I was born and raised in my two-bedroom apartment on the upper-upper west side. My parents moved into a smaller apartment in the same building when they first met and then into the bigger one when my brother and I were born. Needless to say our foundation is deep rooted in the neighborhood I live. By middle school I was taking the train by myself and by high school I was traveling the length of Manhattan. If there were ever a gothomite criterion, I would embody it.
When I was much younger I hated my neighborhood and hated the city. I’m not sure why, I never wanted to live in a city- I had a white picket fence dream suburbia was calling me. This lasted until high school.
Over the past 5 years that dream has vanished. I can’t imagine myself anywhere but here, I don’t think anywhere could measure up. I wasn’t until very recently when that became very clear. This winter I traveled to England and Scotland with stops along the way. I visited the very famous city of London, and other cities along the way. I fell in love with the UK. I dream of going back, maybe even living there one day, but I would always have to come home. New York has taken my heart, and home is where the heart is and I will die here hopefully. Complete my life Full circle.