Sunday, September 18, 2011

Neglecting New York

I arrived home from another interesting day at work on my birthday; and all I wanted to do was put on my fuzzy sweats, eat sweet potato fries, and watch The Wedding Singer. After that much needed night of comfort, I was ready the next day to bring on a new year of living. Growing up in Connecticut, I had never really taken advantage of the fact that one of the most exciting places on earth was only an hour drive away. We tend to not appreciate the things we have; and for me, New York had always been the neighboring place where I'd catch my flight to other adventures. I love to travel, and I've been to some amazing places; but this past spring I realized I'd been neglecting an amazing place so close to home. I learned that the train, which I can walk to from the town I now live in, will take me right to Grand Central Station. I wanted to get away for my birthday, and I didn't have the time off to do more than a day trip, so we boarded an early morning train to the city.

There's something so special about this city that can't be explained in a simple way. I think everyone loves it in their own way for their own different reasons. For me, it's the energy of the streets, the diversity of the people, and the tolerance for the eccentric. I love watching the people. Nothing fazes them. It's as if they've seen it all, and they probably have. There's always someone interesting on the subway or someone doing something unique (like the three 20-something-year-old boys doing handstands and tumbling all over each other in Bryant Park during an evening concert). Regardless of the wild shenanigans going on around them, the people of New York just continue to go about their business. Last time I went, there was a woman preaching apocolyptic religious notions on the subway, and nobody paid her any mind. There was no one arguing with her. No one trying to quiet her. No one even shaking their head. People just let her say what she had to say and let her be. When Carrie on Sex and the City said that her one true love was the city, I didn't really get it at the time...but I think I'm starting to.

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