I have always envisioned a “nook” as a place of safety. A place that made me feel safe and centered no matter what was going on around me.
NYC is a complete trip. At any given time there are thousands of people surrounding you. The heat has been extreme this week, and lets not talk about the drivers. The loudness and dirtiness alone are alarming. Even though I still gaze up at the city in awe, I can see the notorious “harshness” of the city. I can sense that if I don’t establish myself with two very stable feet on the floor, I could be completely swallowed up by the city and run back home with my tail between my legs and write the experience off to “Well we gave it a try”. That is one realization.
The second would be the calming realization that even though I am in the center of this gigantic city in this completely new and complicated culture, I am not going to change. Daydreaming while working this summer, I envisioned myself becoming a tough, sleekly dressed, talking on my cell phone, always on the cutting edge, out every night, and saying phrases like “that is so New York” type of city-goer. I know I have only been here about a week, but I can already tell that I am going to fall somewhere in the middle. Coming to NY magnifies certain qualities about people or at least me, and I was surprised to find into this quarter-life I have developed a core. I am pretty laid back and simple. I like staying in more than going out. I really do appreciate intimate evenings at home. A couple nights a week I like to have events such as dinner, drinks with friends, a movie, and/or a show. I am a more day-oriented person, and like to fill my days with errands and projects, and relax at night. I have no idea why I thought that would all change, but one week in I can tell it won’t. I do, indeed, have more access to very exciting things that I certainly will take advantage of, but it seems gravitation to my core is helping me through this adjustment. Some might find this juvenile, but I like it this way. I see it as establishing my foundation and building up from there. I do though look forward to the future when my routines are established and I experience everything this city has to offer.
Also helping me with this transition is my “nooks”. Like I said, they have been revealing themselves. Here are some examples of what I call my “nooks”. As soon as we moved here, we discovered the Union Square’s Farmer Market; amazingly cheap produce fills the square. Finding out that my favorite store Trader Joe’s was right down the street was also exciting. At least 3 times now in the late afternoon, we walk to the market, stop by Joe’s, and walk 2 long blocks and 7 short blocks back to our apartment to cook dinner. I
love our shopping activities; they make me feel at home and also like I am having a shopping experience unique to New York. Another “nook” was getting in our car, which I love having here even though no one agreed with us, and going to explore Long Island. We found Ikea, and as we left we saw a sign for Hempstead, my dad’s hometown where none of my family have been. We called my dad up, and had him map quest us to his childhood home at 15 Foster P
lace. Hearing how excited this made my dad, made me feel safe; a moment I will never forget. We continued our exploration to Sag Harbor next to the Hamptons, and instantly fell in love. Next summer we want to get a summer rental there. The final “nook” I will share with you happened this morning. I went for a jog, and intended to jog through the big Stu-town complex near our apartment. Instead, I ended up jogging on a trail along the East River. This is where I found my peeps…the runners. This familiarity fueled my run from awful to above average. People were walking dogs, partners were walking hand-in-hand, and I even saw a 5 year old tee ball team, The Mets, warming up for their game. On my way up the trail back to our place, I caught an awesome view of the eastern skyline and the Empire Sate building, and I experienced another “wow, I really live here” moment that was exhilarating. My “nooks” are becoming quite sacred to me, and I will write more about them as I find them.
Sorry for the long blog, I just felt like writing it all down today. It is so long for me to even proofread, so if you have made it this far, I thank you. Tomorrow is our first Sunday in the city, and we intend to drive out and ferry to Fire Island. It is not suppose to be as humid as these past days, and I cannot wait to see the ocean.
