So I have been told many things about New York. The one that sticks is that I came during one of the worst winters they have had. Which made me still like New York but I also found it to be kind of harsh, harder to learn, and kind of dirty. I destroyed many shoes, got lost in the freezing cold and felt exhausted on most days while trying to furnish an apartment. I wasn't completely sold on this New York thing, I wasn't completely against it but all I knew is that the winter was harsh until it happened. The weather turned and so did the city. It became alive in a way I didn't see before, in a way I didn't expect. We had our first over 70 degree day and then I understood New York, that's when the light went off.
That day I walked 7 hours. 30 of those blocks I walked with a complete stranger that I had a lovely conversation with. My feet didn't mind the blisters and for the first time I saw all the beauty this city holds. From the tall monstrous buildings surrounding me to the endless sea of people coming and going those of which I can now recognize as native or tourist. This city is not for the claustrophobic, in fact there are things that I still dislike sun or snow but I at least get it.
When its nice the city truly transforms but then again doesn't every place. Here it seems to slow people and it brings the bustling to a slower push. My fast jog of a walk turns into a less intensive stroll. You weave in and out of places you didn't realize were there and 60+ blocks seems close. The harsh of the grit is less invasive, the graffiti becomes art and the subways make you feel like a New Yorker. The air even smells fresher and the breeze you catch cools an extreme walker. I get it, I get it New York. I see why you steal the hearts of everyone who enter your massiveness. Yah yah yah, there's nothing like you, ok you win. That's the truest statement of my life, once I stopped fighting it I got it ( and with it came nicer weather). Winning.
I tasted summer and even though we are leaving I now understand why one would never leave. I understand why this is the greatest place for opportunity. New York will always have a piece of my heart, New York is a pretty special place to be.
