I Love New York

Last month my boyfriend and I spent a week back east including a few days in New York. We landed at LaGuardia with the choice to go to Connecticut or to Manhattan. We chose Manhattan.

I didn’t realize how much I missed New York City until we were in a yellow cab holding on for our lives.

I LOVE the rush of the city; not just any city but New York City. When I visited Rome, Italy I fell in love. It is like New York but a few sizes smaller. There are people around at all hours of the day and night and the food…oh my goodness…the food is divine.

The NYC trip was made sweeter when my ‘baby’ cousin offered us her apartment on the Upper East Side. Her mother lives a few blocks away and played tour guide for the first night. We ate dinner and had drinks while on a sidewalk patio. The weather was perfect.

The first morning we woke in the city was like a homecoming. There was a chill in the air or at least it felt like it to us who live in Arizona. The honking of the horns and the yelling of the pedestrians made me want to grab a cup of hot coffee and people watch from a patio all day.

We headed to Starbucks for hot coffee, free Wifi and a bit of work. We nestled into the big city as if we belonged in her arms. I forgot that I have anxiety attacks in large crowds. I forgot that I fear getting lost on the subway. I forgot that I hate Midtown Manhattan more than any place on earth. I enjoyed the city more than I have in many years.

After hours at Starbucks watching people and listening to their accents, we walked to the subway. We made a stop at what we think is heaven on earth. It was a deli and grocery store with everything from a bakery and fresh pasta to fresh seafood. After drooling around the store for a while, we got the pasta lunch special. I really thought we had died and gone to heaven.

I had forgotten how much I love the food back east.

When we arrived at the Empire State Building, we geeked out and got the audio tour. We spent hours gazing at the city and surrounding areas. Family started calling us asking where we were and if we were available for dinner. They wanted to know if we would ever make it to Connecticut.

We walked to dinner through rush hour Midtown. I muttered about how I hate Midtown and how this is probably why I left New York in the first place. At the same time I was appreciative of being able to walk around my city. In Arizona we’re left to drive everywhere. Even when we can take public transit like the lightrail, we have to drive to the closest station.

After wandering through Rockefeller Center and calling three special people on video to say hello, we hopped in a yellow cab back to the apartment. The next morning we felt like we belonged in NYC. We headed to MoMa for some art and culture. After MoMa we did the only thing we could do — we ate lunch purchased from a street vendor. After a stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (it had been closed the night before), we headed back to the apartment to gather our bags and head to the suburbs.

Eventually we made it to Connecticut and then New Jersey ending our trip in Westchester, New York where we dreamed of the city life…

Originally published at http://www.mcauleymusings.com on October 1, 2014.