Start Spreading The News

The 7-train rumbles over my head as I sit in the car waiting for the guy in the black SUV to drive out of the parking spot I hope to take. The Queens neighborhood I live in is not only known for its diverse population of Filipino, Latin American, Indian, and Middle Eastern, it is also a haven for foodies everywhere. Because of its growing food and party scene, finding a place to park your car for the night is as challenging as finding a good man to marry [Thank God, I already found one!]. It's been 14 years since I got the key to the apartment I consider home in this often noisy city and as I contemplate my move to another country halfway across the globe, I couldn't help but recall (with fondness, always with fondness) all the beautiful and ugly moments I've had in The Big Apple. 

When I first came to this bustling metropolis teeming with people who would judge you based on the shoes you're wearing or how you hog the center pole in a packed subway car, I didn't expect to also find random commuters who would stop in their tracks to help you carry a big bag down a flight of stairs, baristas who would remember your coffee preference, strangers at a party who would say no to tequila because they didn't want you to be left out, and co-workers who would scream and dance with delight when they find out you're engaged.

New York City is not for everyone. The potholes filled with nasty-smelling water in Times Square, the garbage that spill out unto the streets in Flushing, and the traffic jam in the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (even at 6:30am!) would make any girl from suburbia cringe. Good thing I'm used to city living! The loud honks from impatient drivers and crowded coffee shops may get to me from time to time but I never minded the life here. As much as I prefer (and fervently wish) to wake up to the sound of the ocean or birds chirping, sleep under a canopy of stars, breathe the cool fresh mountain air, and spend quiet afternoons staring out at a wide open field as the sun sets, the hustle of urban life has grown on me.

Would I miss it? The mad rush to catch the bus, the rude and often unnecessary comments from government workers who couldn't be bothered by your questions, and the marathons that disrupt one's weekend routine? No, I wouldn't. But I would definitely miss the seafood ramen from Cafe Duke, the tuna melt from Cheesy (formerly Slices), the lovely sopranos from the church choir I sing with, colleagues who would call you up in the middle of your sick day to ask if you're okay, the ever reliable food delivery service, the Mexican dude in the corner fruit stand who gives an extra serving of grapes and always with a friendly smile, and the comfort of knowing that no matter how late your Broadway show ends the 7-train still runs.

NYC will always occupy a special place in my heart. Even though I feel like I've been here too long (I planned on staying for only 5 years), I love this city. And like any kind of love, it is not BECAUSE OF but INSPITE OF. It has many flaws and would understandably turn off anyone who does not see the beauty inside its tough and chaotic exterior. It's a place you don't fall in love with at first sight. It's the kind that creeps up on you. One day, after years of knowing it and experiencing it, you wake up and see something that you thought was not there before but was there all along and you simply failed to notice it. And once you feel it, there's no going back. So yes, from Williamsburg to Woodside to Broadway and Fifth Avenue, I will miss every nook and cranny of this love-it-or-hate-it city. And someday I will be back for a vist and show all of its pretty (and gory) details to the people closest to my heart and hope they see what I have seen.

Bryant Park in the winter