It Takes a Village
Whenever I drive into New York, it feels enormous, industrial, chaotic, crowded, commercial, frantic, and incessant. But each time I visit, I also realize more and more the reality of this multitude of villages cobbled together: that it's logical, friendly, awake, and neighborly - despite its scale. A friend we'd never met personally was kind enough to let us stay at his place for the weekend. Believe it or not, this is the second time I've been loaned an apartment for the night in New York City. Never in any other city has this happened to me - particularly not with the hosts out of town. Another woman I met this weekend explained that if you move from borough to borough in this city, it's easy to feel that you are somehow betraying your local dry cleaner or grocer when you trade locations. People rely on their relationships here. There's something touching and alluring about that, even if it does take an hour to get from Brooklyn to Queens.