Hello, Brooklyn | NY Part 1
Jeremy and I went to New York last week. With just one direct flight and a train ride later we were at the place we'd call home for the next 5 days.
I think a combination of working for myself and trekking to Mt. Everest Base Camp have ruined my idea of vacation. I'm not sure how to leave work behind - it seems to follow me wherever I go. And I don't know how to relax if I'm not pushing myself up a hill, one foot at a time, at high altitudes.
I found a little bit of escape as we walked through really amazing neighborhoods in Brooklyn. The kinds of neighborhoods where you get fined $350 for honking. The kinds of neighborhoods where women with no makeup and messy buns look like models. I got lost as I soaked in every single detail of every single person who walked by me, trying to piece together the story of how they got there. I tried to get lost in my own fantasy of what my life would be like in a perfect little Brooklyn neighborhood: I would live in a teeny-tiny, but fabulous, studio apartment with Jeremy and our two cats. I would have exactly 10 articles of clothing but lots of accessories - mostly scarves for all seasons. We'd have big windows and a stoop that we would eat bagels and coffee on. We would do all of our grocery shopping at the little bodega on the corner. We would have my brother and his beautiful girlfriend over for wine and asparagus wrapped in filo dough. We would be amazing.
I was having a hard time indulging in this daydream and I couldn't pinpoint why. I'm usually REALLY good at visualizing my fantasy life. It wasn't until we came home that I realized I'm already living the dream. I have a man who does my taxes and makes me coffee every morning. I have two matching cats and big windows. I have lots of amazing accessories. I have my go-to places and waiters who know exactly what I'm going to order before I even pretend to look at a menu. I've got art and wine and locally grown asparagus.
I still want to see the world and meet new people with interesting stories but in the meantime, I'm happy with making the most of where I am right here, right now.
What a sweet post about cherishing life as it is now.
I recognize that first pic. You took NJTransit's northeast corridor line right past my house. EWR into NY Penn, perhaps?
I know, I didn't mean for this post to get so sappy - but I'm feeling good!
Carrie - Sure enough! So I guess it was technically two train rides to Brooklyn. :)
Contentment is such a freeing feeling! Hope your trip was lovely.
Katie - The word "content" typically scares me - I think because I often confuse it for "complacent". But yes, it's a nice feeling, indeed.
i'm so glad you threw in that end bit. i'm moving away from brooklyn in a few months and your romanticism of this city made me wistful. after many years of trying i've decided this place just isn't for me, but you make it sound really amazing to visit.
What a great post - thanks for the reminder to live in the moment and be happy with where you are.
It's not even about being happy with where you are but creating your own happiness. I think it's all too easy to sometimes blame hard times on external factors, like location. Or fall into a classic "grass is greener" mind set.
I recently found out that 'you are the only person who can make you happy'. Ever since, I've been smiling ear to ear, enjoying the little parts of every. single. day. I have locally grown asparagus, too - we're totally living the life.
A-DO-RA-BLE.
Wait what am i even talking about? oh yeah, you are cute with your happy life :) im glad NY didnt make you wanna up and go from home.
I live in one of those cool little neighborhoods in brooklyn in a teeny tiny apartment and while I love it, I contemplate moving somewhere where I can have a cute home and lots of space like you do. I would LOVE to have my own home design studio or maybe even a garage to keep a Vandercook in. (a girl can dream)
Em - You are! And New York DID make me want to up and move. It just didn't leave me feeling miserable where I am. :)
Lindsay - Maybe we should house swap! We can trade off every other month. ;)
Absolutely delightful and great photos to boot.
Kathleen, this was such a beautiful post. Brooklyn has that effect on people, doesn't it? But it's always nice to remember that when it comes down to it, you already have all you want and need.
Brandi - Indeed! And once you're in your super cute Brooklyn place I'm going to come visit you and we'll grab a coffee (or a drink). :)
That last bit hits the nail on the head for me. I feel the same way.
This is such a beautiful post...and very inspiring. I've been longing for a new neighborhood, but I'm not sure why...I am still in love with mine. I think I just forgot that for a minute, until I read your post.
Thank you!
p.s. I found you via Sana's feature of you on So Does Estella. After reading that post, I just had to come "meet" you for myself! :)
Jo - Maybe some of us are just nomads by nature. And it's so nice to "meet" you! You're welcome over any time. :)
@brandi if you move to brooklyn, i can move to back to LA and hand out with @jo. then we can apartment swap whenever we like. @andkathleen will then have two places to visit. :)
on a serious note, i love this post.
and for those who haven't met jeremy- he is the real deal!
I love NYC. We went for our honeymoon in February and had an amazing time. We also fantasized about uprooting our lives in Norman and settling into some teeny tiny apartment. We'd love it, I'm sure of it. In the end, though, like you, I'm happy right where I am. With my man in our little community with local culture, our favorite resturaunts, and our most favorite people in the whole wide world mere minutes away.
and I recognize that second picture - it's right around the corner from my amazing Brooklyn apartment. The red neon hand on the clock tower is my touchstone when I'm traveling around the city and even sometimes when I'm flying in after a trip away. As soon as I see it, I know home is close. Recently, my tax-paying, coffee-making husband and I had a chance to pack up and start a new life somewhere else, and we couldn't pull the trigger. I don't know if we'll stay in the city forever, but I'm not ready to leave the little home we created and the neighborhood we love. Hope you had a wonderful trip despite the lousy-of-late New York weather.
So great that you really enjoy the life you have and live.
I live in Brooklyn in a sizable apartment with my fiance and two cats..sometimes I dream of living in the woods with no people and lots of silence.
Glad you enjoyed Brooklyn and looking forward to seeing more of your pics.
Sana - What a plan! ;)
Kate - That's it! My brother lives there... well, his beautiful girlfriend lives there and she was kind enough to let him hang out and have company while she's traveling abroad.
Moise - Ah yes. I also dream about a super cute modern-off-the-grid home in the middle of the woods too. Perhaps I should retitle this post "Home is Where the Heart Is" - a little trite but all too true.
i love LOVE this post. such an amazing feeling to be happy with where you are :)
Oh <3, I love New York. It's got its own brilliant rhythm. Also? What a sweet, lovely post. I'm glad to hear that the life you are living is your kind of perfection :)
My best friend in the dorms my freshman year in college and I had this fantasy that we'd someday live in an apartment in New York and we'd only have enough money for the newspaper and coffee and we'd be friends with smart and fabulous people. She is now a fashion designer living in Brooklyn and while I have crazy gypsy feet and despite having lived other really incredible places, I am completely content calling middle America home. It is not something that a lot of people understand, but it's a completely awesome place.
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