{"id":105,"date":"2023-04-27T21:57:16","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T21:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/editorsvision.com\/dopamine\/?p=105"},"modified":"2023-05-11T18:39:08","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T18:39:08","slug":"finding-my-sense-of-peace-by-the-nyc-piers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/editorsvision.com\/dopamine\/finding-my-sense-of-peace-by-the-nyc-piers\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding My Sense of Peace by the NYC Piers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since I was little, I always felt at home by a body of water. No, I was not a mermaid in my past life. Born and raised in the heart of Chicago, I lived there for thirteen years and \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 I was near a body of water. Lake Michigan was “my lake,” as I liked to call it. Chicago gave me both the lake and the city – in New York, I found this same experience at the pier.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t just back in Chicago that I found peace by a body of water. When I would travel to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or Tampa, Florida over the summer, the beach always brought me an immense sense of happiness.<\/p>\n

Science supports my experience of finding calm near water. In addition to promoting physical activity and general fitness, spending time near water slows down our heart rate and reduces stress hormones<\/a>, boosting our mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStaring at the ocean actually changes brain waves\u2019 frequency and puts us into a mild meditative state,\u201d as written in the American Association of the Advancement of Science journal. No wonder those who live by a body of water seem so \u201cchill.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I can attest to those statistics having experienced those benefits personally. I would try to seek out that sense of happiness whenever I had moments of stress from school or life in general. Back when I was an undergraduate student at Illinois Wesleyan University, I would often make my way to the pond in White Oak Park just to take a break from the frenzy of life in a college town. After spending some time there, I would feel recharged and ready to take on the rest of my day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today, NYC piers give me a similar sense of relief from city life and allow me to take in the beauty of New York. When I first moved to New York six months ago, I felt that the stimulation of the city was very different from the life I was used to. New York City is an adjustment from Chicago and even more so from the suburbs of Wilmette, Illinois, where I moved later in my teenage years. The NYC Piers have provided the sense of peace that I longed for, a reminder of home.<\/p>\n

When I exit my apartment on Madison Street in Lower East Side of Manhattan, I am greeted by the shouts and distant chatter of neighbors mostly yelling out \u201cf*** you\u201d to one another, if I have to be completely honest. There\u2019s definitely a lot of vitality there. There\u2019s a Deli shop by my apartment where a group of adolescent kids spend their time smoking blunts and catcalling women \u2014 myself included \u2014 as I walk to class or make my way to the pier.<\/p>\n

While the walk to the pier might not be the prettiest sight, Manhattan is still wonderful\u2014 and I don\u2019t mean to be sarcastic. There really is<\/em> no place like Manhattan.<\/p>\n

It only takes me about seven minutes to walk to the pier. Along my walk, I pass pier 36 along the East River. The gentle breeze brushes my hair away from my face and the smell of the river eases my senses as I take a deep breath. The seagull sitting on the bench nearby is judging me, but it\u2019s okay \u2014 he still looks adorable.<\/p>\n

The sound of the waves splashing together allows me to forget about the petty seagull, and the worries and stresses of my day all seem long forgotten. The mesmerizing sight of the Brooklyn Skyline makes me feel as though I could stay there forever. It\u2019s nice to get away from your responsibilities for a bit \u2014 just<\/em> a bit. That moment makes me feel like I\u2019m on vacation. It gives me an immediate boost of happiness.<\/p>\n

I wonder, though, if people in New York feel the same.<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Erick Cuevas<\/strong><\/p>\n

By the pier, a couple from Phoenix was telling me about their sweltering summers back home as they waited for a tour on the Top View Liberty Cruise. \u201cYou get used to it,\u201d Erick Cuevas said. \u201cI always joke that I\u2019m a lizard at this point because I love the heat \u2014 I can\u2019t stand the cold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuevas considers the pier a main attraction in New York. \u201cI would\u2019ve wanted to walk along the pier anyway \u2014 just because I like to find places like this, where it\u2019s kind of secluded and away from the noise, but it still has that feel of the city that you\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuevas also enjoys the environment of the pier back in Phoenix. \u201cThe only place that\u2019s similar to this is the Tempe Town Lake area where ASU is. There\u2019s an artificial lake that has been created there, and I spend a lot of time there too to get a similar vibe \u2014 just walking along the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pier reminds Cuevas of a vacation spot. \u201cWalking along here reminds me of the times I\u2019ve visited family in California, because they live next to the port of L.A., there\u2019s a couple piers to walk around there.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Ryder<\/strong><\/p>\n

Along my path to the pier, I also pass a man walking dogs. He is walking his mom\u2019s dogs heading west along the river. In his left arm, David Ryder is carrying Dolly, while his right arm held onto Polly\u2019s leash. \u201cDolly\u2019s terrified. I think it might be the sound of the subway. It\u2019s just a lot of stimulation, a lot of sounds going on,\u201d Ryder said. \u201cWhen we\u2019re at my parents\u2019, in New Jersey, she loves it. She loves running in the grass, but I think it\u2019s just New York City that scares her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dolly is like your local New Yorker \u2014 scared of the subway.<\/p>\n

As a resident of the Lower East Side, Ryder is walking his dogs before work \u2014 though he\u2019s typically more of a runner at the pier.<\/p>\n

\u201cI come here often,\u201d Ryder told me. \u201cMy run usually starts on this pier and then goes all the way to Manhattan and back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryder enjoys watching the Brooklyn Skyline from the pier over the years. \u201cI like the view of Brooklyn a lot, the skyline has grown considerably \u2014 I used to live by Seaport. Now I live in Lower East Side.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to him, the Skyline is unique. \u201cIt\u2019s New York City so there\u2019s nothing like that,\u201d Ryder said. \u201cThe view of the Brooklyn Bridge is very scenic, and I like being by the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

My experience walking along the NYC piers has brought me a sense of peace and happiness that some people in New York feel as well. Universally, humans are drawn to water, as Wallace J. Nicholas outlines in his book \u201cBlue Mind.\u201d He states that everyone has a blue mind\u2014 \u201ca chance to escape the hyper-connected, over-stimulated state of modern day life<\/a>, in favor of a rare moment of solitude.\u201d So, the next time you want to take a break from city of New York, head to the pier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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