Wednesday, February 14, 2007

I Love New York

Despite my cynicism of the commercialization of Valentine's Day, I reflected a lot today on the things I love. In particular, the things I love about my new life in New York. I've lived here for a little over six months, and there is so much that I love - that I knew I would love. I made a list of a few things that came to mind.

Things I love about living in New York City:
- the Manhattan skyline
- walking to work
- how almost every culture in the world exists within the five boroughs
- weekend brunches
- after-work cocktails
- Bleecker Street
- Broadway shows
- the liberation of anonymity in the city (trip in the middle of the street, and no one will know it happened by the time you reach the next block)
- lunch in Bryant Park (when it's warm)
- nonfat cafe latte from Starbucks on almost every corner (when it's cold)
- turning the key(s) in the door of my Manhattan apartment
- cobblestone streets in the Meatpacking District
- the city from the back seat of a taxi
- the energy of the city at any hour
- the steam room after an intense spinning class at Equinox
- riding in a nearly empty subway car with my iPod on a weekend afternoon
- cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery
- Grey's Papaya hot dogs
- real New York-style pizza
- the Upper West Side
- sipping wine while preparing dinner alone in my own kitchen
- creative subway entertainment
- street performers
- manicures and pedicures
- sidewalk flower stands
- the blinking red light of the Empire State Building from my apartment
- random acts of kindness

As the honeymoon-effect begins to wear off, there are also things I don't love:
- planning errands based on what I can carry
- grocery shopping without a car
- annoying subway entertainment
- stumbling over mounds of snow to get to the sidewalk
- packing into the train during rush hour
- freezing wind off the Hudson River
- catching a cab in midtown on a weekday between 5:30 and 7 p.m.
- express trains running on the local tracks on weekends
- increased exposure to the elements (no more running 20 feet from the front door of my house to my car; now I walk blocks in the rain, sleet, snow and heat)
- rude people (which aren't as many as you might think)

It's a thin line between love and hate, but ain't it grand?

"So maybe it won't look the way you thought it would look in high school. But it's good to remember love is possible ... anything is possible. This is New York."
- Carrie Bradshaw, "Sex and the City"

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