New York.

I love the city, and that surprises me.

For three years, during my studies at university, I lived in London and I couldn't stand it. The hustle and bustle that was so much fun, so exciting for my fresh-out-of-school, 18-year-old self, very quickly faded when combined with the tireless noise, the impatience of traffic and the general misery of the public. After a year, I couldn't wait to be back in my home town, near wide open spaces and people who smiled at you rather than scowling. Granted, I have been back for visits and found the place to be pleasantly tolerable. But I really thought I would hate New York.

It is the stuff that dreams are made of. Sure, it's noisy and the people aren't always great, but there is something magical about it. Seeing places in person that I'd only ever seen on TV, eating new and incredible food from street vendors, craning my neck to attempt the impossible and see the tops of buildings. It felt like I could never see it all, that I could spend days, weeks, months just exploring and there would always be something new to experience.  And it's true; while the city feels so familiar to me now, I can never truly know all of it. It's pretty awesome. 

{Peach Snapple...You are my one weakness}

Every time I go, I get that same thrill of excitement as I exit the subway and get my first glance of the city. The rush of sound that greets you is deafening and all you can see is the street full to bursting with busy people; dressed in suits and skirts, briskly walking to meetings or in shorts with cameras idly hung around their necks, absorbing the full NYC tourist experience.  Strolling down the block, those famous yellow cabs bumper-to-bumper in the midday traffic, the glare of the sun from windows in structures that tower above you.  The delight of stumbling across a spot of nature in the concrete, the oddity of flowers and trees blooming and living amidst the grey.

I don't think I could ever live in a city like New York, not after becoming so disillusioned with London.  NYC holds a very special place in my heart and I don't want anything to tarnish it's pretty, bustling, vibrant reputation.  S and I have only been twice since I moved and while I like that not going so often keeps our little outings special, when we leave I always have a hankering to go right back and enjoy it all over again.  After all, as Thomas Wolfe said, 'One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years' and I think it's kind of true.  You take a part of the city with you and you leave a part behind.  Perhaps that is why it is so stunningly vivid, so diverse, so full.

Do you have a favourite city?

Love, K.