After 2 years of mental ping pong debating the relentless NY vs LA pros and cons I finally made the jump. I was not one of those burned out New Yorkers who felt the need to turn the city into my enemy before I headed west. No I was still a die hard New Yorker who felt as passionately about the city as ever. I don’t believe you must give up one lover to appreciate the next. I have enough maturity to realize they both offer up such beautiful gifts I’d be a fool not to respect their differences. But I will say that I left New York teary eyed & hesitant. I was in an amazing groove with an incredible and deeply connected crew of friends and collaborators. I lived in the best neighborhood in the city (in the smallest apartment in history) and experiencing the daily routines and rituals with Vivienne was really starting to feel like a community. BUT it felt almost impossible for me to slow down. The same intoxicating pulse of New York that gives you motivation and push when you’re ready to throw it all in is the very same energy that can knock you down so hard you need a week in bed to recover. New York has a magic that no other city in the world has. There are other great big pumping dynamic cities but there is only one New York. If you can make it here you can make it anywhere isn’t just a catchy Sinatra line, its truth. New Yorkers have more grit, depth and unshakable resilience than anywhere in the world. When I think about the NY vs LA rivalry I always think of Angelenos as a little soft because well, they are. But in that I’ve come to realize is a really refreshing openness, a kindness and slowed pace that feels warm and welcoming. I would not have appreciated this 10 years ago (or even 2) but at this place in my life I have been yearning for it. A week into my life in LA and I am learning to be less freaked out by strangers smiling or exchanging numbers with other parents a grocery store and to just enjoy the softness.
