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Getting a feel for the city

What does it mean to feel part of a city? Surfacing for the first time from the subway entrance at the intersection of Fulton Street and Nostrand Avenue on a hot Saturday night in September, New York City hit me like a million volts. Although I was exhausted from the flight, the hum and buzz filled me with excitement and raw inspiration from the very first moment. 

As much as I appreciate the sensory overload, I do not, however, associate it with the feeling of belonging. For me, feeling part of the city has to do with the mundane.

The first time I felt that warm and relaxed sense of belonging was when I was running in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, which eventually became my go-to park in the city. Running among hundreds of other casual Sunday joggers, it suddenly struck me that I was now part of this ritual. I was part of the crowd of New Yorkers not because of some spectacular event, but because for the next six months this would be my everyday life. The feeling was similar to the one you might get from commuting in a new city for the first time: the silent recognition that you are now part of its pulse.

In addition to belonging, running gave me structure at a time when so many of my personal and professional routines had to be reinvented in a new environment. I was reminded by Haruki Murakami’s words in his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: 

“To keep on going, you have to keep up the rhythm. This is the important thing for long-term projects. Once you set the pace, the rest will follow.”

Running wasn’t just about me figuring out the rhythm of the city, but also about discovering my own pace within it. It was the perfect way to take my mind off everything ahead of me and all the things that needed to be done, and to simply focus on physically connecting with the city.

Later on, running evolved from a solitary project into a way of connecting with other runners.

Running events and clubs

Living in the city, my experience has been that New Yorkers are social runners par excellence. There are countless running clubs and events where runners can find just the right social group, location, distance, and pace to match their preferences. Every park has its own running club, often more than one. 

While many people might know the New York City Marathon, far fewer are aware of the wide range of smaller races, such as turkey trots held across the United States around Thanksgiving. If you are looking to participate in a major running event, I strongly recommend keeping an eye on them beforehand and registering as early as possible, since many of these events sell out quickly. In case the running fever strikes you a bit later, the smaller communal events are a perfect way into your local running scene.

I got involved with a running club in Prospect Park through their weekly group runs open to anyone interested. Because the attendance varies from week to week, these runs are social events by default and people are encouraged to connect and strike up conversations. While I’m not personally navigating the dating world, . In any case, they are an excellent way to meet people from many walks of life.

The most absurd yet somehow brilliant new tradition I’ve encountered is the Wednesday evening group run that ends at a pub. I love the rebellious joy of arriving at a bar with twenty or so sweaty runners, having a quick drink, and hanging around just a little longer to chat. For me, the social benefits far outweigh the price of stiff legs after an hour of standing post run.

The struggle

To be clear, running in New York City is a great way to connect with the city and its people, but isn’t without its obstacles. Coming from Finland, I was used to starting my run at my front door and finishing it the same way. Although I eventually graduated mentally into running on busy NYC streets, it felt a little insane at first. For the first few months, I played it safe and kept my runs to parks only.

In addition to constantly having to watch for traffic – especially bikes – it’s difficult to find a rhythm when running on sidewalks. New York is a minefield of traffic lights, which is probably why local pedestrians seem to mostly disregard them. Because of the frequent stops, the parts of my routes that run along sidewalks are always the most physically demanding, and reaching a park afterward feels like a reward.

Even though street running can be challenging at times, there are neighborhood-based running clubs that run solely on city streets. So while it might be hectic, it’s definitely doable as long as you stay alert and think of the run more as interval training than a continuous long-distance effort. Alternatively, you can always take public transportation to reach a calmer park or trail.

Final thoughts

Understanding that running is not for everyone, I want to end by emphasizing that whatever your interest or hobby is, if you are visiting the U.S., there is a good chance that there is a club for it in your neighborhood. In my experience, the U.S. is a land of clubs, which offer a great way to connect with people outside academic circles. For me, these events and communities have not only created memorable experiences, but they have also helped me feel at home.

When you spend a longer period in a new city, it becomes less something to be experienced and more something you slowly feel your way into. For me, running has become my way of mapping my neighborhood, building relationships with locals, and finding my pace in the city.