Family

Beginning in the 1800s, New York City became the gateway to the eastern United States. New York Harbor is a natural deep port that can accommodate large cargo ships. With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, the United States dramatically increased the flow of goods into and out of the United States. Railroads and steamboats transported textiles from New York throughout the United States and returned with grain grown in the Midwest. People from all over the world accompanied the traffic into New York Harbor, and many of them stayed, bringing new ideas and innovations.

Pokémon arrived in NYC when I was a teenager. I watched children trade Pokémon via Gameboys and cards. Other anime shows began appearing on television, followed by conventions at the Javits Center. Experiences such as these are conversation starters that have fostered friendships for my family.

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Works Cited

“B.21 – the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey | the Geography of Transport Systems.” The Geography of Transport Systems | the Spatial Organization of Transportation and Mobility, 4 Jan. 2024, https://transportgeography.org/contents/applications/port-authority-new-york-new-jersey/

ELLIS, DAVID MALDWYN. “NEW YORK AND THE WESTERN TRADE 1850-1910.” New York History, vol. 33, no. 4, 379–396, Oct. 1952, pp. 379–96. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/23153588

Lyman, Rick. “Pokemon Is Catching, and Keeping, Them.” New York Times, 13 Nov. 1999, https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/13/movies/pokemon-is-catching-and-keeping-them.html

“Today in History – October 26.” The Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/october-260.

I have been trick or treating in New York City for my entire life. I often bring my kids to celebrate Halloween in Greenwich Village so they can share my formative experiences. It’s faster and easier to take the train since many streets are closed off for the parade. There are a lot of Broadway performers who live on adjacent streets, so the displays are professional caliber.

The United States population has doubled in size since my childhood. With growth comes geographic spread, so I now have to travel to find and piece together the fragments of my childhood experiences.

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Works Cited

“Chapter 4. Population Change in the U.S. and the World from 1950 to 2050.” Pew Research Center, 30 Jan. 2014, https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/01/30/chapter-4-population-change-in-the-u-s-and-the-world-from-1950-to-2050/