I have been single my entire life. I am living life, doing my own thing and pretty content with how it is going so far. With that being said, I can say with absolute certainty that I know how it feels to be in a long distance relationship. I have felt that unbearable pain in your stomach when someone brings it up and the instant euphoria when you reunite. I understand how contradictory all of this sounds, but I am not in a relationship with a person, but with a place. My love doesn’t have a mailing address, but points of latitude and longitude. I don’t spend hours on the phone catching up or get good morning texts. But what I have is special and unlike anything else I have ever experienced. I know it sounds crazy, but I truly am in a long distance relationship with New York City.
Last summer I spent ten weeks in Manhattan and fell in love. Never have I felt a deeper connection to a place, not even my hometown, than I do to the greatest city on Earth. I discovered a part of me that I didn’t know was missing. I was incredibly nervous when my journey began in June, but that feeling quickly disappeared as I became acquainted with the city. It was apparent by week two that the inevitable goodbye in August would be more difficult than expected. Over the span of 70 days, I collected more pictures, life lessons, and restaurant receipts than I can count. Each memory ingrained into my mind as a small souvenir I could bring home with me. It was incredible to feel a sense of belonging in a city of 8.4 million people. I found an indescribable happiness that I didn’t know I was capable of experiencing. There was and still is something very special about New York City.
Now being back in Newark I understand what it is like to be in a long distance relationship. Pictures, songs, smells, even a certain shade of nail polish will take me back to the warm summer days walking up and down 5th Ave. The memories of our time together are so deeply embedded in my mind that reliving them almost feels real. There is a longing I feel whenever someone utters those three letters. A thirst for that happiness and belonging that I can never seem to quench. Part of me is always missing when I am anywhere but my city.
There are no words to describe how magical it is to reunite with the place I love the most. Tears forming in my eyes as I run up the steps of Penn Station onto the crowded and busy streets of Manhattan. I take a moment to experience all of the sights, sounds, and smells that I once found very familiar. Everything is the same, as if I never left. Once again, I am back in my element with the thing that makes me the happiest. There are bright yellow cabs, men with neon colored rats, and women with heels higher than my grades moving in all directions and all at once. The adrenaline of it all finally sets in and I am ready for some quality time with my long distance love.
I know how crazy it sounds to be in a relationship with a place, but there is really no other way to describe it. I feel more strongly bonded to the city than I do to a lot of people. At this point in my life, I’m happy with this relationship and where it’s headed. It keeps me motivated (to move there after graduation) and always trying to be a better version of myself. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I am thankful everyday for my long distance relationship and I’m not afraid to admit it.