Another year has gone by, and it is time again to move aprtments. Starting my third year here in the New York area, I can't believe that time has flown by this quickly.
My first year in Jersey City seems like a distant memory, filled with exciting times like that of a freshman in his first few weeks of college. The alcohol, the sex, the delight, the endless conversations about infinite meaning of nothing; it all just went by in a blur of fond memories. The memories end abruptly though, with the yearning for more. Jersey City is definitely not New York City. The hours spent waiting on the PATH to cross under the Hudson; Manhattan was always just a breath away; it escaped me; it taunted me.
My second year in the Lower East Side is a jumbled year of emotions. There was an excitement to live with my college best friends again. We laughed and drew up grand memories, having learned from our first year like hubris-filled sophomores. The joy was muddled with the ups and downs of my chemotherapy. Life was enjoyed, and my yearning for a life in the city was thrown in full force. My days were filled with wandering through the streets and exploring what locals refer to as only "the city". The pure simplicity and bombastic attitude that Manhattan is so paramount in contrast to other cities delights me. Songs, movies, and literature describe the same feeling, but the attempts are never exact. Every moment that can be described as a "New York moment" is unique to the person living it; never can it be described with words spoke, sang
or written. The New York that exists in the hearts and minds of those people doesn't exist for everyone, but it does exist everyday.
My junior year approaches and 13th Street is now home. The neighborhood snob that I have become scoffs at the idea of living above 14th Street, and I grin at the fact that I can buy my groceries equally from Trader Joe's and the Saturday Green market. The transformation from fratastic boy to full-blown extra-hot, soy latte Green-wise New Yorker has been smooth despite the tremendous obstacles that were faced along the way. This next year is filled with hope; my life should only get better.
To borrow a phrase (and slightly tweek it) from Robert Frost: Life moves on.
Thanks for reading,
Brian
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." - RF