New York State, Divided By 3

Photo by: Steven Fiala

For many of us, the name 'New York' conjures up the image of a line of skyscrapers sprawled out along the horizon from afar, or bright lights and zooming taxi cabs up close. But in actuality, The Apple is just one-third of the whole.

Upstate New York

In my mind, New York State can be divided into three primary sections. The first I consider as Upstate New York. Here you find the Hudson River Valley, Catskills Mountains, Niagara Falls, the capital city of the USA and the Adirondacks. The farther north you go, the more dramatic the seasons become. I am in love with the Hudson River Valley and its neighboring Catskills mountain range. Easily accessible and aesthetically charming, these are great places for a weekend getaway from the often times hectic city pace.

The Big Apple

Photo by: Ash Campbell

New York, New York... a mass of ethnic diversity and cultural stimulation. The city is made up of 5 main boroughs all centered around Manhattan Island. In my opinion, this is where the cities of the world are represented most in the USA. Always a sea of heaving people headed upcity, downtown, inner city or out of state, this is the crossroads of the state.The beat is lively, always flowing, and beneath the icy, straightforward stares is a layer of men and women who go where they're headed and know where they've been. It's hard to fit in if you don't pick up the pace, but once your pace is set, this place is inspiring.

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Long Island

Photo by: Ash Campbell

This can best be described as an area of economic contradiction, where the very rich rub elbows with the debased poor. Middle class is a series of numbers, and the farther east you get, the more pretentious the lifestyle seems. And yet, underneath it all, if you scratch behind the facade, you will find a history of the people who were there before the onslaught of summer homes and Manhattan elite-come-settlers. It's a history of farmers and fishermen, immigrants and locals alike.

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And now we ask you: Have your previous perceptions of a place ever been challenged by the reality of the experience? Comment below and let us know!

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