new york, new york
“Do not stay anywhere past your expiration date.” This sentence jumped out at me last year when reading Issa Rae’s “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” book.
For as long as I could remember I wanted to live in New York City. I spent my summers in college interning in cities I may want to live in, but ultimately I knew that I would end up in New York. Many people say this city is like a bad relationship- one that you know you should get out of, but something about it keeps reeling you back in. I have lived in New York City a total of three times. Once as an intern, again right after college for a year, and now for the past 6 years. Over the past 7 years I have lived in many studio apartments, fallen in and out of love, ruined several pairs of shoes walking Manhattan, and met some incredible people along the way.
New York City, I had a very hard time quitting you, not just for your endless options on any given night or the vast range of new restaurants that I love to dine in/scope out the design aesthetic, but because of Brooklyn. My neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant continues to be very rich in history, culture and providing a sense of community. In a city as large and as isolating as New York, this neighborhood felt small and intimate. I will miss so many little things, from passing the old ladies on the corner gossiping as I walk to the train, to riding my bicycle through the neighborhood as I drool over the beautiful brownstones, to the added bonus of being able to walk to majority of my friends’ apartments. This bubble of Brooklyn became my home; it became a respite when sometimes things were too much. Despite how much I love New York City and Brooklyn, I knew it was time to go. It is very easy to stay in the cycle of comfort, to not push yourself to see what else is out there, to not see how life would be somewhere else. Maybe it will be better, maybe worse, but you never know until you seek it out.
In between packing like a maniac and selling off non sentimental furniture items, my last few days living here were spent visiting my favorite places, late night drinks with friends, and having one last house party.
