The Big Apple, Not So Big

Recently I went to New York City for the first time. Growing up, I had always thought of the city as perfect: It’s big, there are always things to do, people always around; the feeling that you can always keep going without stopping to take a breather. Growing up, I thought that was exactly what I wanted. To me, it symbolized endless opportunity and hope.

Wow, was I wrong! I went to NYC and although I had a wonderful time, I don’t think I could spend more than five days there at a time. Not because it’s too overwhelming (because really, it’s not), it’s just not what I want from a city. It was dirty, crowded, the people were aggressive, prices were unnecessarily expensive, and it really wasn’t that impressive. Don’t get me wrong: It’s a wonderful place to visit. It’s definitely got positive factors and the cultural diversity there is amazing. I loved seeing such diversity everywhere I went; not just with ethnicity, but in culture as well. There were things there that literally amazed me.

The highlight? Hands down, it was The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was so incredibly awe-inspiring. I mean, they have a temple from ancient Egypt in the middle of the Met. To me, that’s insane! I can’t even imagine having something like that in Madison. I’ve been obsessed with ancient Egyptian history for ages and to actually see a temple that is over a thousand years old without having to leave the country is incredible. For the purpose of enhancing my cultural knowledge, I’d make a trip out to NYC every year. I don’t think there’s anything else like it.

While there though, all I could think about was coming back home to Madison. Maybe I’ve become too much of a Midwesterner. I like my big open spaces. I like walking down the street and people taking the time to stop and smile. I like it when I hear random stories from strangers. I like being able to walk fast if I need to. I like being able to drive anywhere I need to go. I like seeing clean streets and not black garbage bags everywhere (other than that dumpster diving day in August). I like having a big apartment and not paying twice as much for a space that’s half the size.

And that really surprised me. I’m not sure when, but somewhere in my many years of living in the Midwest, the lifestyle somehow rubbed off on me. And I like it. The only thing I’d like to see? Having somewhere that was open at three in the morning on a weeknight for satiating my late-night cravings besides Denny’s or Perkins!