New York, I (Finally) Love You

New York City. Everything that needs to be said about this wild, disgusting, and enchanting island has been said, screamed even... ten times over. This eight by two strip of land nestled between the polluted Hudson and the murky East River has been the centerpiece of Broadway magic brought to life, the subject of poems aplenty and the backdrop for so many movies that folks who have never moseyed along Central Park West or outsiders who don't know the difference between Houston, Texas and Houston, the dividing line between Noho and Soho, feel a close, albeit faux, kinship with the city that never sleeps. But I would like to add one more thought bubble to the Manhattan skyline... New York, I (finally) love you.

On the brink of our sixth anniversary together, it has occurred to me in a slow, sneaky way that I no longer just live in New York City, but that New York City is my home. Now this may come as a shock to any loyal readers--family and friends who have received my blog link in a personal e-mail--because for the better part of the last half decade I have been plotting my return to The Sunshine State. Any time it seemed too hard to live a life completely dependent on public transportation or in arctic-type temperatures, I would happily remind myself that this was just a little detour in my life... something everyone in his or her early twenties should experience. However, next week I turn twenty-eight and here I stay, firmly paying an exorbitant amount of rent on the island of Manhattan. 

So what is keeping me here, you ask... Why would I forsake a savings account for a 250-square-foot studio apartment that is a generous walk to the nearest subway and without the most basic of appliances? Because after you live this life of crazy, where do you go next? Other cities feel small and quiet and real-life quiet places, while intriguing for a visit, seem like the middle of nowhere--a place made for others, but not for me. I wouldn't go as far as to say that the honking horns and hoards of homeless bring me a sort of inner peace, but there's no denying that living amid the constant hustle and bustle brings an energy to life that would be hard to leave behind. 

Maybe it's the sudden onset of springtime after a harsh winter or perhaps it's the fact that I was drunk most of the weekend, but whatever the reason, right now, in this moment I'm a huge I-heart-NY-shirt-wearing fan. I can't tell you what is going to unfold tomorrow, but I can tell you that whatever happens to me in the days and weeks to come, gets to take place here, in the center of the universe... where my little life detour just keeps on going.