"If I can make it here, I'll make it anywhereeeee.."

Ever get in those "only in NY" kinda moods?

Sometimes, especially after spending some time outside of the magical city (recently I have been in LI, RI and Buffalo, NY) I find myself momentarily questioning what the "expletive deleted" I am doing here? Why am I putting up with the crowds and the subways and the $12 deli sandwiches and the fast-paced, high priced lifestyle? Then I give myself a minute and remember why millions of people come to NYC from every part of the world. They come here to "make it." To achieve their dreams and be someone. To make a better life for themselves, to experience the things that only NYC has to offer and to feel the pulse of the city where truly *anything* is possible. Then I remind myself that growing up on LI I always imagined myself breezing through the city streets passing celebrities and bums and whatever else may be in my path, and being a confident, independent and successful career women. This fantasy also included a strange desire to be one of those ladies that wore skirt suits with Easy Spirit walking shoes on the train and then changed into heels at the office but that part of the dream has thankfully been abandoned. Then I think about all the people that came here with nothing-literally nothing-the people who may have risked their lives to seek opportunity here, the people who may be sleeping on a dirty mattress in a room with 10 other people just to have the chance to wash dishes here. The people long ago who came through Ellis Island and what the Statue of Liberty meant to them...OK so this post is now taking a really cheesy turn but you get the drift...

For every one of us who sometimes feels worn out just trying to make it here, for those who are waiting for the day that they can say "I have arrived," and for those of us loving every minute of it, this post is for you. I would love to hear how other people living in this crazy, beautiful, but sometimes overwhelming city get over than occasional *freak out* feeling. Let me know!

Until then, queue Sinatra...