New York, New York.
Mr. Sinatra once sang, "If I can make it here, I'll make it anywhere"....or something like that.
Although, I don't think its so hard to "make it here" as it is to not get overwhelmed and jaded here.
I feel about New York as anyone who has once lived here and loved here feels: it's full of life, exciting, and completely self-contained. One will never be plagued with boredom or find a lack of new things to explore. However- being that it is SO contained- a world within a world- a different reality exists here. From my perspective, this reality is a reality of excess. From the extravagant dinners, to the day-long brunches, to the ridiculously high consumption of alcohol- there is no moderation.
It's all or nothing.
No alternatives to excess and it's near impossible to moderate- you either stay in or you go out. Hard. And being in my 20's? Well, staying in doesn't happen much.
"Taking it easy" is not an easy feat- I remember the many nights living here, where I would preemptively put on my pj's, order a pizza, and begin a movie. Then, halfway through with the flick and about 3/4 deep into the pizza, I would hear the party-goers parading the streets and my phone would start buzzing with texts from friends, requesting my presence, saying anything from "Where are you, b*tch?" or "At the new place in Meatpacking. Amazing. Come!" or, something as simple as, "Hey! Its (insert name). I'm with (insert name) and (insert name). See you in five? x"
Inevitably, at some point between midnight and 1:00 a.m., I would drag myself out of bed, brush my hair and slide into a taxi with a full night ahead of me.
The only difference now is that I don't bother taking off my makeup in the first place. My time is limited and therefore, I have no room to oscillate- I KNOW what will happen as the day wears on and I've accepted it. But even just a few weeks here has me thinking another way- like it's actually OK to eat out for every meal- breakfast lunch and dinner- everyday. And it's actually normal to stay out until the sun comes up.
The last piece of this excessive puzzle, and the item that prompted this post, is the spending. Yes, even in THIS economy, money is spent almost as if it were mass produced for a board game (Monopoly comes to mind). Manhattan's shopping is some of the best in the world and really...Who can contain themselves?
One of my best friends- an incredibly generous and thoughtful man- went to a boutique opening of a mutual friend last month. Being that he knew the owner, he felt obligated to make a purchase. He walked away with a vintage Ramones t-shirt for me, complete with ink stains and holes. Before I received it though, he made the conscious decision to leave the price tag on. He had to- It was a rag. A $350 rag. Which brings me to my point: I honestly believe that it wouldn't be "normal" anywhere else in the world (well, maybe Moscow- but they don't DO vintage) to spend $350 on a cotton shirt. But hey, it's New York. And I'll wear my rag with pride (and never EVER take the price tag off!)
In conclusion- If I can wear a shirt that costs more than my plane ticket here, then I can wear anything anywhere. "It's up to you New York, New York!"
Mr. Sinatra once sang, "If I can make it here, I'll make it anywhere"....or something like that.
Although, I don't think its so hard to "make it here" as it is to not get overwhelmed and jaded here.
I feel about New York as anyone who has once lived here and loved here feels: it's full of life, exciting, and completely self-contained. One will never be plagued with boredom or find a lack of new things to explore. However- being that it is SO contained- a world within a world- a different reality exists here. From my perspective, this reality is a reality of excess. From the extravagant dinners, to the day-long brunches, to the ridiculously high consumption of alcohol- there is no moderation.
It's all or nothing.
No alternatives to excess and it's near impossible to moderate- you either stay in or you go out. Hard. And being in my 20's? Well, staying in doesn't happen much.
"Taking it easy" is not an easy feat- I remember the many nights living here, where I would preemptively put on my pj's, order a pizza, and begin a movie. Then, halfway through with the flick and about 3/4 deep into the pizza, I would hear the party-goers parading the streets and my phone would start buzzing with texts from friends, requesting my presence, saying anything from "Where are you, b*tch?" or "At the new place in Meatpacking. Amazing. Come!" or, something as simple as, "Hey! Its (insert name). I'm with (insert name) and (insert name). See you in five? x"
Inevitably, at some point between midnight and 1:00 a.m., I would drag myself out of bed, brush my hair and slide into a taxi with a full night ahead of me.
The only difference now is that I don't bother taking off my makeup in the first place. My time is limited and therefore, I have no room to oscillate- I KNOW what will happen as the day wears on and I've accepted it. But even just a few weeks here has me thinking another way- like it's actually OK to eat out for every meal- breakfast lunch and dinner- everyday. And it's actually normal to stay out until the sun comes up.
The last piece of this excessive puzzle, and the item that prompted this post, is the spending. Yes, even in THIS economy, money is spent almost as if it were mass produced for a board game (Monopoly comes to mind). Manhattan's shopping is some of the best in the world and really...Who can contain themselves?
One of my best friends- an incredibly generous and thoughtful man- went to a boutique opening of a mutual friend last month. Being that he knew the owner, he felt obligated to make a purchase. He walked away with a vintage Ramones t-shirt for me, complete with ink stains and holes. Before I received it though, he made the conscious decision to leave the price tag on. He had to- It was a rag. A $350 rag. Which brings me to my point: I honestly believe that it wouldn't be "normal" anywhere else in the world (well, maybe Moscow- but they don't DO vintage) to spend $350 on a cotton shirt. But hey, it's New York. And I'll wear my rag with pride (and never EVER take the price tag off!)
In conclusion- If I can wear a shirt that costs more than my plane ticket here, then I can wear anything anywhere. "It's up to you New York, New York!"
1 comment:
Thank you. I am writing this thru my tears. It is not only a beautiful story it is a truly lovely tribute. Thank you.
You know how proud we are of you.
Love you the world!
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