We all know that I'm notorious for falling head over heels for new cities and declaring, "Ship my belongings. Fill-in-the-blank-city is my new home!" Well you, New York City, are something different. I really truly mean it this time. You were everything I dreamed you'd be and more... and actually less, in a good way. It's easy to have hearts in your eyes for the idea of something but then stamp it out, and fall short. 
You may say it's that I'm allergic to Kansas... or wheat or something (seriously, I've been in a sneezing fit since we got back). You may say it's the rose colored vacation glasses I wore last week (who doesn't?). You might even say it's simply the charm and wonderment of all things new (we all know I crave change). But I tell ya, I left my heart in Manhattan (and Brooklyn, too).
New York felt right.
Now that we're back, our loft feels luxuriously large- a bit excessive. And traffic seems stupid. It's stupid there too, but beneath it lies a swift and slithering superhero that sets a city apart for me. I thrived in Lyon, that divine metropolis, but France is not so realistic. Anyway, I'll probably be talking about NYC for a few days and dreaming even longer, so bear with me! Did I squelch any prior notions of that Big Apple? You bet! Read on... they're positives!
1. I don't discriminate when it comes to desserts, but Momofuku Milk Bar was not good. Total hype, in my confectionery opinion. Seriously, who even likes the cornflake flavored reject cereal milk anyway? We got both ice cream AND three (3!) different types of cookies and they were so-so at best. No kidding, I took a few bites from each and tossed the rest. Can you tell I am passionate about dessert?
On that note, Levain Bakery is no joke... We tried the dark chocolate chocolate chip and the oatmeal raisin cookies and they. were. prime. Totally worth the 40,000 calories in my book.
2. People actually use that tiny microphone on the iPhone earbuds. Where have I been?! Oh yes, under a rock smudging my screen with makeup and skin oils.
3. New York City did not feel that BIG. The streets and avenues are well-layed and numbered. It's not tough at all to find your way around. We were just there a couple days when I started to feel pretty confident as to which neighborhood fell in any given direction.
4. New Yorkers are quite kind. and HELPFUL! This may sound naive, but that was our experience. The handful of times I heard someone ask for help on the street, they were met with notable patience and obliging direction.
5. Starbucks is for bathrooms, not for coffee.
Those were my eye-openers! Did anything (pleasantly) surprise you when you first met the notorious NY?
3 comments:
I totally felt the same when I went there, it's the perfect city. Also, you lived in Lyon?! I lived in Dijon!
I'm glad you had such a good trip - my favourite thing about NYC (besides the people living there) was the art scene. I could visit the Met every single weekend and not get bored of that place
I've lived in NYC as a kid and between the sirens and the muggings, I'm not sure I could go back. It's a magical place to visit, but I know I'm not cut out for the competitive work environment there.
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