Life in the Big City

I used to think people who chose to live in a city were crazy. Not: haha, you’re so crazy, pass the margaritas and chicken wings; more: holy heck, you. are. crazy, pass the straight jackets and Haldol.  

Times Square

Times Square

Why would anyone want to live all crammed together, surrounded by noise and concrete, when you can live all spread out and surrounded by trees?

My Forest

I still don’t totally get that trade off, but, I’m willing to concede, finally, that I may have judged cities (and their inhabitants) a little unfairly. 

My typical city experiences have usually involved going to the touristy places, spending the touristy prices, and in general wondering how people could live amidst the mayhem let alone afford it. In my most recent trip to New York City, however, my girlfriends and I didn’t run from attraction to attraction trying to see everything. Instead, we chose a few things to visit, including a couple of parks, and that made all the difference. 

It's all about pacing...

Once I was able to see trees and people walking their little dogs and squirrels that would walk right up to you and practically shake your hand, I started to get how people could live there. 

Hey, can I bum a peanut?

At one point, we randomly came across a parade. You do not randomly come across parades where I live. And certainly not ones with half naked people in it. (I think heads would spontaneously explode.)

Edie Windsor being escorted to the front of the parade...

And then I really started to get it. City dwellers aren’t surrounded non stop by mobs of people taking pictures of absolutely everything unless they choose to be. They go to work, eat at restaurants in their neighborhood, and hunt down some trees to sit under, just like I do. The difference is, I have way more trees and they have way more restaurants. They also have random parades and roughly a zillion landmarks to check out on the weekends. 

We have a Pagoda. 

I’m not likely to ever move to a city, but, I think I finally get you crazies that do. (Margarita crazy, not Haldol crazy.) I also get that I’ve been vacationing all wrong for a long time now, but, I think I’ll save that for another post.