I had always considered myself a die-hard New Yorker. Though I wasn’t born in the states, this city has raised me and has catered to anything I’d ever desired. This includes, of course, pizza, bagels, nightclubs, and a multi-cultural circle of friends. Living anywhere where delicatessens closed earlier than midnight seemed absurd. This outlook hasn’t changed, and as I’ve begun my attempt at a career, being anywhere but New York is just counterproductive. Still, I keep looking into the future and wondering whether I’ll always be happy here, and whether this urban landscape and fast paced environment will ever finally get to me.
I think it happens to us all; the subway just gets too cramped, the streets get too noisy at night, and the smell of pollution floats a bit too easily on the afternoon air. Sure we have some escapes; central park, my local beach, and dare I say, upstate New York, but I wonder what it’d be like to have all those things in your backyard. Many people choose to relocate for family’s sake; marriage, kids, the works. “Settling down”.
It’s silly that I’m thinking about this now. I’ve only begun living a life that is my own and not guided by class schedules and holiday breaks. Maybe that’s why these thoughts come to mind. Lifestyle is as much defined by your location as it is by your career. But what happens when those two clash? Having a high powered career in communications isn’t exactly synonymous with a quiet life in, say North Carolina (where a friend has recently invited me to come live). More importantly, does abandoning New York mean abandoning the New Yorker that I am? Are we trapped here, loving it and hating it all at once? I suppose I have my twenties to get everything urban out of my system, and let my career be my guide.
