Cited

 "Cost of living comparison between Seattle, WA and New York, NY." Numbeo. Numbeo, n.d. Web. 6 Mar 2014.

United States. U.S Census Bureau . About Seattle. Seattle: 2014. Web. 6 March 2014.

Puerto Rico

I took a trip to Puerto Rico in 2012. My heart fell in love with Puerto Rico the minute I got there, and I am dying to go back. That sounds strange coming from a person who is Dominican, has a house over there and a ton of family living in the Dominican Republic. I think the similarities between Puerto Rico and New York City is what has me drawn to that tiny Island.

                I first stayed in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Just about everyone spoke English! Of course I was in a major tourist community, but that isn’t always the case when vacationing in other places. Not everyone will speak English. Not only did they speak proper English but many people I came in contact with moved back to Puerto Rico from the United States. I even met a man who once lived near the Yankee stadium, which isn’t too far from where I live now. I found that weird being that Puerto Ricans are the United States second largest Hispanic population (Mastropasqua, Kristina). That statistic doesn’t surprise me I know many Puerto Ricans.

                The night life was just as live as it is here in New York City. In Old San Juan there were a ton of night clubs. Many of the locals would go over there just to hang out. Like New York City, I didn’t have to be in a club to be around music. There was a huge sitting area behind the hotel I was staying at that people would hang out at, at night. They played music from speakers and people would dance.
                The food was amazing! My mouth waters at the thought of all the tasty foods I enjoyed over there. They had plantains everywhere. Being Dominican I eat of ton of plantains already so I didn’t have to change my diet because I was miles away from home. At restaurants I would see the plantain bunch still attached to the stem resting on a chair waiting to be peeled. One of our favorite restaurants while staying there was called El Jibatrito. Every time I went I ordered the same dish, mofongo con churrasco. Mofongo is a dish that consists of fried plantains that are mashed together with seasonings. Here I eat that all the time. El Jibarito made it with a twist. They would deep fry the whole thing after it was mashed together. That would give it a hard coat on the outside. Let face it, anything deep fried taste better.

Not all the similarities were good. Like in New York City, there is a ton of violence. I’ve seen robberies and fights all the time growing up here. I wasn’t expecting to see things like that when I was on vacation. According to the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime, Puerto Rico’s murder rate is higher than the Dominican Republics, but not as bad as it is in the United States (O’Rielly, Andrew). I believe that has to do with the lack of police. I can’t remember seeing more than maybe two cops when I was over there. I once saw a man with his gun tucked into the back of his pants. One night out I saw a woman who was sitting on the floor. A man who looked homeless helped her up. I saw that she had left her camera on the ground. Unfortunately the man who helped her up saw the same thing and snatched it off the floor and tried walking away with it. My husband, brother-in-law and a few locals (including the guards from the hotel) went after him to try to get it back. When they came back they told me that the man pulled out a machete when they cornered him in an alley. The guards called authorities, but they never came. Needless to say they were unsuccessful in getting her camera back.    

 Although many similarities between Puerto Rico and New York City, home is where the heart is, but vacationing in Puerto Rico will always be great.

Work cited

Mastropasqua, Kristina. “Puerto Ricans in the United States: Research roundup”. Journalistsresource. July 2, 2013. Creative Commons Attribution. Web. March 5, 2014

O’Rielly, Andrew. “Plagued By Violence, Bad Economy, Puerto Rico Rings In 2014 With Bang; 13 Murders In 5 Days”. Latino.FoxNews. January 8, 2014. Fox News Network, LLC. Web. March 5, 2014

Is murder all we have to look at?

            I have lived in the Bronx since I was three. I cannot remember living in any other location; the Bronx is all I know. I also remember my parents telling me that I should not go outside because it's dangerous. I would go straight from school to home, and seeing empty marijuana bags, and needles in the park. There were nights when you could hear gunfire and police sirens all night. And yet nothing big ever happened to me. It was not until I was older that I was mugged for the first time. It was in my late teens that I was jumped for the first time, this should be a sign that it is getting worse to live here, right? Apparently not so, "the borough in 2012 saw just 112 murders, down from 148 in 2011 and the lowest number the borough has seen since 1963." (Johnston Garth)

                Is murder all we have to worry about, when it counts to safety? Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Seems to think so using this statistic to tell people that the city is a better place to live in now than it was many years ago. What about Muggings? And Assaults? I think that just because the murder rate has gone down, that does not mean that we are safe. I feel that the criminals in the borough are smart enough to know that if they do murder someone the police will work extra hard to catch them. But all petty crimes from muggings and beating are treated with less effort.

                If I was to call 911 to say that someone was murdered, they would probably arrive at the scene of the crime in less than a minute to get my testimony, and search around for evidence. When I called about being jumped they came to my house an hour later saying that they had just received the call. After telling them my story they drove me around the area where I was jumped to see if the culprits where still there (even though I told them that I saw them go to the train station). When they shot at the drug dealer that lived in my apartment the cops where there immediately to investigate and left a patrol car there for two days. They have also been there to arrest several drug dealers in the block I live at.

                I posed the question, is the Bronx a good place to live in? To a fellow coworker and his response was that it was getting there and that in some years it will be. I feel that we need to work harder for that to happen, and to not delude ourselves by saying that because less people are dying, that this is a good place to live in.

Works Cited

Johnston, Garth. " The Bronx Had A Lower Murder Rate Than Boston Last Year!"

 Gothamist. Gothamist LLC. Jan 23, 2013 Web. Feb 27,2013.

 No Place like New York City.

New York City is the place to be. I believe New York City has a lot to offer to the people. Everyone has their own opinion about New York, from my personally experience I believe New York city is one of the best places be live. I have known no other places other than the Bronx for the last fourteen years, although I had my ups and downs no matter what I can’t run away from what I have known my whole life. New York is the place where you can achieve everything and obtain your career goals.

 New York City is known as the city that never sleeps. There is so much to do in New York City and it’s the best place to meet someone new. You can visit a museum or attend a play or go see a movie on 42 streets with friends and family members. New York City transportation is alway reliable because the subways run 24/7 which is the reason why most of us get to enjoy daily activities. Unlike other places I have lived in everything closes early and you can’t stay out late due to the fact that there is no transportation at night . According to the Article New York City is also one of the most “linguistically diverse cities in the world.” We find people from all over the world living in New York; it’s stated that 800 different languages are spoken in the five boroughs. This is also one of the reasons I still enjoy living in the Bronx because you can find people speaking your native languages in the streets or in a store. Where ever you are in the Bronx you will always find someone who is either from the same town you came from.

    In addition, I believe New York City is a good place to live and be stable with your family. Many others say that New York is not the right place because its noisy, rude commuters and everyone is rushing and pushing, but overall they still will come and enjoy their stay but because there is so use to their living conditions they can’t deal with our way of lifestyle. Everyone perceptions is different and I respect that but I still believe there is no place like New York City because living in the Bronx I have seen and experienced so much in the past years. New York is a place everyone can fit in and encounter life changing experiences.

Work cited:

 By time out editors: Bruning, Sarah, Friscano Andrew LaCroix, Lowery Tim, Scherer Jenna, Williams Allison “50 reasons why NYC is the greatest city in the world.” http://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/50-reasons-why-nyc-is-the-greatest-city-in-the-world.  March 5,2013

Michoacano at Heart

I was born and raised in the Bronx NY. People say that home is where the heart is and my heart belongs to my little pueblo in Michoacan called Zacapu. Being from the Bronx Zacapu is like a whole different world. Being from the NYC everything is so crowded and people seem so angry all the time. and Zacapu is very small town that everybody knows each other and everyone is so friendly. Since my family is pretty well known in Zacapu, every time I get to visit I get to meet new people all the time. Every December they plan this big festival which I always enjoy so much. I do not go out much in NYC because I don’t know that many people but in Zacapu I am always outside playing basketball or enjoying a lot of drinks with my friends and family.

The one thing that Zacapu and NYC do have in common is that both can be very dangerous places to be at. Michocan is in the middle of a turf war between cartels. It has been like this for several years and currently people from Michoacan are fed up with the police that according to Roger F. Noriega is a former assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs “So-called guardias comunitarias — self-defense militias —have emerged to fill the vacuum created by an insufficient federal response.”( Noriega). NY also has problems. It seems like crime runs this city.

Both places has its ups and downs but I have always considered myself “un hijo del rancho”. “Michoacano en el corazon” Michoacano in my heart, arriva mi raza.

Work Cited:

Noriega F, Roger, “Mexico's new drug cartel battle: Self-defense leagues”.   http://www.aei.org.American Enterprise Institute.Jan 24 2014.web.March 01 2014

The best place to live in, New York City

                           Isn’t New York City a nice place to live in?

          Some of us who live in the city were born here. Others were not. They either migrated from other cities of the country or from other countries as well as other continents.  We all experience life in the city in one way or another. Our views may differ on many things that are part of the city.  From my experience after living in the city for almost seven years, there are things that make me always believe New York City is a nice place to live in. It is one of the most diverse cities in world. Public transportation is always available.  The city hosts also some of the best community colleges in the country.

         It does not take any efforts to realize that the city is very diverse. Look at the city’ streets, look at in  your classrooms, look at in the restaurants you go every day to have a lunch or dinner ,look at in your work place, you may see people from all over the world with many different backgrounds having lunch together, walking together, taking classes together or working together. This is unique to the city. It makes the city so beautiful. According to Sarita Dan, Director of Strategic Marketing and Tourism, and Contributor to the (New York Natives) “the beauty of the city is its melting pot character” (Dan). For instance, I worked for Porta Bella for couple of years; all my coworkers had different backgrounds. The manager was Algerian, the cashier was from Romania, and the sales persons were from Egypt, Republic of Dominica, Gambia and Bangladesh.  Culturally I learnt a lot of things from all of them.

       Public transportation is another thing that makes the city more livable. The trains, the buses as well as the taxis are available 24/7. They help facilitate the travelling of many people from their homes to their workplaces, to their schools, to their hospitals as well as out of the city and vice versa. For example, in many cities around the country we have to have a car in order to get to the point we want to, but in New York City at any time we can hop on the bus or on the train, and get to the place we want to go.

       In addition to the city being very diverse and having easy access to public transportation, the city also hosts some of the best community colleges in the country. Many of us who do not have the opportunity to attend private universities such as NYU or Colombia University attend community colleges like Bronx Community College for the Associate Degrees. Students who distinguish themselves well in these community colleges are having the opportunities to attend either NYU or Colombia University which are some of the top best universities in world.

                                                                         Work cited

Sarita, Dan” Around the World in 5 Boroughs: It is the People, not the Places”, newyorknatives.com, June 3, 2013. Newyorknatives.com web, Feb 28, 2014.