City Living

As you may have read in my little profile, I love a vanilla latte. Seriously, I am gold card carrying Starbucks-a-holic. I love the way Starbucks smells and how familiar it is - even when you're in a brand new place! (I have visited Starbucks in many of the places I've visited. It's become a bit of a joke!) But I love that my vanilla latte always tastes the same. It's always warm and comforting. So it may be no surprise that my local barista and I are on a first name basis. Dave asks me how my kids are and what Nick's been up to if we haven't come in together in a while. He notices when I get my hair cut and always asks how I'm doing. He was one of my first friends in this neighborhood. Not exactly, but I distinctly remember the feeling that I had the first time that he remembered my name. It felt like I was at home. It's when I realized that this big, fabulous City could also be warm. So this past week, Dave invited me to his show. He's a musician who was performing in the neighborhood. Luckily he prefaced the invitation by saying that he knew I had my hands full (understatement) so I didn't feel as badly that I couldn't make it. But it made my day! 

One of my favorite things about Manhattan is when such a massive city can feel intimate and small. In one week recently, I randomly bumped into 2 people that I know within 2 blocks of our apartment. Both happen to work in the neighborhood, which I didn't know! One of them is a friend from high school that I hadn't seen in years - literally, like 8 years! 

I love how NYC has a way of reminding you that though you are literally one in a million, you're still home :)