“The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down…”

I was looking at the photos in my Instagram feed early Sunday morning before getting the kids ready for church.  As my finger scrolled through, occasionally hitting “like” and making a comment here or there I came across a photo of the New York City skyline and my finger immediately went to “like” it.  I did not even have to read the words below.  My brain immediately said Like. 

Tim was gone for something for work and all the memories of our trip together last December flashed through my mind like a slideshow of wonderful.  And then I thought how much I would love to be there again.  Now.  How a stroll through Central Park would do so much for my soul.

There’s just something about THAT city, you know?  All the life and movement and constant everything.  SO many people there with SO many different lives and dreams and accents. 

The photo also made me think of a couple of my favorite bloggers that live there, Jessica and Illana.  And when I think about them and how they are raising their children in that amazing, hustle and bustle-y place I think, “Why couldn’t I do that too?”  But then I think, there is no way this suburb girl could move her family there and survive.  But Jessica did. She is.

Other times I think what if I had gone there years ago, like I dreamed of, to go to fashion school.  What if I had made that life changing decision?  Well, surely, everything in my life would be different. 

My first trip to NYC was in college.  I drained my savings account for a trip there before my senior year.  It was actually a class I took and we had to work on projects while we were there and I almost got lost the very first day, while touring St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  I was in so much awe of it all and after we were done watching STOMP, off Broadway, I simply didn’t want to leave. EVER.

I remember calling Tim from the payphone on the first floor of our hotel not too far from Times Square and beaming on the phone about how much I loved “this place”.  We’d only been dating for a little while and I remember missing him but thinking how I would love to just up and move there.

But of course I did not.  I stayed “home” and married the love of my life and all things happen for a reason. 

But there is still a part of me that would find living in New York City, even if just for a little while, would be absolutely amazing.  Anyone wanna rent me their apartment for a year?  I think that would probably do it.