I write listening to the soundtrack of a very talented street musician playing his guitar as I look at the silver skyline of my favorite city.  Oh, New York, I do love you.

This town lives up to its reputation.  In just several days, I hit up a number of fantastic restaurants and watering holes, took a casual stroll through FNO at Barneys on a random Thursday evening, received a handful of Broadway recommendations, stumbled onto two movie sets, acquired courtside tickets to the women’s final at the US Open, and escaped a crowd of crazy kids at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.  Pretty good stuff.

And then there are the quieter things.  The grocery store manager that – though I’ve been gone for months – remembers which salsa I like. The nice cab driver who lets me hop out without paying once I realized I’ve forgotten my wallet at the apartment.  A glorious yoga class with one of my favorite teachers.  The ability to find coconut water anywhere.  The hundreds of wooded acres of Northern Manhattan Park.  Overhearing a local give friendly directions to tourists, in their native language.  Exploring a hundred different nearby neighborhoods.  Watching sunset over the Hudson from a downtown rooftop.

There’s a lot of beauty here, if you know where to find it.

Now then, if I can just get reacclimated with the jackhammers, sidewalk slow-walkers, contagious exhaustion, car horns, dirty air, steamy, dripping subway platforms, and especially those you-gotta’-be-kiddin’-me apartments I’ve seen lately (averaging less than 400 square feet and more than $1700 per month)… well guys, then I might actually move back.  *smile*

Let me know what I missed, and I’ll add it to the pro/con list.

Central Park Row

Best Friends, Baby and Brooklyn

Yellow Cab, Blue Sky