The New York Moment

I love New York. People say it. People wear it. People believe it. But why? Why do we love New York?

There are so many reasons, not to love New York. It’s loud. It’s crowded. It’s dirty. It takes longer to go 2 miles than it does to do the same anywhere else in the country. It’s arguably over-stimulating. It could be easy to hate New York. Or you could be of the mindset, “It’s fun to visit, but I could never live there.”

The truth: there are so too many positives that outweigh the negatives (which is why I’m still here). Nothing reminds me more of why I tolerate these nuisances than what I call "The New York Moment." Those snippets of life that are distinctly New York. Those instances that make you shake your head and laugh and say, “Only in New York,” and secretly add an extra spring in your step.

Lately, I’ve been soaking up New York moment after New York moment.

Moment #1

A couple weeks ago, I went on an after-work drinks date. It seems to be a theme with me that on Thursday nights I go straight to drinks without eating and end up unintentionally intoxicated. As I sat there and sipped my Sangria, I loosened up and began babbling on about myself. I left the date and got on the crosstown bus, ready to fill my stomach with something other than wine. So naturally I dialed my girl friend to tell her about the date.

“Hey, so do you know I’m on a dating site?” whispering to what is barely speech in Ruthie volume.

“Uh, I do now,” she says.

“Well, I just came back from a date,” I say, hissing into the phone.

“Ooh! Is he Jewish?”

“Of course he’s Jewish! Would I be on a dating site if I wasn’t trying to specifically meet Jewish men?!” screaming at the top of my lungs. The guy in the seat across from me starts cracking up, he is actually bobbing from laughter (not from the bus) Oh well, so much for being discrete.

“How did it go?”

“I think I talked too much,” I confess.

My friend has to hang up, so now I’m sitting there considering the surplus of conversation I provided on this first encounter.

Bobbing man looks up and goes, “Was it a first date?”

I break into a huge smile, “Yes.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure you didn’t talk too much.” So comforting from my stranger-on-the-bus.

“Oh, you don’t know me. I’m sure I did.” I nod just to add an oomph to my certainty.

“Well how did it go otherwise?” he asks.

“I think it went well. I dunno. I haven’t been on a date in forever.” Not entirely true, but feels like it. It’s definitely the first date of been on in forever where I met the guy ON the date.

“I’m sure it went fine. Girls are supposed to talk more. We’re used to it.”

I just shake my head and chuckle. I’m divulging the details of my dating history to a bus. An entire bus—even though he’s the only one responding.

I spoke too soon: “Where did he take you?” chimes in a girl about my age, glancing in the mirror as she blotted her jungle red lipstick.

“A wine bar.”

“That’s classy.” She smushes her lips and claps the compact shut.

We continue to analyze this date. Would there be a second? Do you think he’ll call? until we hit Broadway.

And then I descended the stairs and laughed as I realized that this could never happen anywhere else. Nowhere else in the world would you engage in a full dialogue about your dating life with complete strangers. Nowhere else would you be given the opportunity. After all, it’s only because we live on top of each other that we were on that packed bus in the first place.

What was your last New York Moment? Do you remember it? Did you take the time to stop, recognize and appreciate it?

Allow yourself to open up. Take the time to pause and notice these New York oddities. Slow down. Witness the New York moment. Wander and observe and invite the New York moment. And as we continue on The A Train, I promise to share more of mine.