Just a City Girl

I work in a city. Sure, plenty of people work in cities, but I have always felt a deep connection to them... felt at home in them. You know the way someone who loves nature could do nothing more than sit outside - and the heat and bugs and everything else that comes along with the great outdoors wouldn't bother them at all? Well, that's how I feel about cities. I could be in the middle of millions of people, honking horns and more tourists than you'd find on a crowded summer day at Disney World, and feel completely happy - relaxed even. See, cities have always been a part of my life. I spent 13 years staring at the New York City skyline, knowing that only 15 miles away from me and my home was one of the greatest places of all time. Even today, when I make brief visits home for Christmas, I like to look out of my old bedroom window before I go to bed, hoping to catch a glance of the red and green illuminated Empire State Building.
As I was walking through downtown today in my heels and business attire (okay, I changed into flip flops), I was thinking about this strange fascination I have with the glowing lights of skyscrapers, built to tower over the places we call cities. When I first moved to San Diego, I brushed its downtown area aside as nothing more than a wanna-be - an imposter. Where were all the taxis trying to run you over? The crowds of people walking around in a state of wonder, while busy business people dressed in black rushed to get by them? Where were the street vendors selling questionable souvenirs, and hot dog stands on every corner? I was convinced that San Diego wasn't a city. It was something like one, but lacked what I had come to love about New York City - the city, my city. But walking around today, I saw something different. I saw huge buildings, one of which I happen to work on the top floor of. I saw hints of people - busy people - with places to be. I even had to jump back on the curb while crossing the street to avoid a speeding car that was trying to fly through a changing light. This was it! This is what I had been missing! The more I explore my new home - my downtown San Diego - the more I realize how much I can, and do belong here. I may miss the hustle and bustle of New York, but for now, San Diego is the perfect place for me. The perfect city to call home, and embrace as I begin my real, adult life.