The Smells of the Big City...

It is, of course, New York City from another perspective. So huge and absolutely global, it succeeds in unifying all possible variety and opportunities. You can study this world's metropolis from one end to another, on all levels and from different sides. For sure you know something about it... but I suggest talking about the smells of New York. Simply try to breathe in the vapors of the life of a big city... unusual, unique; they have their own geography and unrepeatable accents.

As usual, all the most interesting things are concentrated in the centre, in Manhattan. Let's take a map and go through its south most side, low downtown, full of finance offices, banks, skyscrapers, and serious people in serious suits.

Pause a moment and breathe in deeply – here it is, the smell of big vapors mixed with salty notes of the bay, oily waft of the port, noise and dust created by construction of new skyscrapers.

Now, go forward and upwards to the very centre, to middle town. On your way you will see Little Italy and Chinatown, two very strong ethnic parts of Manhattan. Milk and coffee and cheese-gourmand aromas of Italian coffee bars on one side of the street, and soy-fish smells of real China on another. Try to make your way through daily present colorful crowd of Chinatown. Yes, that is the south most and most aromatic part of the city.

Let’s go further – Madison Square and Penn Station, a sort of strong points of exit and entry for the citizens living in suburbs of the famous New York City, lively parts of Broadway and famous Times Square always full of happenings and shows.

It seems that the main source of business activities lies exactly here – streets full of rushing people, constant motion of people around saloons, coffee bars, respectable restaurants; steam clouds of constant remount of communications... In the top notes of local smells you can smell metal wafts of morning draft which drafts around skyscrapers, and brisk aroma of fried coffee.

The heart of this fragrance, for sure created on fire, irresistible, includes intense oily-meaty, peppery-taunting smell of fast food prepared right now, right here, beside you, and will make you look at each Hot Dog kiosk.

The base of this composition does not have undoubted dominants, everything is mixed up and ends in black garbage bags at the ends of streets. The evening accords of Midtown.

Let's go further to sip some air in the Central Park. This is a big recreational, popular and therefore busy part of the upper part of Manhattan and upper town. It is really worth expand your chest and inhale this fresh grassy flowery air full of oxygen with full lungs. Somewhere behind you will sense sharp country nuances of horse dung. Horses and carriages are the inevitable part of Central Park landscape, and the smell of dung is a dear smell of summer, country and vacation...

Go back to reality, back to New York City; make a few steps to the right, towards 5th Avenue. The street of luxury gleam. The sight is caught by luxurious items, famous brands, glamorous persons, stylized façades.

Smells here are in harmony with the refined surrounding – sophisticated, sublime, accentuating distance, amazingly modern or classy, by all means unusual and very expensive, as there is no space for casual. This is the end of our excursion. I hope you enjoyed it and are perhaps now thinking of unforgettable smells of this city.

The scents of New York in Bond No 9 Collection
Walk through New York City with Ann Gottlieb (for NY Public Radio)

Author: Svetlana Zavgorodneva (Sovvva)
Fragrantica Member