Big cities offer pluses, minuses

Visiting New York, Washington, D.C., and Houston in the past four weeks for professional purposes, I had a chance to get a firsthand glimpse of the life, people and culture of some of the largest cities in the United States.

Being accustomed to the peaceful and quiet lifestyle in Grand Forks for more than eight months now, I got an introduction to the hectic and busy lifestyle of these large cities, wherein people apparently do not have much time even for their personal lives.

This is because of the travel and commuting time. This, coupled with the busy traffic and traffic jams, “makes one’s life miserable,” one of my hosts in Washington said. (I was in the nation’s capital during the state visit of the prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, in mid-July.)

In fact, lifestyle issues prompt many people to stay away from these cities. I know of at least one professor from my own country, India, who moved from the National Institutes of Health in Washington to UND some two years ago.

“I was tired of the long drives,” he told me. “I wanted to lead a peaceful life, and Grand Forks is the best place for this and also to bring up my son.”

After visiting these big U.S. cities, I easily could see why some people, given the chance, would prefer to stay and work in places such as Grand Forks.

In fact, I felt the same way when it took me some 45 minutes at 65 mph to reach a friend of mine staying near NASA headquarters in Houston. And when in New Jersey, we were delayed by 30 minutes and had to drive for an additional five miles because we missed our turn to the airport, and it was irritating.

“In Grand Forks, I can move to any corner of the city within 10 minutes,” I thought.

At the same time, I liked walking around the downtowns of these cities, as they reminded me of the crowded marketplaces in Indian cities such as New Delhi or Mumbai. People in such cities always are the move and seem in a hurry to reach their destination.

But the smiles on the face of the residents of Grand Forks and this region simply were missing in the cities I visited. “There is no time to smile,” one of my friends in Houston said. “Life is all mechanical.”

Downtown Manhattan in New York City was more satisfying, as I found quite a number of things (except for the skyscrapers) that are similar to many Indian cities. This included litter in public places, which was similar to what you might see in New Delhi.

I did find quite a number of Indian restaurants; the only one in North Dakota is in Fargo. But the narrow streets, the sides of which are completely occupied by parked cars (thus leaving little space for driving) reminded me some of the pre-colonial areas of Indian cities.

Sadly, this being a business and not a personal trip, I could not visit many of the tourist attractions of these cities. Sometime in the future, I hope to get the chance to visit the White House and Capitol in Washington the Statue of Liberty and United Nations headquarters in New York and the Space Center in Houston.