She whispered in our ears the moment we stepped off the plane to meet her. Quick words, flowing sentences, entire conversations inviting us into her world immediately and we didn’t resist. We let our eyes scan the height of her buildings and we inhaled the scent of thick crust pizza and we felt the sense of urgency that came with being in her presence. The rush of New York City and all her beauty grabbed us instantly, refusing to let go -- it was love at first sight.
We visited the city a few weeks before Christmas invited by the tickets we purchased on a whim for Mariah Carey’s annual concert (more about that on another post) and those we had for The Color Purple on Broadway, but we had no idea how overwhelmingly perfect everything would be. We didn’t prepare ourselves for the buckling of our knees the moment our feet hit the pavement. We expected to walk hand in hand through Central Park as we did, but we were surprised by the hard and fast falling for the city that occurred.
The contrasting views of water and nature with skyscrapers and purpose, the taste of cookies from heaven's bakery (or Levain Bakery, same difference), the throbbing pulse that ran through the streets, inspiring and viable and refreshing. It was a world far removed from the laid back normalcy of our upbringing in small town North Carolina. The hustle and bustle was rumored, of course, but it wasn’t until we were swept up in the current that we realized how often our day to day consists of treading water.
Several times I mentioned if I had visited her, New York, in my early twenties, I wouldn’t have left. My wife agreed. This affair with the city, breathing in every engaging quality, was something we both felt. Palpable. Infatuating. Magnetic. We spent the last morning of our quick trip browsing through listings both aware of how intoxicating the idea of moving would be and how absurd our addiction was. While we certainly aren’t in a place to dig up our roots to relocate, there’s no denying the heavy hangover from having a New York state of mind.
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