The City I Love to Hate

My friend Jenn once compared a person's love affair with New York City to the phases of an abusive relationship.  For those of you not familiar with that cycle, it involves a "tension" phase, "abuse" phase, and "honeymoon" phase.  New York City is clearly the abuser in this scenario.

I have definitely been roped in to each phase of that cycle, and so as I prepare to leave New York yet again, I'm reflecting on the abusive moments and the honeymoons, and all the tension in between.

Let's start with abuse:

• Hearing the echoes of other people's headphones on my morning commute.  I don't need to hear that you're still listening to "Only Girl in the World" by Rihanna on blast at 7:45am, thankyouverymuch.
• Getting up close and personal with my fellow New Yorkers for 35 minutes each way, each day.  In the winter time this involves a mad dash to the subway in 20 degree snow/wind, followed by a stuffy 80 degrees smashed against 50 people, followed by another 20 degree dash, while simultaneously sweating and freezing your a** off.
• No free refills on fountain drinks at restaurants.  3 dollars, for ONE small glass of diet coke.
• The men that leer at me at the R&R Deli next door to my apartment.
• The woman that tries to give me the New York Metro magazine, every. single. morning.
• Lack of enough Target in my life.  Lack of Torrid in my life.  Lack of malls in my life.
• I sleep on a twin bed.  Enough said.
• Lines.  Lines at Starbucks.  Lines at Shake Shack. Lines at the Grocery Store.  Even lines to swipe your Metrocard.
• $13.50 for any movie after NOON.
• Winter. Winter. Winter.

However, like a classic abuser, New York inevitably apologizes, and ropes you back in.  I still get nostalgic about the following:

• The trees in Central Park turning pink in the springtime.
• A fresh slice of pizza or a freshly toasted bagel for less than 2 dollars.
• Seamlessweb.com. Grubhub.com. Menupages.com.  Pizza isn't the only thing that delivers here kids.
• Walking by Orlando Bloom, Julianne Moore, Bill Cosby, Kelly Ripa, Martin Sheen, and the infamous Tyra Banks.
• Dining outside on a fall evening, watching people walk by, enjoying the city lights, the city noise, and the breeze.
• Diversity in it's truest form
• Pancake month at Clinton St. Baking Company
• Hot Chocolate month at City Bakery
• Chelsea Market
• Brunch
• Anything and (almost) everything is within walking distance (see abuse re: Target and Torrid)
• Madison Square Park
• The plethora of pictures I have captured on my iPhone of fellow New Yorkers, including the woman eating Cool Whip at the bus stop, the plus size woman modeling her small H&M dress, the street worker coming home at 7am on the subway, or even the fashionable European couple taking a stroll.

Oh New York.  Inevitably the tension will mount again.  And so I take another hiatus from you.  At least for now.