By SALLY SWANSON, AIA
I’m always game for a trip to New York City for any reason (not least of which because my firm has an office there). But the reason for my most recent visit was to attend the Inaugural New York Gala presented by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), the stellar nonprofit disability rights legal center, which was held at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
DRA is known for their annual Eagle & Turkey Awards which celebrates disability heroes (the Eagles) and publicly exposes (the Turkeys). But, on this night, the spotlight was dedicated entirely to the heroes.
I love New York, in theory. However, it has always been a difficult place for me to visit. Whether it’s a frequent visit to see my family, or for work which has been on the upswing, a feeling of panic overwhelms me, and I want to leave immediately. I feel like a silent silhouette walking the empty streets (as I remember them), which is odd as the streets are packed so deeply that the throngs spill over the sidewalks. I cannot fathom why I feel like this for I lived in Brooklyn from the age of five to eleven years old and then moved to the suburbs of Carmel, New York to a chicken farm. New York is in my blood but, I cannot feel the connection.
For six years of intensive study, I was the only woman in my architectural classes and soon became isolated and introverted while living in Seattle with my husband who was immersed in his pursuit of a Ph.D. in Asian linguistics. This was my time, in such exquisite proximity to the mountains to engage in rock climbing which became a passion during those years. Always afraid of not being in the best physical condition I challenged myself to climb every weekend for six years. This too was isolating, though, and I did not have many close friends. I later studied for my Masters in Urban Design and Planning at Columbia University in New York City which profoundly changed my outlook on life and professional direction. My fellow classmates were from around the world and I found them to be extremely sophisticated, and having experienced many different social, economic and political realities. But I headed back to the west coast and California with my degree in hand.
Over the years a great deal of my vacation time was spent with my mother in New York during the later years of her life (she lived to the astonishing age of 103). Nowadays, the city seems all too often unfamiliar. It’s a different feeling than what I experienced in my youth where I learned to make my way through these urban jungle streets fending off uninvited verbal sexual harassment and staying very protective of my physical space for fear of physical sexual harassment which was an ever-present threat. Predators might be as close as one’s next-door neighbor as this pre-dated on-line sex offender registries. I was always on guard. As a friend with two teenage daughters recently related, the reality of social media-circulated sexual harassment is the most pervasive consequence of growing up in the 21st Century and has impinged mightily on many families with no end in sight. To a certain degree, this was a concern when I was raising my daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a teenager, she refused to take public transportation because of the instances when she was subjected to verbal sexual harassment. There was even an instance when she was coaxed to get into a police car, but refused and used her street smarts and smartphone to call me. With the situation proliferating I can only imagine the pressure today’s families face to keep their children safe.
But I digress.
I am here in New York City to celebrate with DRA on the success of their newly opened office (they have another in Berkeley, California) and bearing witness to the challenging lack of accessibility throughout the City’s public places.
DRA is well regarded, and it was wonderful that over 400 individuals attended this fund-raising event. New Yorkers certainly know how to dress for the occasion, and I wondered if events like this happened every evening in the City. It felt good to mingle with colleagues old and new.
Afterward, I had trouble getting an Uber, Lyft or taxi, wobbling out of MoMA on my spindly heels. When out of the dark comes a pedicab with an open carriage and I jump in feeling a bit enchanted like Cinderella. Quite literally this had to be one of the most exciting experiences I have had in a long time. The bicycle driver, a young man from Turkey, sped down 7th Avenue – as luck would have it the lights were with us all the way – and swiftly passed all the taxis. I thought, for a moment and a bit anxiously, that this might be the last time I would see New York City, for it was scary but a whole lot of fun. And, yes, I admit that I finally felt connected with New York City.
At the end of the ride I gave the young fellow a substantial tip and shared how full of wonder the ride had been. I truly came away with another one of life’s revelations. Sometimes when you push yourself, take chances, go to places you have not been, try the unusual, you may end up finding a part of yourself that you thought was lost.
One is never too old to learn (to like and enjoy) new things.
