My last magical week in New York City!

Jul 4, 2014 | Sparkly Love

My last chunk of time in New York went by so quickly that I can hardly believe that I’m back home in Vancouver now. It’s always a surreal feeling for me to be back from a long trip and to try and figure out how it went by quickly. Sometimes I wish I could stop time just to be able to savour the sweet moments for just a little bit longer, because I know that I will never get to experience exactly the same feeling ever again. I wanted to do this a lot in New York, especially in the last week.

The last lag of my trip was spent hanging out with friends, going to museums, seeing shows, and trying to soak as much of the intoxicating energy as I possibly could. The weather was deliciously warm and I was most content when I was wandering the streets listening to music without a set destination or schedual. This is pure bliss for me. I love crossing the street in New York when you look down and all you can see is a never ending row of buildings on either side. I tried to take a photo of this, but I was too scared a yellow cab would come out of nowhere and hit me…they do this sometimes!

My finial few days I tried to see my cousin as much as possible. She is 26 and has lived in NYC for the past 8 years. We are very close friends and kindred spirits. I have probably visited her about 8-10 times since she first moved to study theatre at NYU. Back then I was in my mid-20s and would sleep on a flimsy air mattress in her college dorm floor. It was anything but glamorous but those trips were some of my favourite memories. We would stay up dancing all night, go to dive bars and talk about what our future selves would be like. We still pretty much do the same thing now, but my 33 year old self can’t stay up very late or drink nearly as much as I used to!

One of the reasons I went to New York was to reconnect with myself. The last year has been filled with so many ups and downs and I felt like I forgot who I was and what I really wanted out of life. It was an incredible experience to be in the city that I love so much and be able to be whoever I wanted to be. When you are in a place you don’t live, it’s really easy to recreate yourself and figure out what you truly want. I decided I want to have a bigger impact and to help more people do what they are passionate for. I want to step up my game and live a bigger life. Dream a bigger dream. Why the f*ck not?! This motivation is probably largely due to all the powerhouse ladies I was hanging out with. Spending time with people who are were you want to someday be has this effect, or at least for me it does.

Overall my month in New York was absolutely incredible! It was everything I dreamed it would be and more. I got a lot of work done on my book proposal which was great. My plan was to have it completed, but about mid way through the month, I decided it was more important for me to focus on being inspired and taking in the experience. Writing for me isn’t always easy, but when I am inspired and the words flow, there is nothing better. NYC is a great city to help any artist figure out what they stand for and what their message to the world is going to be. There is so much creative energy circulating in the air it’s almost impossible not to absorb some of it.

I would encourage you to go to your favourite city and live there for a month. If you are able to do this alone I think it’s best, but you could always bring your partner and kids along too. It’s one thing to travel for a month, but to be in one place and really settle in is a far different experience. You start to create a routine for yourself and get to know the neighbourhood. You start to feel like you belong and are connected even though there is an end to your stay.

I asked a lot of people why they live in New York, and more than a few times they replied with something similar to, “New York is like an abusive lover, it knocks you around a little bit, but when it loves you there is no better feeling in the world!” Yes, it’s a difficult city to live in. Rent alone is more than double of what we pay in Vancouver! Yet, there is this unmistakable feeling that anything is possible when you are there. My friend told me there is a special mineral found in the rocks in New York that attracts people. At first I thought this was a crazy theory, but I heard it’s because of the zinc and magnetite in the rocks that the city is built. Whatever it is, it has a strong pull on me and I know I will be back very soon.

If you could live anywhere in the world for a month where would it be and why? Please share below 🙂

Sparkly summer love,
Jenna

 

Meet Jenna

Hello, I’m Jenna and I want to help make your life more magical! Not just in a glossy, filtered, perfectly Instagramed way, but in a way that feels amazing to you. I want to show you how you can serve the world by just being your gorgeous, perfectly imperfect self.

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