Friday, January 25, 2019
When I was a small kid, maybe eight or so, my Mom brought me up to Jersey and New York for the first time ever to see her side of the family. The plan for part of the trip was to stay in Staten Island with Cousin Carol and from there go into Manhattan. I remember being a bit excited about seeing the city. But this was primarily due to a borderline obsession with Kevin McCallister’s exploits in the 1992 hit Home Alone 2. Nonetheless, I’m pretty sure this Cousin Carol I only heard about up to this point, immediately picked up on my excitement.
The morning of, we took the Staten Island Ferry in. It was so sunny. And the sky was so blue. As we began to pass the Statue of Liberty, I remember Carol enthusiastically instructing my Mom and I to "Look at her eyes! Look at her eyes! They follow you as you pass!" She was right. They did mysteriously follow us as we passed. Something Carol was also right about was the fact that New York City is the best city in the world. Which was something my Mom and I heard many times the rest of the trip, along with statements such as "Only in New York" and "No other place like it". I don't remember all the details of the rest of that trip, but I do so vividly remember vicariously feeling Carol's love for the city.
After several years of travelling, moving, and searching elsewhere, I have now lived on 14th St and 1st Ave for close to a year. My second story apartment window faces the street. It can feel as if, during my time spent home, I am plugged into Manhattan. The sirens of ambulances from Mt. Sinai and Bellevue roaring up and down the avenue. The homeless dude singing his “can I get a nickel please” song incessantly. The fresh-off-the-L party-goers from Brooklyn. All the languages. All the laughs. All the everything. Not only am I taking in the city from the comforts of my apartment, but I am currently also working for a nonprofit in the Financial District that specializes in connecting tens of thousands of eager to volunteer New Yorkers with over 1100 NYC nonprofits and schools in need of volunteer help. The organization is actually called New York Cares. Although I’m still new to the city and will probably in some ways be a tourist forever, through direct experience and passive osmosis, I’m rapidly absorbing the city Carol loved so much every second of every day. But it has taken an inherent openness to embrace the craziness of it all. NYC can be tough. And it's definitely not for everyone. So in such a short time, why have I been so initially willing and receptive?
It wasn’t until the day after Carol passed that I figured out why I trust the city and feel so connected here. I for some reason decided to take a walk through Battery Park during my lunch. As I was looking out at the water, I noticed the Staten Island Ferry leaving Whitehall. Every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year that ferry makes its way across the New York Harbor and reliably connects 70,000 people to Manhattan daily. Carol was my ferry to Manhattan. Little did I know at the time, but she planted a seed that would take decades to grow. And as my admiration for the city develops, and my roots deepen here, I can only feel gratitude for such a gift. And just like the Staten Island Ferry, which with great joy I’ll think of Carol every time I see now, she never asked for anything in return. And she gave so much to so many. So, thank you Carol.
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2508 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10314
(718) 761-5544
matthewfh@matthewfuneralhome.com