Why I’m Newly Smitten With NYC

When it comes to being a New York City gal, I have a confession to make—I’ve thought a lot this year about changing that.

After turning the big 4-0 in January, I found myself not surprisingly at a crossroads, questioning whether it was time to try a new zip code. The very things that I had grown to accept about life in my hometown began to get on my last nerve—the relentlessly fast pace, the dating scene and of course, the local crankiness on subways, buses, etc.

Case in point: Not too long ago, I was daydreaming while walking along the platform of the 4/5/6 at 59^th Street and Lex. All of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain as someone’s laptop bag came down on my shoulder.

“Didn’t you see me? You cut me off!” yelled a guy who clearly has some anger management issues.

“Obviously, I didn’t see you!” I retorted angrily, storming off and thinking to myself: this city seems to have a knack for lighting a match with people who have short fuses.

Maybe, I wondered, the time had come to live somewhere more laidback and less prone to random acts of mean spiritedness. Somewhere that you don’t have to fight for every inch of space because there’s breathing room—maybe, even, LA?

I know, I know–a traitorous thought for a New Yorker, especially for one like me. I not only grew up here, but come from two parents who did too (Mom in the Bronx, Dad in Brooklyn) so being committed to the Big Apple is literally in my DNA.

A funny thing happened on the way to planning my exit, though. Like the ne’er do well boyfriend who keeps luring you back, New York slowly started working its magic on me again. The diverse array of people and places to explore, the thrill of possibility around every corner and yes, even the crazy hustle and bustle have made me swoon over my hometown all over again.

Living in New York really is like a relationship. There are ebbs and flows—and, if you’re willing to make the effort, always the chance to make a fresh start.