Train to NYC

One of the hardest parts about beginning life in a new place was the heart-wrenching question of "What happens to all the relationships that I've invested so deeply in?" It was terrifying to think that this beautiful new life was going to cost the friendships that walked with me through awkward teen years, college decisions, relationships and heartbreak, and striking out into the world to pursue dreams and goals. How could I let go of the people who had seen me through so much? Those fears caused more than a few late night tossing and turnings.

It was foolish, really. If those friendships had taught me anything, it should have been to trust in the depth of love that these women are capable of giving. While it's true that our relationships look a little different now (our chats with glass of red wine in hand now include a phone), the heart to hearts, encouragement, love, and laughter, haven't changed. I've been learning that if a someone wants to genuinely invest in your relationship, distance and time don't stand a chance of deterring them.

This was never more evident than when Lizzie arrived at the Greyhound bus station in Albany. This woman has taught me so much about pursuing the desires of your heart and never letting fear detract you from boldly pursuing your life. It was pure joy to find ourselves once again curled up on the couch, our conversations peppered with "Do you remember walking through the worst parts of Barcelona at 2:00 a.m. to catch our bus?" or "Remember dancing in Paris at midnight in an Irish pub, with a Frenchman and a German?" It didn't matter that it had been eight months since we had seen each other; the place that we'd kept for each other in our lives allowed us to step right back into our friendship with even more depth and heart, completely laying all those old fears to rest.

(Now, true to the spirit of our friendship, we woke up at 4:00 a.m. to catch a train down to NYC to rush tickets to Les Mis, though we both had a different cough bug and packed enough suppressants to stock a drug-store. You should have seen the amount of Nyquil and chicken soup we bought on the following day!)

Brooklyn Point of View

The day we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge was also the day we walked for twelve miles, ended up in Eataly twice in one day (first pizza and then gelato), watched the sun set behind the Statue of Liberty from the boardwalk, savored the lights slowing blinking to life in the city, discovered our subway stop closed so we walked until we found another, hungrily sat down in Greenwich Village for burgers and beer at the end of the day, stopped to people watch at the Washington Square Arch, eavesdropped on the group walking in front of us as we attempted to decipher their accent, and slowly walked all the way back by way of 5th Avenue.

NYC: Through the Parks

A couple years ago, I had a layover in JFK airport. I remember flying over NYC and watching as Central Park unfurled below me. It hurt to not be able to leave the airport and explore the city ... so as I caught the next plane and left the skyline behind, me I promised NYC that one day I'd be back.

And on a cloudy, damp January day, we stopped in Hell's Kitchen to pick up coffee for our walk. The small Turkish cafe was filled with dark-clad women ordering their vanilla lattes to go and men quietly working at their laptops. Once I had coffee in one hand, his hand in the other, we meandered through the streets, knowing we were closer as the volume of people began to increase. We turned a corner and horse-drawn carriages began trotting past us, bicycles were too many to count, and the sounds of little munchkins could be heard on the granite slide. We had found Central Park.

Walking through the park entrance, I couldn't decide which direction I wanted to go first. Given the countless hours I've spent watching Person of Interest on late Saturday nights with Dad, I had a bucket list of little nooks and crannies I wanted to find ... it was a continual deja-vu moment as we walked through familiar scenes and stopped to people watch. My conversation skills were practically non-existent ... there was so much to watch and take in. After a few hours of walking about, we found a park bench and watched a Saturday morning in Central Park take place.

A few short mornings later, we played the scene all over again but this time in Bryant Park. That morning was windy and cold ... our walk through the park resembled more of a quick march than a leisurely stroll! We briskly walked through the park, stopped to watch the ice-skaters braving the cold, and then ran for cover and something piping hot!

New York City

"The City seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and beauty in the world."

(F. Scott Fitzgerald)

My first glimpse of NYC may not have been from the Queensboro Bridge,  but it held all the magic of stepping off a train, and walking into Grand Central Station for the very first time. We arrived just as everyone was getting off work on a Friday evening, so we hoisted our bags and pushed our way through the streets. The lights were beginning to come on all around us, and those first few blocks of walking were spent craning my neck to look up, attempting to not knock someone over with my backpack, and trying not to lose him. We were staying with friends, and so had to walk through Midtown to get to our destination. It was one of the most distracting walks I've done in awhile ... behind every corner was a scene that was familiar and yet so unfamiliar ... finally seeing a place that you've only read about, and seen secondhand? Pure magic.

But of course ...  magic tinged with reality! After about 45 minutes we crashed into Starbucks for a quick caffeine jolt, a  minute to put our bags town, and a chance to get our bearings. Tired, hungry and a little overwhelmed, it is amazing what a cup of a coffee can do! Refresehd and ready to go, we hoisted our bags once more and set off for a long weekend exploring the city that never sleeps ...