Sunday, February 18, 2007
new york, new york.
Man, do I miss New York.
As the old aphorism goes, I may have grown up in Manila, but I grew up in NYC.
And boy do I miss it.
I miss Kura and Meskerem and Sunshine Cinema and Angelika Theater and even the dingy dumpling place 2 blocks from the F on Houston. I miss spending my mornings browsing through books in The Strand. Man. I even miss the old libraries. And Washington Square Park. And Macdougal. And Bleeker. And Horus.
I miss our picnics in Long Island and driving to Jones Beach (hay, how I mocked you then...). I miss Lillian's Pizza on the corner, and the wine shop down the block where they know me so well, they don't even ask me for ID. Hay. A slice o' regular and a good bottle of moscato. NY Bliss.
I miss my porkchop special from Lai Fan and roti canai from Penang's. I miss authentic samosas and fried pork buns. I miss kabobs sold on the street by old Greek men in Astoria. I miss pigging out on kilos of meat in Brazilian churrascarias. I miss turkish baba ganoush and hummus. I miss the vast array of food waiting just outside my apartment... every single cuisine in the world ripe for my picking. I miss fantastically good food on the cheap. (Yes, New York City can be had on a good shoestring, if you know where to look!)
I miss the free paper they give out on the subway every weekday morning. I miss the nice old trees on good old Groton street.
I miss dressing as wildly as I want without having to worry about people giving me strange looks while walking on a busy street. I miss the edgy fashion. I miss the plethora of used book shops and vintage stores. I miss Beacon's Closet. I miss H&M on 14th. I miss the oh-so unique vibe of the city. New York makes you feel alive. New York makes you feel like greatness is literally on your door step and everything you want is but an arm's reach away. Living in New York makes you feel like you're living in the center of the world.
I really miss New York. I'm a bit taken aback by just how much I miss it, actually. Then again, I really shouldn't be surprised. After all, it was in one of the walk-ups in the village that I found my voice. It was in a semi-underground restaurant in downtown Manhattan where I found love. It was in that city that I truly realized that we live in a lovely, lovely world. I found a "me" there that couldn't have existed anywhere else. It will always be my second home.
Hay. I {heart} NYC.
As the old aphorism goes, I may have grown up in Manila, but I grew up in NYC.
And boy do I miss it.
I miss Kura and Meskerem and Sunshine Cinema and Angelika Theater and even the dingy dumpling place 2 blocks from the F on Houston. I miss spending my mornings browsing through books in The Strand. Man. I even miss the old libraries. And Washington Square Park. And Macdougal. And Bleeker. And Horus.
I miss our picnics in Long Island and driving to Jones Beach (hay, how I mocked you then...). I miss Lillian's Pizza on the corner, and the wine shop down the block where they know me so well, they don't even ask me for ID. Hay. A slice o' regular and a good bottle of moscato. NY Bliss.
I miss my porkchop special from Lai Fan and roti canai from Penang's. I miss authentic samosas and fried pork buns. I miss kabobs sold on the street by old Greek men in Astoria. I miss pigging out on kilos of meat in Brazilian churrascarias. I miss turkish baba ganoush and hummus. I miss the vast array of food waiting just outside my apartment... every single cuisine in the world ripe for my picking. I miss fantastically good food on the cheap. (Yes, New York City can be had on a good shoestring, if you know where to look!)
I miss the free paper they give out on the subway every weekday morning. I miss the nice old trees on good old Groton street.
I miss dressing as wildly as I want without having to worry about people giving me strange looks while walking on a busy street. I miss the edgy fashion. I miss the plethora of used book shops and vintage stores. I miss Beacon's Closet. I miss H&M on 14th. I miss the oh-so unique vibe of the city. New York makes you feel alive. New York makes you feel like greatness is literally on your door step and everything you want is but an arm's reach away. Living in New York makes you feel like you're living in the center of the world.
I really miss New York. I'm a bit taken aback by just how much I miss it, actually. Then again, I really shouldn't be surprised. After all, it was in one of the walk-ups in the village that I found my voice. It was in a semi-underground restaurant in downtown Manhattan where I found love. It was in that city that I truly realized that we live in a lovely, lovely world. I found a "me" there that couldn't have existed anywhere else. It will always be my second home.
Hay. I {heart} NYC.
Labels: new york, second home
9:27:00 PM
