escape from new york

New York,

How I love you. I love all the clichés- the ice skating in Central Park, the shopping in SoHo, the brunches in Brooklyn, the alcohol-saturated nights in the LES. I love that I don't have to know how to drive. I love that there are some bars where everyone knows my name, yet the moment I leave their cozy interiors, I fade into anonymity again. I love that I can go on an international gastronomic adventure any day of the week, & spend anywhere between $1-$600 doing so. I love that I can stay right here & the world comes to me, & I am always playing tour guide to the visiting friends constantly coming through. I love that on any given day, I could be in the midst of pompous lawyers, gorgeous models, trendy media-types, French tourists, struggling musicians/waiters, illegal Mexican immigrants, Malawian royalty, all sitting next to me on the subway. I love the way you can make or break anyone, whatever walk of life you come from, & how if you can make it here you can make it anywhere (sing it Frank!).

Everyone I've ever met tells me I belong here, & I'm as much a part of the fabric of the city as it is part of mine. After living the semi-nomadic life for the past decade, I thought this would be the city I would finally "settle" in... at least for the next 5 years. It's been 2.

Cracks started to appear in our perfect love affair. Everyday I'm bombarded with ads, flashing lights, traffic, smog, high-rise buildings, subway screechings, $2000+/month rent (not including utilities, mind you), the endless rat race, the endless RATS, 7 million beautiful plastic people crammed into the same 7 miles of space & every single one fighting for attention & that elusive last bit of elbow room. I know a good relationship means a lot of give & take, but I'm beginning to feel like a battered woman. And this winter weather? Brutal. How did you suddenly turn so cold?

New York, consider this a trial separation. I love you, but I just need time to myself right now. I think we should see other people...