A subway reflection: MISA YAMAOKA’S LOVE LETTER TO NYC
Gallery founder and art enthusiast Misa Yamaoka sat in the NYC subway as she saw a series of peculiar, hard-to-miss, NYC-exclusive events unravel. Read her witty reflection below.
Last week, a finance bro started puking in my subway cart. I was unfazed. I'm feeling weirdly patriotic toward New York.
This surge of patriotism started when my Parisian/Mancunian friend Florence Macaulay came to visit. Compared to Paris, New York is the friend who's a little too loud, lacks eloquence and classic intellect, but is also an indispensable member at any gathering.
I know that New York does not compare to the grandeur of Paris. There is nothing romantic about the blaring lights of Times Square, nothing peaceful about the sound of angry cabbies, and nothing tasteful about the TikTok influencers and content creators that accost you on the street. And even so, I found myself trying to convince Flo that New York City is inarguably THE PLACE TO BE.
The deep delusion of NYC is that all its inhabitants are all too aware of its imperfections yet still embrace them wholeheartedly. It's hard to distinguish whether this city/inhibitor relationship is the most extraordinary love story ever told or just the most emotionally and physically abusive. New York will beat you down, but we are still quick to defend it in conversation and embrace its defects.
The social construct that binds the millions of angry, stressed, and highly creative individuals on this island is we accept New York's damp, sticky, and filthy attributes - till death do us part. Dare I say we welcome the odd puki man on a midnight subway ride?
Misa Yamaoka in New York City, 2023. Courtesy of Misa Yamaoka.
About the Author. Misa Yamaoka (@misamaria_) is the Founder & Director of Headline Gallery, and currently works with Art Production Fund in NYC. Misa graduated from NYU, Gallatin, with a concentration in Art Business.