"Whenever you give up an apartment in New York and move to another city, New York turns into the worst version of itself. Someone I know once wisely said that the expression “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there” is completely wrong where New York is concerned; the opposite is true.
New York is a very livable city. But when you move away and become a visitor, the city seems to turn against you. It’s much more expensive (because you need to eat all your meals out and pay for a place to sleep) and much more unfriendly. Things change in New York; things change all the time.
You don’t mind this when you live here; when you live here, it’s part of the caffeinated romance to this city that never sleeps. But when you move away, your experience change as a betrayal.
You walk up Third Avenue planning to buy a brownie at a bakery you’ve always been loyal to, and the bakery’s gone.
Your dry cleaner move to Florida; your dentist retires; the lady who made the pies on West Fourth Street vanishes; the maitre d’ at P.J. Clarke’s quits, and you realize you’re going to have to start from scratch tipping your way into the heart of the cold, chic young woman now at the down.
You’ve turned your back from only a moment, and suddenly everything’s different.
You were an insider, a native, a subway traveler, a purveyor of inside tips into the good stuff, and now you’re just another frequent flyer, stuck in a taxi on Grand Central Parkway as you wing in and out of La Guardia.
Meanwhile, you read that Manhattan rents are going up, they’re climbing higher, they’re reached the stratosphere.
It seems that the moment you left town, they put a wall around the place, and you will never manage to vault over it and get back into the city again." -Nora Ephron, "Secret to Life: Marry an Italian" (via BlackBook {Blog, Blah, Blah})
P.S. About a month ago, I wrote an email to a girl I met while in Dallas. Her and her husband had planned a trip to New York and they asked to meet me for dinner or a drink. Unfortunately, I would be traveling at the time. So, I wrote them back with every single suggestion I could think of, my feeble attempt at making them fall for the city I know and love. Any chance you'd be interested in reading it?
I don't think I could ever visit New York enough times to actually feel like I've conquered the city. I don't think you could even feel that way if you've lived there your whole life. Some people are OK with that, and some people are scared off by the fact that you can never truly tame that beast the way you can do a small, rural town.
ReplyDeleteand I'd love to read that piece :)
@lookthroughmyspecs: I think you've captured New York's dual-sided appeal! Will share soon :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE love love that story quote. :)
ReplyDeletethat quote is perfect in all ways. new york is going to miss you ;)
ReplyDelete@Shannon: Me too!
ReplyDelete@Mackenzie: Isn't it just? :) :) :)
Yes I would absolutely love to read the letter!! I am moving to Manhattan in 12 days and have no clue where to even begin! I got the awesome opportunity to live for free with a friend, and would love to know where to visit, and possibly a great place to work! I have both serving and bartending experience and would appreciate any tips/advice on how to make it in the city :) Thanks!
ReplyDelete@Elizabeth: How exciting! I just posted the letter today and will certainly put together another one with "how to make it in nyc." I'm no expert, at all, but I imagine I have some tips to share :)
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