I Love New York

I was offered a job this past week that involves me moving clear across the country.

While I'm excited for the position, the adventure in a new city, and the chance to really start a life where I'm not worried about being broke constantly, I've come to love upstate New York as my home, and I'm truly going to miss many things about it.


So here you go New York - all those years of complaining about the snow and cloudy days, about how miserable the people are, about living in a hell full of chain restaurants, I'm about to sing your praises so listen up.

I love the fall. When I move out to the southwest, seasons are about to become a thing of the past. Sure, in December the temperature might drop as low as 70 degrees, but the leaves will never change into a gorgeous display of reds and yellows. Actually, I'm pretty sure the only tree are palms, and really it's mostly full of cacti.

I'm going to miss trees. The way the branches sparkle after the first snowfall of the year is magical. The cherry blossoms and dogwoods that bloom in the early spring awaken the entire city. And in the summer, the full green canopies cover us from the sunshine we so longingly begged for just a few short months earlier.

I won't miss snow storms, rainy days in, or mosquitoes, but I will miss the sound of a thunderstorm passing through when I'm about to fall asleep. And since we're talking water, I'm definitely going to be lost without the gorgeous waterfalls carved by our magnificent rivers.

Outside of nature, it's going to be weird living somewhere that I'll never need a coat. I have collected hundred of sweaters, scarves, mittens, hats, and earmuffs over the years. I can honestly say I'm going to miss winter fashion. Sometimes, I might turn the air conditioning up in my house just so I can wrap myself up in all my fuzzy, warm sweaters.

Other days I'll just want to sit outside in the sunshine, of course, because living where it's cloudy most of the time really makes you appreciate those rare moments of sunshine. However, I will miss cloud cover, and the soft lighting it creates for my photography. I'll have to learn to work better with harsh shadows.

But the weirdest part of moving out to the southwest for me will be the change of pace. I've been a northeast girl my whole life, and I can tell you - we are always in a rush. People out west just don't have the same sense of urgency for life that we do up here. I'll probably seem stuck up and angry compared to those who can take life less strenuously.

And the food, oh my gosh. Sure, I'll get great Mexican food being that close to the border, but I'll miss my local brews and all the produce that the northeast has to offer: like berries in the summer, squashes in the winter, and hundreds of varieties of apples in the fall.

So New York, it's been real. We've had our ups and downs, and I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I'm ready to get out of here and explore a new city and have new adventures. Remember, it's not you, it's your job market. Love always.