All The Small Things

It was my dream for a few years to move to NYC. Even before I visited, I knew I would fall in love with this city. Sure enough, summer of 2008, I did. I didn't have big plans to "make it." I didn't really have any plans at all. I can't really explain why but I knew this was just where I needed to be.

Everyone always said I was a city girl but I think it has to do with my need to be surrounded & yet entirely alone at the same time. I'm a people person but I'm also unabashedly deep & reflective. I have a need to make statements & have opinions without judging or living in fear of being mis-perceived. I love living life at a fast pace while still taking everything in. I found those qualities here. People who know me know I'm hard to characterize. I have values, for sure. Those are quite clear. But my personality is quite the melting pot of qualities. I rarely exhibit any sort of pattern of predictability in my day to day interactions. Honestly, I'm the personification of the NYC in a sense. I have a little bit of everything to offer & I like to think I do it quite well.

However, I'm well aware for many people, they don't share any of my warm sentiments for this over-populated city. Quite the opposite they think NYC is too much, too little, too fast, too over the top or what not. I find it to be exactly the perfect balance of, well, everything. I'm partial because I was not happy where I was. I wasn't myself but I couldn't exactly figure out why. Sometimes I still have a hard time pin-pointing but I do know that I found myself here. There's not much you CAN'T find here. So, for the New Yorker who may have fallen out of love with the NYC vibe or the visitor who left in a bit of hurry because this city just didn't "do it" for them - I'd like to show you what it is that makes me fall in love with this place over & over again.

For one, I know flowers exist everywhere. And some people are fortunate enough to have FIELDS of flowers to smell. But I, for one, look forward to warming weather which means I can smell the flowers are the corner stores from a block away. And guess what, ours don't die in the winter like yours do : )

I also love the subway. Yes, it gets crowded. Yes, trains run late. But traffic happens when you're a car-driving commuter too. What you won't see in your car (unless you're being hijacked which actually is not a pleasant surprise) are the singing, dancing, preaching random artists of the city. Mariachi bands, gospel singers, old ladies with accordions.... No I don't make eye-contact with most of them and sometimes, I do wish they would shut up (especially the mariachi band because I swear they're everywhere) but 9 times out of 10 - they put a smile on my face.

Free exercise. It's almost impossible to fat in this city. It happens but that fact that you can & usually have to walk everywhere was a welcomed change in my life.

I'm also pretty sure you would have to eat out every meal -breakfast, lunch, dinner- for the rest of your life to even have a chance at trying every restaurant in the city. And many of the best restaurants in the world are HERE!! Where I live!!

There's also the fact that you are close to everything. Brooklyn. Boston. New Jersey. A plethora of sports teams & venues, theatres, museums .... more food... a beach. If I want to "get out of town for awhile," I barely have to travel an hour to escape. And I definitely don't have to pack the car, board the dog, turn of the electricity for a week or find a sitter for the kids. Granted, I don't have kids but you get my point.

One word: subcultures. Whatever your hobby, interest, or passion - you can find it here. And no matter how weird it is, you will not be judged because there are at least 3 other people in your borough with the same idea of fun.

I have not exhausted all the reasons why I choose to live here. I don't want to because some of them are precious to me & sometimes, once you've shared something, it looses its dearness. But I ask, no implore you to give this city a chance. It's beautiful. It will always have something to offer you & it will always challenge.

Who doesn't like a good challenge?