2009
Can you believe it's here? It's January 3, 2009.
2009!
17 days till Inauguration Day, 14 days till my birthday (after which, I have decided to no longer admit my age unless it's absolutely necessary. Lame and vain, I know. But last year's milestone had me pretty messed up in the head for a minute, so my future refusal to disclose my age is merely a way of preserving my sanity).
And I'm sure that 2009 will shape up to be a huge year, just like 2008 was. But for all our sakes, I hope it's a huge year in that "OMG so many awesome things have happened and things are getting better for once" way and not in the "OMG everything is going to hell in a handbasket and it's only going to get more disastrous" way that we all felt in 2008 (Election Day excluded).
All we have left going into this year is optimism. If we all decide that things have no direction to go but up, things will get better, right? Sadly, that's not the case. But we can all do our best to keep a stiff upper lip and look on the bright side.
::sigh:: I miss New York City.
(Oh, God, here she goes again!)
Yes, I know. But I can't help it!
I finally got to go back to the city after being away for 18 months. I had hoped that I'd feel better after going and I'd be able to go back to Florida knowing that it wouldn't be another 18 months before I got back to the city.
Instead, I miss the city even more. Except for Midtown. It took me approximately 3 minutes while walking up Broadway to the TKTS booth for me to remember my deep-seated and bitter loathing for Times Square. Seriously, it wouldn't be so bad if there weren't so many damned tourists! But then again, tourism is what made Times Square visitable and Broadway marquees stay lit, so I can't complain. Too much. But I still hate the Naked Cowboy and the crowds he attracts with the fire of a million suns.
But I miss New York. I miss running around the East Village and Lower East Side, popping into random bars that look cool, going on random adventures into Brooklyn or uptown into Harlem. I miss the reverent silence that hushes a PATH train when it pulls into the World Trade Center station, taking the passengers around the immediate perimeter of Ground Zero. I miss riding in taxis and feeling that you're on a thrill ride (cause they drivers are insane). I miss the subway. I miss the noise and the smells and the grime. I miss hot dog carts. I miss seeing fake Coach and Prada bags lying on sheets on 7th Ave. I miss the river views from the West Side Highway. I miss driving up the Turnpike and seeing all those lights and realizing that there is no place else like this one.
And I'm over a thousand miles away from all of that right now.
But I will survive. I shall perservere. When it's time for me to be back in the city, I'll be back. I believe this. I have to, otherwise I'll truly go crazy.
Off to go stuff my face with some KFC before I get depressed. It's not the best method for treating City Withdrawal, but it will have to do.
2009!
17 days till Inauguration Day, 14 days till my birthday (after which, I have decided to no longer admit my age unless it's absolutely necessary. Lame and vain, I know. But last year's milestone had me pretty messed up in the head for a minute, so my future refusal to disclose my age is merely a way of preserving my sanity).
And I'm sure that 2009 will shape up to be a huge year, just like 2008 was. But for all our sakes, I hope it's a huge year in that "OMG so many awesome things have happened and things are getting better for once" way and not in the "OMG everything is going to hell in a handbasket and it's only going to get more disastrous" way that we all felt in 2008 (Election Day excluded).
All we have left going into this year is optimism. If we all decide that things have no direction to go but up, things will get better, right? Sadly, that's not the case. But we can all do our best to keep a stiff upper lip and look on the bright side.
::sigh:: I miss New York City.
(Oh, God, here she goes again!)
Yes, I know. But I can't help it!
I finally got to go back to the city after being away for 18 months. I had hoped that I'd feel better after going and I'd be able to go back to Florida knowing that it wouldn't be another 18 months before I got back to the city.
Instead, I miss the city even more. Except for Midtown. It took me approximately 3 minutes while walking up Broadway to the TKTS booth for me to remember my deep-seated and bitter loathing for Times Square. Seriously, it wouldn't be so bad if there weren't so many damned tourists! But then again, tourism is what made Times Square visitable and Broadway marquees stay lit, so I can't complain. Too much. But I still hate the Naked Cowboy and the crowds he attracts with the fire of a million suns.
But I miss New York. I miss running around the East Village and Lower East Side, popping into random bars that look cool, going on random adventures into Brooklyn or uptown into Harlem. I miss the reverent silence that hushes a PATH train when it pulls into the World Trade Center station, taking the passengers around the immediate perimeter of Ground Zero. I miss riding in taxis and feeling that you're on a thrill ride (cause they drivers are insane). I miss the subway. I miss the noise and the smells and the grime. I miss hot dog carts. I miss seeing fake Coach and Prada bags lying on sheets on 7th Ave. I miss the river views from the West Side Highway. I miss driving up the Turnpike and seeing all those lights and realizing that there is no place else like this one.
And I'm over a thousand miles away from all of that right now.
But I will survive. I shall perservere. When it's time for me to be back in the city, I'll be back. I believe this. I have to, otherwise I'll truly go crazy.
Off to go stuff my face with some KFC before I get depressed. It's not the best method for treating City Withdrawal, but it will have to do.
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