From the excruciating packing for the trip there, to the heart-wrenching packing for the way home, New York City had slowly crept into my heart, calling itself home.
Coming from a small town that is not very diverse, I daydreamed constantly about the infamous “city that never sleeps.” I pictured car horns going off like crazy, people moving in packs everywhere they went, and skyscrapers that would stand tall along the skyline. While everything I had stereotyped as New York City was most certainly true, it came to me that these weren’t the things that really made New York City. It was the experience you create for yourself that makes New York City.
First arriving in the city was a bit overwhelming, I must admit. My hometown is notorious for going to sleep at 7:00 PM due to the fact that is a retirement home. So, stepping into a place that is lit up for the world to see 24/7 was incredible. My first night out on the town was amazing; the fast-paced feel and the constant motion were to-die-for. The Big Apple is where I learned that I had a need for speed, but not from a souped-up car. I craved the rush of a big city.
As the days went on with my visit, I slowly slipped into the everyday life of a New Yorker. Rather than adjusting to the city, as most would, New York City and I had a perfect fit. I went to my rehearsals every day, as any performer in the city would be required to do, and then proceeded with ways to entertain myself, which were not hard to find in such a diverse place. I found myself getting around in crowds easier and easier, sometimes even ending up ahead of my touristy friends.
Gradually, I had become a foreigner to my hometown’s ways. No longer did I allow the presence of silence to declare my bedtime. No longer did I allow the flow of traffic to dictate when I crossed streets. I wasn’t in New York anymore; New York was in me. I only realized this when I had finished performing on the Carnegie Hall stage, was on my way to the after party at Planet Hollywood, looked up to see the street number, and realized that Radio City Music Hall has become just another landmark rather than a fascination.
?The pitter-patter of feet in the street now matched up with beat of my heart.
This small-town girl fell head over heels for New York City, the apple of her eye.
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