NYC + me.

NYC + me.

I'm in New York for work and am struck by how natural it feels to be here. I spent quite a bit of time here when I was unemployed in 2002 and Photogal was living here. When I went out last night to meet friends on the LES I knew exactly how to handle the multi-level subway station and got on the right train almost on autopilot. The LES looks much the same but I was somewhat surprised by how much Williamsburg had changed. When Photogal lived there it was just starting to explode but there still weren't that many bars and you could never find a cab. That is decidedly no longer the case.

So I was on the LES with a friend to see Tally Hall -- a band I haven't seen in YEARS -- play the tiniest bar I think they could possibly play. I was talking to one of the guys in the band before the show and he explained it was sort of a last minute gig, more a present to the band themselves because they'd had so much fun on the road. We grabbed burgers beforehand and the whole time I was out I couldn't help but notice that being in New York just feels so natural to me. When I go to other places for business or pleasure I like to try and fit in but I can't ever shake that feeling of otherness. That's just not the case in New York.

A while ago I was offered the opportunity to relocate out here and I turned it down because I felt I might be too old to uproot myself like that, but this trip made me realize if I ever do move from Chicago that New York would be a natural fit.