Borough Wanderlust

I have to admit I'm a borough kind of girl.  When I first moved to New York City I lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  At the time the borough sounded like a remote, uncivilized region.  I wasn't sure how to get out there, or what to do when I did.  In Manhattan everything is within your grasp, usually within a couple block of your home.  There's really no need to go anywhere else.  The city is buzzing with activity outside your doorstep.

Everyone knows that there's a price to this convenience.  Apartments, like the one in Friends, do not exist - at least not on coffee shop wages.  You pay a high premium for not a lot of living space.  But with everything going on, who wants to spend much time at home.  You can feel the energy luring you through your walls.  There's no such thing as too late, too far, or inconvenient, when you have everything in your neighborhood.  And this is perhaps what made me restless.

I love New York, that's why I'm here.  But what I've found living in the borough is a reasonable separation.  I love going home.  Manhattan is where I work, and play ... Brooklyn is where I live.  Sitting on the subway for 30 minutes, I listen to my ipod or read my book.  By the time I reach my stop, any left-over stress or pent-up anxiety is gone (this also works in reverse as I'm in constant fear of being late).  Those are minutes I wouldn't normally give my self during the day.

Sure, Astoria, Kensington and even Williamsburg (especially Williamsburg) didn't provide the resources and services I found living in Manhattan.  But being the borough means that convenience is only a subway ride away.  Knowing this means that I have no issues with travel.  In fact, I look forwards to it.  Borough diaspora, caused by increasing housing prices, job locations and the want for space means my friends have moved to all over the city.  Through them, I've learned about areas I would never have visited otherwise.  Astoria has some of the best Greek food as well as Columbian bakeries.  Williamsburg is my Mecca for new art and hip restaurants - with so much competition, each one has to be completely creative.  Coney Island provides the beach and boardwalk.  Want Russian food?  Try Brighton Beach.  No Christmas is complete without taking in the lights of Dyker Heights. 

Now of course, making these journeys requires a little planning.  A call at 11pm doesn't land me in a bar in Astoria.  But crossing a bridge, or going through a tunnel doesn't pose a problem either.  I feel that I'm getting to know the complexities of the city.  The more I learn, the more beautiful she seems.   Though it's funny that New Jersey still seems a world away.