No Place Like It

In New York, when people ask me where I’m from I first say Cleveland, then add that I’ve lived in NYC for over 12 years.  Generally, their response (unless they were born and raised in NYC; in that case most are satisfied with me as being from Cleveland) is, “Well, I think that makes you a New Yorker.”  And while I agree that I am a New Yorker, it isn’t a title I ever really sought to achieve – not because I didn’t want to be a New Yorker but moreso because I’ve never wanted to cease being from Ohio.

Since leaving my job earlier this month many people have asked me whether I will stay in NYC.  It is an obvious question though not one to which I know the answer.  I have been in Cleveland for the past week and will spend a good portion of the next several months here.  It’s something I’m quite happy about.  And though I’m open to leaving New York in a way that I haven’t been before, I’m not totally sure I can actually bring myself to do it.

Over the course of the last week, I have really come to recognize that while I might be from Cleveland, I really don’t know this city.  Certainly not in the way I know New York.  I get lost driving around and there are entire sections of of this town I have no sense of whatsoever.

I have always maintained that the very best way to live in New York is to leave it often.  I’m not sure if I’m saying a short or a long goodbye but I do know that it is always good to get away and that there is always something new discover when you go home.

[posted by Lauren]