New York, NY...It's My Home Town!

Well, it's been almost 8 years and I probably should've taken this page down a while ago, but I just haven't been able to. So I've decided to leave it up for those "newbies" that might want a glimpse into who we are at Sing Your Life, and whether or not we can be trusted with their voices. SO... here it stays...

"Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood,

Hop a flight to Miami Beach, or to Hollywood.

But me, I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line,

I'm in a New York State of Mind."

The song says, "If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere". The people of New York, my people, ARE making it and WILL make it! And with them, WE will make it too. God Bless them all, and all of us!

Growing up in the canyons of New York City was a wonderful experience. Below are just a few of my memories...of my old neighborhood...my New York. I put them here as a tribute to my home town, and a reminder to myself of where I started...and where I'm going...as New York City, my city, guides me all the way home...

The picture to the right is the Washington Bridge that connects Manhattan to the Bronx...I sat at my window as a child and watched the boats traveling up and down the Harlem River.

The picture to the left is the George Washington Bridge that links Manhattan with New Jersey across the Hudson River. My neighborhood was situated between these 2 bridges and aptly named Washington Heights!

Another photo of my little red lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge (seen above). It would have been demolished if it weren't for a letter campaign from school kids like me and thousands of others begging City Hall not to destroy it. Today, thousands of kids and adults visit the lighthouse in Fort Washington Park.

Yankee Stadium, where my sisters and I spent many an afternoon, playing hooky from school. We sat behind Home Plate and screamed "We love you, Mickey!"

This is the elementary school I attended from K thru 8th grade. When I visited it 30 years after graduating, I couldn't believe how small it was!

In the summertime, my sisters and I would go up onto the roof of our apartment building to cool off. We thought we were seeing the entire world from up there!

...On Saturdays, my father would take us to Jones Beach...

The drive from Manhattan seemed to last forever, but when we saw the Tower, we would get so excited 'cause we knew we were almost there!

The magic of this great city lives in my heart forever! I'm a Broadway Baby", raised on the streets from Battery Park to Washington Heights!

And no matter where I've gone, or where I've stayed and resided, I am still, and will always be a New Yorker, and whenever I perform, or my students perform, we always include at least one song about New York! It's not just where I'm FROM...It's WHO I AM!

for I AM A NEW YORKER!

I am a New Yorker
I do not live in the five boroughs or on the
Island or Upstate
I may live hundreds or thousands of miles away
Or I may live just over the GW Bridge
But I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker
Whatever took me out of New York:
Business, family or hating the cold did not take
New York out of me.
My accent may have faded and my pace may have
slowed
But I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker
I was raised on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,
Nathan's hotdogs, and Rockefeller Plaza,
The Yankees or the Mets, Giants or Dodgers,
Broadway shows Jones Beach or Rye Beach,
Orchard Beach & of course Coney Island
I know that "THE END" means Montauk.
Because I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker
When I go on vacation, I never look up.
Skyscrapers are something I take for granted.
The Empire State Building and the Statue of
Liberty are part of me. Taxis and noise and subways and get outa heah"
don't rattle me.
Because I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker
I was raised on cultural diversity before it was
politically correct
I eat Greek food and Italian food, Jewish and
Middle Eastern food and Chinese food
Because they are all American food to me.
I don't get mad when people speak other languages
in my presence
Because my relatives got to this country via
Ellis Island and chose to stay and
raise their family to be proud Americans
They were New Yorkers

I am a New Yorker
People who have never been to New York have
misunderstood me
My friends and family work in the industries,
professions and businesses that benefit all Americans
My firefighters & police officers died trying to
save New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers
They died trying to save Americans and
non-Americans
Because they were New Yorkers.

I am a New Yorker
I feel the pain of my fellow New Yorkers
I mourn the loss of my beautiful city
I feel and dread that New York will never be the same
But then I remember:
I am a New Yorker

And New Yorkers have: Tenacity, strength and
courage way above the norm
Compassion and caring for our fellow citizens
Love and pride in our city, in our state, in our
country
Intelligence, experience and education
par excellence
Ability, dedication and energy above and beyond
Faith--no matter what religion we practice

Terrorists hit America in its heart
But America's heart still beats strong
Demolished the steel in our buildings, but it
doesn't touch the steel in our souls
Hit us in the pocketbook; but we'll parlay what
we have left into a fortune
End innocent lives leaving widows and orphans,
but we'll take care of them
Because they are New Yorkers

Wherever we live, whatever we do, whoever we are
There are New Yorkers in every state and every
city of this nation
We will not abandon our city
We will not abandon our brothers and sisters
We will not abandon the beauty, creativity and
diversity that New York represents
Because we are New Yorkers
And we are proud to be New Yorkers!
Anonymous

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