Dear New York City,

I have certainly been blessed to live in one of the greatest cities in the world. Amongst the hustle and bustle of a typical quickly paced day, it’s easy to lose yourself here. It’s simple to get caught up in all of the lights, the people and the scenery. There is no doubt that a New York City skyline is the best in the world, but there’s more to it than a nice view.

When you’re a New Yorker, all other cities seem like frauds. There’s nothing like coming out of a hot subway station and getting hit in the face with an abundance of people, sounds and buildings. When you’re a New Yorker, you never look up. Looking up at the buildings is something that you do when you have your first school trip to Manhattan and you swoon over the tall and overwhelming buildings. After a while, you’re aware of the things around you and you know that you are walking through a picture-perfect place.

However, NYC is not exactly picture-perfect. You’ll never get a duplicate picture here. Things are always changing and so are the people. It’s found that the people are the best part of this place because nobody is the same. People aren’t afraid to be different here –– it’s a trend to be unique and have your own personal sense of style. Those people never begin to blend in with the crowd you walk through because you know that they are what makes New York the city it is.

New York, you sure know how to capture a girls heart. From the moment I took my first subway ride to Times Square and got lost in Midtown, I was hooked. “Getting lost” isn’t a bad thing here. When you lose sense of where you’re going, you tend to find the coolest places ever. Some of my greatest memories are of getting lost in Chinatown and discovering tiny little shops and beautiful cultures right at my fingertips. "Hanging out" in SoHo quickly turns into exploring and discovering a slew of things that you can't find anywhere else.

Every day, I walk through your streets with a heart so heavy with love and gratefulness. Living in the city of dreams makes me feel as though I’m one step closer to achieving any dream or goal I may have. It’s impossible to get tired of the hustle and bustle.

New York City can run through your veins and make you go a mile a minute –– there are definitely some days where it sucks the life out of you, but there is no place I’d rather be than here. Thank you for showing me where I belong.

Love,

A New Yorker