I Like The Island Manhattan

For most of last week, I was in New York City with my best friend from college, Emily! There's so much to tell about this trip, but I think I'll start with some overall impressions.

Now that I've been to the city where so much history and so many books, movies, and shows are set, a lifetime of references are suddenly real to me. I've heard it said that going to the Holy Land makes the Bible come alive like a pop-up book. I hate to secularize that statement, but that's exactly how I felt about New York and culture. New York has always been almost mythical to me, a celebrity of which I have no solid concept. But now I've wandered through its streets (extensively), watched its people, seen its shows, and eaten its bagels, and it is REAL.

Above all, New York is a place where Things Are Happening. I was constantly aware of the energy, all the activity and possibility condensed onto one small island. I think that could get tiring after a while, but in the short term, those streets did indeed make me feel brand new. I felt like a tiny part of something much bigger, and stories swirled all around me in the people and the overheard conversations. I see why New York is so good for writers - you'd never run out of material.

I'm thankful I got to have these experiences with my friend of fifteen (!) years. She was so gracious - open to pretty much anything I wanted to do, patiently steering me in the right direction again and again (without her, I would have wandered off a hundred times), willing to go those extra few blocks so I could get Pinkberry or macarons. She doesn't live in Memphis, so it was wonderful just to spend time together and really catch up. Love the Em!

More as the week progresses!