The tale of two New Yorks

This past weekend FF (that's my boyfriend--I figured he needed a code name already!) had some friends in town and I was reminded once again that there are two very different New Yorks. Don't get me wrong, I love them both--but in very different ways.

The first NY is the one I came to as a child--looking up at the buildings, visiting the tree and the statue of liberty, going to see shows and generally having a grand old time. The one that in my mind was this magical place that if I just lived in (see previous posts about wearing Easy Spirit walking shoes on the subway...), I would lead a fabulous, TV show-like life. This NY is for tourists and the wealthy. Some would say that the tourist's NY and the privileged NY are different--but after some thought, I think they are very similar. They both involve a carefree, breezy outlook on life here. Neither the tourist nor the Park Avenue Princess thinks about how much money they are spending, they only think about having a good time and enjoying the bright lights and big city. I myself lived in this NY for a while--while I was young growing up on LI and coming to the city for fun and excitement and I even lived in this NY when I worked part time in the city, commuting from LI and always enjoying my adventures in the city. I have since moved to "the other NY."

The other NY is just as fabulous if not more so than the NY I described above. The other NY is the real NY. The NY that Jay Z and Alicia Keys are really singing about in "Empire State of Mind." The NY that may be a struggle but you do it because you know at the end of the day, you are lucky to be living and working here. You live in the greatest city in the world and have opportunities that no one else has. In honor of this NY I have decided to start writing more about the fun things I do in my NY. The good thing about this city is there is something for everyone. The meatpacking district may not be my scene (and to be honest, even if I had all the money in the world, it probably wouldn't still wouldn't be my scene) but there are a million great things to do here that don't cost a million dollars and are just as amazing, inspiring and fun.

Check back often as I will begin to diligently record all the things I do and all the places I go both in and out of MY NY :)