Who wouldn’t want to go to the Big Apple for their birthday?! Okay, maybe lots of people, but that’s not important right now. All that matters is that I wanted to. And I did!
I’ve said it before: everyone deserves to feel special on their birthdays and NYC didn’t disappoint. Staying on the fortieth floor of a luxury hotel with Times Square beneath us and an awesome view of the city, I felt like I was starring in my own reality show. The food, the drinks, the sights, the theater (Little Shop of Horrors), yeah…that was all good, too. We toured a cathedral, had lunch at a fabulous cafe, visited the Museum of Modern Art (where we saw Van Gogh’s Starry Night.) annd attended the taping of our favorite TV show.
As much fun as all that was, the even more amazing part of the trip was just being there. Staying in Manhattan; sightseeing; even just hiking down the Monday morning sidewalks while everyone around us hustled off to work was exhilarating. That feeling of “I’m not at work but you are!” is at least half the fun of a vacation (however short) in a big city. There was traffic everywhere; narrow streets stuffed with pedestrians and vendors; shops of every kind. Even a celebrity sighting.
Despite only staying two days, I felt like I belonged. Like maybe I could live there. Even more strangely, like I wanted to live there. It was even more fun than I had imagined: culture up to your eyeballs; theater. Art. Business. Architecture. Food. Damn, right? Of course the dogs would have a big adjustment, but I bet I could find somewhere with green space and other pups for them to play with. It could be great!
For maybe a month. Then I’d be hungry for quiet, darkness at night, trees. Real earth under my shoes. My car. Even my concealed weapons license (something that’s nearly impossible to obtain in NYC.) Yeah, I’d be homesick after a short while if I tried to live there. It wouldn’t work.
But that’s okay: I can go back as often as I like.
And come right home again.