Collective Effervescence

I feel a rush of energy whenever I'm in NYC. 

It hits me the moment I step out of the airport, and it's there every time I leave my hotel or brother’s apartment. NYC has majestic buildings, thriving retail, and jam-packed roads. But the main catalyst for making it feel so alive is its people — Pedestrians. Everywhere.

When I first left home to attend university in Singapore, my uncle (who had lived abroad before) wisely advised me to go to crowded places if I felt lonely—and it really helped. But my hostel didn’t have crowded spaces, especially after dark. Sure, you can go to malls, restaurants, or events, but those aren’t practical everyday activities. I find Seattle and most suburbs or even cities in the US to be similar. You barely see people in the streets; just cars or an eerie (serene, if you prefer) emptiness. My mom is often surprised by how she doesn't run into a single soul, save the birds and rabbits, during her daily walks in the neighborhood. 

But NYC? That's a rare and different universe. People are always out and about. Different faces, styles, and walks of life, all moving along briskly with purpose. Even as a stranger among them, even without speaking to anyone, their energy rubs off on me.

It’s hard to explain what is happening. There’s a kind of primal comfort in just seeing other humans. The very presence of others, living and breathing and going about their day, creates a kind of ambient belonging and recharges you. It’s like everyone’s a tuning fork vibrating in resonance with each other and the city’s energy, and amplifying it. You’re not just an isolated self anymore; you’re absorbed into something bigger, a shared rhythm, an unscripted orchestra of humanity— a collective flow state.

I know I'm not the only one who craves this energy. And I recognize it isn't all sunshine and roses - the lack of personal space, the incessant noise, and the crowds can wear you down too. I find silence and serenity of Seattle rejuvenating after a trip to NYC. But does it have to be a binary choice between suburban sprawl and overcrowded cities? Surely we can design more places to be walkable, vibrant, and brimming with the hum of humanity, without completely losing individual space or peacefulness? Places where you sense life happening all around you, without derailing your own. 

I hope so, because what makes us flourish is not just living in a place, but feeling like the place itself is alive.