I took a trip to New York recently. While planning for places to go, I realized New York is the very place where ‘A Little Life’, the book I was reading, takes place.

I started the book probably 4 months ago. It is a big book, and my reading speed is pretty low, so it would be taking more time. In the book, there is Jude, a very young lawyer who has a very miserable childhood and thus adulthood. Even though being surrounded by lovely friends and loved ones, he suffers from depression and self-harm.

So being excited to experience the life in the book, I was looking for mentioned places to go. The book starts with Lispenard Street, where Jude and his best friend Williem took a tour of their cheap rental apartment. That was where I was supposed to go if I remembered the street name correctly. However, my reading and memorization ability doesn’t allow me to do that.

Instead, as I was halfway through the book where Jude is living in a richer neighborhood on Greene Street, I recalled that street name and planned for a tour there. The Greene Street in real life is a luxurious shopping street, with stores of brands like Dior and Louis Vuitton. That makes sense because Jude at that time was a rich lawyer working for an evil corporation already.

In the book, I saw countless times where Jude took a stroll down this street, around the SoHo neighborhood, trying to enjoy walking while he could because his legs were degrading. In real life, the neighborhood, and NYC in general, is very walkable. But everyone is minding their own business. A miserable man like Jude would walk along with others without being noticed for all the traumas and depression he was going through.

I feel like a very sad ending is waiting for me ahead. Just look at the reviews of the street on Google Maps, and you will have the same feeling. “Jude st Francis 😢 …”