Thursday, December 18, 2008

I really do ♥ NY

I have found myself feeling down on NYC lately. I have found myself irritated at the fact that my apartment is small, I don't have a dishwasher, I have to schlep laundry down the stairs and around the corner to the laundromat with a 7-month-old strapped to my chest. I have found myself irritated at the grime and the noise, even in our fair Brooklyn. I have found myself fantasizing about living in a big, suburban house which has a driveway and multiple bathrooms. I pretend to love being an urban "baby wearing" momma instead of a stroller-pushing suburban momma, when in truth my shoulders kill me but I wear her anyway, since strollers and subways stairs do not mix. I spend a lot of time thinking about all the things that are wrong with New York City and all the ways it doesn't work for me.

But then, when I got to seriously thinking about how life would be for our family if we lived elsewhere (in some unnamed "regular town",) I realized why it is that we live here instead: the people. It's the way New Yorkers think and act and interact with each other. I could do without the subway, the skyscrapers, the noise, and even the Strand Bookstore... but if I left New York, I would miss the people. I'm not talking about the freaks and crazies (though they do provide some entertainment,) I am talking about the everyday people at the bagel store, the dog park, the Union Square market. There's a forced interaction here that requires you take the time to learn a little bit about everyone you meet - the lack of space demands it. It's not something you find anywhere else in the United States.

(There's also something to be said for the amazing diversity here in the city. Call me crazy, but being surround by all white people who speak only English sounds pretty boring once you've experienced the opposite. I love love LOVE that my daughter is going to grow up in such a multicultural environment - she'll know from the get-go that the world extends far and wide beyond our borders.)

In celebration of my epiphone about my love for our fair and sparkling city, I post this link. Be sure to check out the one about NYC's pregnant women. Yeah. :)

Click: New York Magazine's Reasons to Love NY - 2008

3 comments:

tinyparticlesoflight said...

I completely share your sentiment about NY peeps and the 'forced interaction' that frankly does not happen where we live. It's one of the million things I miss upon returning home from a trip to NYC and Brooklyn.

It's funny the things you romanticize about when you do not live with them. I too fantasize about a dishwasher, more space, bigger bathrooms and neighbors who are seperated from us by at least an acre. My most recent dream is to live in a big old renovated farmhouse with our 4 or 5 ruddy cheeked children, 3 cats, 2 dogs, 1 cow, chickens, an organic vegetable garden and lavender fields.....But for right now, I'm here and I guess that's just where I'm supposed to be.

Anonymous said...

When living in a hi-rise apartment building in NJ, when your sister was small, I longed for a yard and a place for her to play that didn't require going to a park. I hated hauling groceries in from an ice covered parking lot, into an elevator, up 7 floors, and down a long hall to our apartment. However, I loved the incredible view of the Philadelphia skyline and hearing the philharmonic pianist next door when the windows were open. Funny thing - I don't remember if I had a dishwasher or not!

Ash said...

Old renovated farmhouses are my fav. Especially if they have big porches where we sit and sip ice tea and watch our kids play in the lazy sunshine. :)