"I often dreamed of arriving in NYC and being overwhelmed by Manhattan's skyscrapers. Yet, when I actually got there for the first time some years later, I got a little disappointed just after getting off Penn Station. In those early dreams, New York's buildings appeared much higher and impressive and the streets darker and cramped. I was, for sure, younger and my expectations were higher. Once there, I was curious to know more about other people's first impressions of the Big Apple. I found my answer in the shelf of a small West Village bookstore: "My First New York".