Awake at 4:00 a.m. I always become an insomniac at the end of a great romance. What's different about this break-up, is that I'm already thinking of jumping into a new relationship.
My eight-year affair with Manhattan is coming to a close. I'm relieved, nervous, excited, and likely a whole lot of other feelings that will rear their head as the time draws near to lock my door behind me. I haven't yet found a new place--a mixture of denial, inertia and a few more months on my lease allowed me to say a long goodbye.
When I moved from Brooklyn, I fully expected my time with Manhattan would be a 1-year fling. Then, I thought I'd go off somewhere more affordable, smaller and cozier, a place where I could be a big fish.
But this borough brought lots of magic and zing to my life. Not Broadway shows or Lincoln Center or Museum Mile. I love the whoosh of buses below my window, cafes that open at 6:00 a.m. and cafes I can easily walk to--just cross a street and feel safe by signs of life at all hours--even my odd hours.
Manhattan rents are insanely high, space is insanely limited and I want to explore the unfamiliar. I can't return to Brooklyn--a place I love, but holds too much history. Queens doesn't feel right. My friend in Staten Island says it's better than I think. But I want to find my own perfectly imperfect spot on earth, even though I know that how I live is as important as where.
*I reserve the right to rethink all things written at 4:00 a.m.
Followers
