One of the Four

Jenn tagged me with a four meme. My understanding is that I should be sharing four lists of four with you. I think I am going to shoot for multiple posts with this one, so I'm taking a packing break to share the first one with you.

Four reasons (other than Sesame Workshop) why I am excited about moving to New York:

1. Public Transportation -- "With 714 miles of track, 469 stations, and 6,089 subway cars, NYC's subway system is the largest in the world. The subways run 24 hours a day and carry 1.2 billion passengers a year, while the City's public bus system consists of 300 routes and carries 600 million people a year (by far the most in the nation) on 4,200 buses." *

I seem to be missing a sense of direction. My friends call it a disability. What it means is, I can get lost anywhere. Even on my campus where I've lived for 7 years, if I find myself between two buildings that I don't regularly frequent, I can get turned around. Because of it, I hate driving and I rarely go to new cities on my own. While we were in NYC, all of that discomfort was gone. I happily walked all over the city knowing that no matter how lost I got, I would be a couple blocks from a subway stop and it will take me home. That is just in and around the city. There will be trains waiting to Boston, D.C., or Atlantic City for the weekend. I'm so excited, I am selling my car.

2. Theaters -- I've always been a fan of stage performances, so how could I not be excited about moving to the home of Broadway. Of course there is also Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway, local theaters, community troupes, and the constant live entertainment on the streets of the city. I've already prepped my hubby by telling him that if he is in a bind and doesn't what to do for an upcoming birthday or anniversary, he just needs to organize dinner and a show and he'll be golden.

3. Cultures -- We expected to hear a lot of people with New York accents when we visited over spring break. We didn't hear many at all. Instead we heard everyone talking in different languages. I didn't understand a thing any one was saying, but I really liked it. I guess part of me expected to see the machine at work in the heart of the city. People acting as cogs, going to and from work to fulfill the needs of 'the man.' Why I had expectations of mindless drones is beyond me, but I am happy to say it wasn't like that at all. Everyone was colorful and individual and I felt like I was in a place where everyone is so different that there is no normal. It was welcoming.

4. It just felt right -- I I wish there were some way to easily explain or quantify this, but it felt really good to be in the city. I felt more at home walking around in Brooklyn than I ever have in Arkansas. Don't get me wrong, Arkansas tried and took good care of me, but we weren't meant for each other. I'm already attached. I feel a sense of pride when I hear about new green initiatives that are going on. I cheered for the Giants this Super Bowl. In emotional ways that I can't really explain, I am ready.

As a sub reason under that one, I am moving closer to my little brother. I would really prefer it be a reason of its own, but it is a conditional closer. My brother is stationed in Albany with the Army so we will be a lot closer and we should get to spend some time exploring the city together, but since it is the army, they could ship him out at any point so we might not be close for long. I do have the secret motives of getting him to fall in love with upstate New York and trying to talk him in to settling down there after he gets done with the military and school.

Now, I should head back to my packing, but you can look forward to what I am going to miss about Arkansas next time.

*Ellen R. Shapiro in Relocating to New York City and Surrounding Areas (yes, I am the type of person would would buy a book about NYC)