My New Yorker holiday.

Happy 2012!!

I just spent the holidays in Michigan, and that's when I decided I'd like to start blogging frequently again. And like my usual "out with the old, in with the new" motivation, I figured I'd create a whole new blog. Great timing for a new year's resolution too, eh?

Anyone who knows me is well informed that my favorite non-family, non-boyfriend person is Audrey Hepburn. Does that seem like a random statement? Well, think about Audrey's wonderful flick Roman Holiday. Now... look at my blog title... Bam! Inspiration! Not familiar with the movie? Audrey plays Ann, a princess who is desperate to have some fun for once in her life, so she escapes the castle by jumping in a truck and then hops out of the truck and falls asleep on a bench. That part probably isn't what you're interested in at all. She ends up meeting the delightful Gregory Peck (playing character Joe Bradley) and they go all around the city having adventures. Ann gets her hair chopped off, sees the sites, rides a Vespa, goes dancing, etc... and then returns back to her responsibilities as a princess later on. That freedom the flick focuses on is what we all need while we're going from duty to duty and work week to work week. For me, I don't feel the urge to go to Rome - I'm lucky enough to live in the most amazing location in the world: New York City. So, when I need to give myself a break and take in a breath of fresh air, all I have to do is hop on the subway and walk the streets to discover a new adventure.
Whether it's staring at Manhattan from a bench in Brooklyn Bridge Park, taking the ferry from Williamsburg to Governor's Island, getting lost in the four streets of Union Square (even though it's my favorite place and I've been there 23432 times), sitting inside Central Park and forgetting the crazy city life surrounding you, walking along the runners in Battery Park and feeling like you should start exercising, too, seeing an event at Madison Square Garden, going to a show at Terminal 5 (Florence + The Machine and Vanessa Carlton were two of my favorites so far), eating the best greasy burgers at Shake Shack, browsing through Arists + Fleas on the weekends, visiting Times Square with your tourist friends (because why else would you want to deal with those crowds?), there's always so much going on that you can never be bored.
So even though my usual day only includes commuting on the subway for about 3-4 hours total, re-reading Glamour mags, listening to She & Him, and working non-stop at the job in New Jersey before doing it all over again when I wake up, there's no excuse for feeling drained or unmotivated. I live in a city where dreams come true, so I'll keep staring at the buildings like it's the first time I'm looking at them, I'll keep writing in my 6+ notebooks/journals with the belief that my words will continue getting me somewhere, and I'll keep a smile on my face because this really is the life I've always wanted - a long holiday in New York City.