Khanna Photography

We’re in Manhattan for the long weekend and are so very happy to be here!  We love everything about New York City.  From the food to the buroughs to the hum in the morning and the bustle at night to the diversity to the cutting-edge, eclectic style to the gruff charm.  It’s got it all.  Quite honestly, it’s somewhere we both could live and maybe even grow old if it weren’t for the lack of space.  We love the outdoors.  And backyard BBQs.  And parking.  Thank the green gods for Central Park…only 5 blocks away from my mom’s place.  Truly a magical, urban oasis.

It’s amazing how you can explore for days on end and never run across the same alley twice.   Or the same grocery.  Or barber.  Or Chinese restaurant.  Or pigeon.   Well, that goes without saying.  And, the people are one-of-a-kind.  Anything goes and everything goes.  We love how when you go down into the depths of the Subway, you literally see a microcosm of the country and world.  There are Wall Streeters, performance artists belting out their own rendition of Bamboleo, Ad execs, non-profitters, actors, athletes, students, media moguls, people speaking Turkish, French, Swahili…all co-existing on top of and in between each other relatively comfortably.  At least it seems that way on the surface.

True, there’s a certain grit that defines this city, but that’s what we adore.  Real is the name of the game, and, no, real should not imply mean or unpleasant, much to the surprise of many who seem to have a great misperception about New Yorkers and its transplants.  The residents of this wonderful place are independent, opinionated, passionate, and – drumroll - really quite open and friendly.  Stop a random woman at Zabars or Citorella and ask where she bought her shoes and she’ll likely oblige rather than turn away in fear.  Or, crack a sarcastic bumper-to-bumper joke with a cabbie and he’ll laugh alongisde you.  Just don’t stop abruptly in the middle of 5th Ave and look up in wonder and awe.  It’s tempting, we know, but you’ll get whisked away into the chaos!

And, on that note…it’s time to enjoy, indulge in a little food and beverage, watch some  tennis (woohoo!), run the length of Manhattan (crazy?), and take it all in once again like two teenagers in a boutique cupcake shop for the very first time.