Small World, Big City: Location Location Location

When choosing a place to live, the number one rule is: location, location, location.

I wrote a bit earlier about the hectic scramble to find my apartment. Now, after having lived there for a year, I figured to update. I love the upper west side. It's quiet, safe, and in some ways an escape from the crowded, hectic energy that New York is famous for. What I like most is how convenient it is for me to get to most places in the city. Situated between three major subway lines, I can easily walk a block to take the train to Chinatown, to the Lower East Side, to West Village, to Harlem--Times Square is about 10 minutes away, door to subway exit. My area has many stores, restaurants, bars, and random flea markets, farmer's markets, and street fairs.

Even though my apartment is ridiculously small--when I say small, I mean the bathroom door doesn't open all the way, and my bed has to be lofted--and when friends say some place is small and I say "small like mine?" and they say, "no, not small like yours--yours is just absurd"--the great location means that I can easily find a lot to do, so I often spend a lot of time outdoors. While I was in law school, I wasn't so crazy about New York, probably because I lived in Harlem and it took a long time to travel to my favorite places in the city. Now that I'm close to the express trains and several lines, I have opportunities to explore more and find that I uncover new places every week. I have been here for almost five years, but still often feel like I have just arrived at a new city and have much to explore. Winter is the worst time of the year, but since winter melted into spring, and the summer has begun, I do feel like I am in one of the best cities in the world.

I have no backyard, but Central Park is only a block away. Tonight, the Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing a free concert in the Park, with fireworks to follow. I have been visiting the Park more frequently, and find that in my past five years I have really under-appreciated it. Central Park is a bit of magic, especially at dusk when it is still light and the lamps go on. There are random bridges, winding dirt roads, small cottages, and ponds and lakes, and to me it feels like a place out of a fairy tale. Those who like to hate on New York say that New Yorkers love Central Park just because the rest of the city is so metallic and ugly, and that in comparison to other parks it's "just okay." It's hard for me to say if that's true or not, but who really cares? After a day of work in the city, it's nice to come home and walk five minutes and be surrounded by what feels to me like a magical forest that has sprouted up in the middle of this concrete jungle.

Here are a few photos of my neighborhood, through the seasons.