The beauty is...

Interesting article from the NY Times:
Newcomers Adjust, Eventually, to New York
How does this apply to the little lamb you know and love?

The city and I are doing well. I'll fill you in on the nitty-gritty details of our relationship. This is Page Six material, y'all.

You might say that I've always had a bit of a crush on the Apple. I was romanced by the idea of this amazing city of dreams, through film, print, song. We'd had a couple of one-week stands, but I was ready to move on to something more stable. So here I am, with a lease until July '09 and a job similarly guaranteed.

Upon arrival, things moved into an "it's complicated" status. Because, boy, things are complicated. As if searching for a place to lay my little head down to rest at night wasn't exhausting, add to that learning to navigate the underground labyrinth of the trains (New Yorkers don't call it the subway), being fiscally responsible in a town that urges splurges, and carving out some sort of niche in this town of a million faces. Complicated only begins to describe it.

But lately I've found myself slipping into a level of comfort. I still have these crazy moments where I realize "I live in New York" with regularity.

Sometimes it's, "I live in New York," as if I'm emerging from a dream that keeps on going even into my waking hours. In those moments, I realize I'm not here on some extended vacation - my little spot on the UES is home.

Sometimes it's, "I live in New York," when I see myself as a New Yorker. This happens mostly when tourists ask me for directions, or in the mornings when I come out of the Penn Station exit and trot past visitors from far and wide coming out of their hotel. Put in such close juxtaposition, I see a stark contrast.

Sometimes it's, "I live in New York," and that's the most fun of all. These moments occur when something so typically New York happens and I chuckle to myself about how cliche it all is. Or when something so unusual happens that it could only be taken for normal in a place like the City. I like those moments the best.

So, I feel like Manhattan and I have slipped into a new stage - the "In A Relationship" status, if you will. I like it here. I like the pace, I like the opportunity, I like the people. However, maybe we should still leave it at "in an open relationship," because as much as I love this city, I still get homesick for my family and friends, for my home in Texas and for my home in Norman.

What the sources in the Times article say is true. The timeframe is different for everyone, but sometimes it just clicks. For the most part, this great big grand place and I click rather nicely. And the beauty is when I have those New Yorker moments.