I've never been comfortable calling myself a Jersey Girl. I don't know why. Or maybe I do. But it's what I am. And aside from the four years I spent away at college in Boston, I've lived here all of my life.
My heart desperately wants to move south, to move somewhere warm, but for now this is my home.
One of the biggest perks to being here is living close to Manhattan. I've been to others cities around the world, falling deeply in love with the city of Paris. But Manhattan, ah, Manhattan. After crossing the George Washington Bridge or driving through the Lincoln Tunnel, there's an unexplainable pulse that's suddenly palpable, a certain energy I've never felt anywhere else.
Times Square
I often think about the opening scene in Woody Allen's movie "Manhattan. Shot in black and white, the cinematography skillfully captures the essence of Manhattan. Forget about the dialogue. It's watching the city, a third character in the film, set to the music of my favorite composer, George Gershwin, that Allen showcases against the steely rhythms of "Rhapsody in Blue." It's a visually brilliant introduction to a city we both love.
The traffic can be maddening. The sidewalks are crowded. The taxi drivers are crazy. The streets are filled with colorful characters. The prices are expensive. But..
You never know what you'll see when you walk around Manhattan. A woman dressed up as a character in the play "Chicago" or a bunch of fictional characters.
There's a magic to the city unlike anywhere else. The museums, restaurants, theaters, galleries, shopping, parks, music halls, walking paths - they are all squeezed into 33 square miles for our ongoing pleasure.
Broadway shows, or as they used to call it, "The legitimate theater"
Lincoln Center. Central Park. The Village and Soho. The Plaza and Pierre Hotels. Broadway. The Flatiron and Empire State Buildings. Wall Street. South Street Seaport. Times Square.Chinatown and Little Italy. Harlem. Fifth Avenue. Rockefeller Center. Hell's Kitchen. Grand Central. Museum Mile. Tiffany's, Bergdorf's Goodman's, Henri Bendel and Bloomingdales. Zabar's. The United Nations.
The list is endless.
The fun and charm of New York City
The six years I worked in the city was exciting. It was the 1980's and companies were spending extra money to keep their employees happy. When I worked for a large real estate mogul they'd send us home by limousine if we worked late (which was often) and, since I lived in New Jersey, that car ride must have been an expensive one.
Sometimes they'd offer us free tickets to Broadway shows (one time our intermission was spent with Liza Minelli and Sammy Davis, Jr. in the lobby!) Or free passes to nightclubs like The Red Parrot and Limelight.
John Lennon tribute, Central Park and fun at Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum
But my favorite part of being in Manhattan was seeing it through the eyes of our son. At five months old we strapped him into a baby backpack carrier and showed him the vivid colors of the artwork at The Guggenheim Museum. Since then we've enjoyed exposing him to the culture and vibrance of the city he now loves.
It's difficult for me to pinpoint the number one reason why I'm so crazy about New York City. What I do know is that its always taught me a lot about life, and when the time comes to move away I will miss it. Because, like the movie, Manhattan has become a character in my life. It's a dear old friend.
What's your favorite city?
My sentiments exactly.
I have a similar love affair with the city. If M and I had stayd married the first time we would've lived there and that's a fantasy we often talk about.
Oh how this makes me smile, Cathy! After my recent visit and figuring out how to move gracefully along Manhattan's sudewalks.....I can fully appreciate the energy and slice of life moments everywhere! I'm sorry our paths didn't cross this time LOL but we'll meet
eventually IRL!
I love visiting NYC, husband and eldest daughter went to school there, she works there and lives in Brooklyn, but I find the city to be exhausting. My favorite city is almost always wherever I am at the moment. :-).
I've had the chance to visit Manhattan about a half dozen times. It's wonderful! But I lived in DC for about four years (when I was single and in my 20s). I had a lot of fun meeting people from all over the US and the world, sampling international cuisine, going to the symphony and theater, going to festivals, visiting the museums and monuments, jogging around the Tidal Basin when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and taking day trips to Civil War sites. I sometimes fantasize about going back, but it would be a different experience for me in midlife.
I would love to just visit Manhattan again. I was there a million years ago. But I have to confess as Randy Newman says, "I love LA."
San Francisco....also, Vancouver, Chicago, NY, London...
I love NYC too! One of the best things about living in Philly is that I can hop on Amtrak and be there in about an hour. And I do, all the time! I even belong to MOMA! (Cathy, let's have coffee the next time we're both in the city!)
I would love to visit there! You better not move south before I get the chance. 😀
Nothing like The Big Apple! I adore the energy, the art, and the people!
You KNOW my favorite city is Manhattan. I really do love it, there. Other cities have their charms, but Manhattan just has, well, EVERYTHING!
There is no place like NYC! I haven't lived in New York since I was 14 years old, but still it thrills me every time I drive in from JFK and see the skyline. My family's history is there, and there's no place with the vibrant theater and music scene like NY. Great post!
I am so with you on this one Cathy! I grew up in Connecticut and the New York City skyline was part of the landscape across the water. I still remember looking off at her twinkling lights and feeling the pull to go and DO things there. Of course it was only a train ride away and we did just that throughout our teen years. I miss the vibrance of NY often and love to visit.
I love NY in small doses but my favorite is San Francisco!
I love that you shared this the same day I shared my home town too! I also love to visit NYC! One of my favorite spots to go. So full of energy and excitement.
As a native New Yorker, this totally made me miss what I will always consider home. I will never be a California. I'm a New Yorker living in California!
OK.... two confessions. First, I have only been to NYC once. I was 18 and I need so desperately to go back with you as a tour guide. Second, I was sitting here in awe of the Chester family with all those celebrities...and then I saw it was the wax museum :)!!! Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco top my list of places to visit!
I see myself as a "city girl" even though I have always lived in the suburbs. Maybe it is wishful thinking. I would love to live in NYC. I have lived close to San Francisco - but as wonderful as that is - it is not NYC. Looking at the photos was wonderful and I could dream about living in Manhattan - although if I did I imagine there might be a down side to it too. Maybe the the suburbs and now a more rural setting for me might be ok too
I love NYC. I love how I feel there. Always wished I had lived there at some point in my life.
We're taking our boys to NY for the first time over Christmas. I can't wait to see their reactions. And to get back there. I haven't been since 2001. It is such a magical place. When I was fresh out of college, I picked up and moved from rural GA to San Francisco. It was crazy and gutsy and completely unlike me. I guess I left my heart there...as the song goes.
my children are nuts for New York. My youngest daughter had an internship at O magazine last summer, so my oldest daughter stayed with her for awhile. They went back and forth to Lawrenceville where my husband's family lives. Then we all met up at Yankee Stadium to say goodbye to Derek Jeter. We love it there, and you are so right about the pulse of the city.
I agree with you, Cathy. New York is the most wonderful city on the world. I feel lucky that I am close enough to visit once on a while. Speaking of which, when is our next rendez-vous?
What a wonderful playground you have in your backyard! I've only been to New York twice. The first time, I was a little girl. My parents were taking all 9 of their kids to Europe and we stopped over in N.Y.C. on our way so they could meet with their agent and editor at Doubleday. Though our time was brief, I remember thinking it was so bright, so vibrant, so alive. Fast forward almost 20 years and I would return. I had a business meeting in Connecticut so a few of the gals I worked with and I flew in to N.Y.C a few days early and we did the city big! There are few cities like New York, but I don't know that it ranks in my top 5. My top 5 would include: San Francisco, Florence, Venice, London, and probably, San Diego.
Your post, however, reminded me I'm well past due for another visit to New York. 🙂