Nature in the cities

Spring has finally come into its non-rainy fullness, and as such, I have noticed a lot about the way people react to the weather.

When I moved to New York, so many of my Midwestern friends and relatives commented on how it was to live in a city where it was all buildings and no nature. In some ways, it was a pretty valid question, as I am pretty sure that there is more concrete in NYC than in most places in the world, so of course, nature has to make way.

Last Sunday, I spent nearly all day at Central Park, and I began to think about what people had said to me, and then I started to really watch people and think about how people were reacting to the weather in comparison to how it was back in the Midwest.

This is my second Spring living in the Big Apple, and one thing that I say for sure, is that the people living here LOVE our nature. The moment that the weather eclipsed 50 degrees, the invites to come to the park started flying. Even walking by any of the hundreds of parks in the city, you could easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that turned out.

As I walked around a great area in Central Park, I looked at all the people that came out just to hang out. Rich, poor; young, old; all were present. Some with kids, some with pets, some with lovers, some just alone, people were everywhere for no other reason than that they wanted to enjoy the weather and the beauty that the Park provided.

While this may not surprise that many people, especially those that live in the City, the thing is, Kansas City was NOTHING like that. I remember one day, one of my friends invited me to Loose Park to hang out and drink some wine. It was a great time, but I remember thinking at the time how bizarre of a request that was. It just wasn’t something that you hear all that often. Sure enough, when at the park, it was a gorgeous day, but there weren’t that many people present. The only places that people seemed to spend much time outdoors was in Lawrence or Columbia, where the college-town environment encouraged a slightly different attitude.

What I have realized is that major cities like NYC may seem to have “less” nature than our more wide-open counterparts, but it seems like many places in the country, it doesn’t make a difference. You run from your house to your car and from your car to your store/office/event and that’s it. When you live there, you are surrounded by more wide open spaces, but they do little good, as no one gets to really use them.

In cities like NY or Chicago, you are CONSTANTLY outdoors. You walk everywhere, and when the weather is nice, you make it even moreso. In the Midwest, enjoying nice weather was rolling down windows in your car. In the big city, it’s getting off a stop early to walk an extra 10 blocks and enjoy yourself. At least 1/3 of the restaurants here have outdoor seating. Events at a park are commonplace. Trips half an hour away to the beach are standard weekend destinations. The only things that are *standard* in the Midwest to be outdoors are barbeques (which granted, we did very well) and the very rare camping trip.

I lived in the Midwest a long time. Looking back, I can’t fathom why some of these situations exist. Is it because big cities are so much CITY that when you get the chance you hunt for nature more ardently than someone in the Midwest who has it all the time? I think that there may be some truth to this, but when the chips are down, perhaps those raised outside cities have gotten so placated with the idea that they always have nature, that they don’t really actually use it.

I will say that there are a few cities that I know have done their space well. People that live in Denver for example seem to relish in the nature that surrounds them. I know some of the Western big cities do it well too. I am not sure what it is about these cities that set them apart, or what it is about the lifestyles in these places where some seem to breed natural enjoyment while others seem to ignore it. Perhaps if some of the underlying reasoning were more understood, we could all enjoy what we have that much more.

Ah well… this is what hours of meandering through beautiful weather will get you… or at least me: a head full of ponderous thoughts.