* I added a new song to the playlist, you should unmute your computer, because it goes with the blog entry today* :)
Well, that's not true though. Cam and I are really people people...I think that makes sense... So what we really need is to be in a place where we are surrounded with people who aren't focused on domestic crap. We need...where else?...New York. Ahhhhhhhhhhh just thinking about NYC is like a salve on my wound. Have you ever felt so connected to a place that you just knew it was where your destiny lay? I have felt a deep connection to NYC since I was a child. People often thought I was crazy because I had never been there. They always told me I wouldn't like living there, it busy, to crowded, to fast, and too expensive. Have these people not met me???? I have always been a city girl. My mom was recently in NYC and she called me and told me that the streets were so crowded she couldn't walk anywhere without bumping into someone. My response?..."yeah, isn't that awesome?" When I finally got to NYC as an adult, it was like coming home. Cam and I walked the streets and soaked in the feelings of contentment and longing that enveloped us. On top of that it was fall in New England and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I cried the whole way home.
The next time we were there it was spring and we were able to explore even more. A friend introduced me to one of the millions of little tiny pastry shops on an out of the way street. Someone once told me, you never have to worry about finding a bathroom when your out exploring the city. There is a Starbucks on every corner and they always have clean restrooms. LOL! Even when it rained, the city was beautiful. The architecture truly takes on a Gothic look when the sky is overcast. Need an umbrella? Someone is selling them to your left and to your right. :) The architecture in NYC makes it feel like one big art museum. Its incredible, the cathedrals are indescribable. The Met...what can I say...? The New York Opera house is not far from the Manhattan Temple, they are in a beautiful area. There are little 24 hour markets where you can make your own salad and then find bench to sit and eat it. The book stores, and music shops, and even the drug stores are so unique.
Have you ever been to central park? In the sunshine it is one of the most beautiful and serene places I have ever been. There are trees with trails for walking and biking, open fields for laying in the grass or playing games. There are playgrounds, softball fields, really cool rock formations. You might think that the tall buildings all around would inhibit the sunshine, but they don't.
Have you ever taken a ride on NYC subway? The stations are filled with the music of street performers, peddling their own types of wares, like any other type of market. The crowds rush through and the train speeds to each stop. What a rush. People watching in the subway is...definitely entertaining.
Time square...this is one of my very favorite places in NYC. Its like a pinnacle spot where the streets meet and yo see a little bit of every part of this amazing city. If you stand in the middle and turn in a slow circle...there is nothing like it. I actually took a panoramic video of it on my camera. There are posters for all the shows, commercials flash on the big screens, people rush to where they need to go, but excitement permeates the air. Don't get me wrong, in any city you've got your grumpy bad mood people. But in NYC, there are so many people who are passionate about where they live, but even more, there are so many visitors that everywhere you look you see people enthralled with the magic all around them.
At night the city is bright with lights, they sparkle more than the stars. The crowds don't thin because there is so much night life. Obviously there are places to avoid in the darkness, but if you know where your going, it is a beautiful place to walk at night. One thing about NYC that I really love is that they have regulations for the homeless. They can not spend the night on the street. So, unless your in an area you shouldn't be at night, the streets are not littered with sleeping bags and scary people. I will give Chicago this though, it is a cleaner city that NYC, but then it has like half the population. There are over eight million people in New York City. Eight million!! The inspiration for writing, music, art, etc is everywhere. There is so much of it there. There has only been one time in my life when I have gotten up every morning thinking "I am so lucky to live here and have what I have in my life". I'm always thankful for my blessings, but only once have I lived in a place that was a dream come true. New York City would be the only other place I would feel that everyday. People who don't know me very well, often assume that I would tire of it after a while and that the only reason I love it is because I have only visited it there. Well, your welcome to your opinion, but leave me alone about it would you? Do I knock other people's ambitions to be a stay at home mom, or to live on a farm, or whatever? No. Because everyone has their own dreams. Maybe my blog title isn't such a lie...its just that my bit of heaven here on earth is far away from me and I haven't reached it yet. I have a small piece if it to keep me going though, Cameron is a slice of heaven.
Well, I'll get off of my rant now. If you visit NYC and your experience doesn't mesh with my description, that wouldn't be surprising. Everyone is different and they have their own preferences. But don't assume just because you wouldn't want to live there that I wouldn't like it either. Eight million people obviously like it enough to live there, Cam and I would just make it and eight million and 2. That's right, just two. New York is a place where we can be just 2 and still fit in, feel at home, and not hurt so much that we are just two. If someday we are blessed enough too have a family and New York, well I will have truly found a place on earth I can call Heaven.
