New York City is a lonely place. It seems odd to say that, because of the sheer density of people that live here, but it is. Maybe it's because I miss my family in Miami. Maybe it's because I miss living an arm's length away from my friends in Hanover. But I have never felt quite as lonely as I have here, surrounded (or suffocated) by 8 Million other human beings.
New York City is also a hard place to live in. The cost of living is exorbitant to a point of senselessness. Things (re: jobs) are far away and hard to get to. Seasons range from the oppressing humidity of the summer, accompanied by heat and a gross smell that sits like fog on the city during its hottest month, to the frigid months of the winter, when your radiator just isn't quite strong enough.
It's easy to become wrapped up in these things - I've slowly felt myself transforming into the unfriendly New Yorker that is so easy to associate with this city. I've come to realize, however, that it's not quite unfriendliness as it is a constant worry for your own affairs - and we all have a lot of affairs to worry about.
New York City is also a beautiful place. Amongst the difficulties that I've had in moving here, I've been lucky to experience moments so nice that it reminded me why I ever questioned living here in the first place.
- The time Smorgasburg moved to Brooklyn Bridge Park, and we ate our food next to the water with full views of Manhattan
- The time a boy who looked no older than 12 years old was selling chocolates on the 4 train, and no one was buying from him, and as soon as I bought one so many people on the train bought some as well.
- The time I took the J back to Brooklyn at sunset and got to watch the sun set over the Manhattan skyline
- The time I went to a random store in Chinatown with two of my best friends, and we got presents for each others spontaneously
- The time I went on a date where we spent all afternoon at the Met
- The time my boss gave me a candle and wine as a present for making it through August, September and October
- The time the leaves turned beautiful colors in the park next door
- The time my roommate and I finally organized our apartment
- The time I went hiking upstate at Bear Mountain with a group of 5th graders and had the most wonderful time, past anything I ever thought possible
And so so so many other moments. Lesson of the day: New York only sucks if you let it.
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