Escape from New York - One Year Later

That's right.  I am one bad ass!

As my regular readers may remember: one year ago today, I left New York City after 17 years of big city living to relocate to a small town on the north shore of Massachusetts and I haven't looked back since. A few of my NYC friends placed bets that I wouldn't last a year living in a small town, but I fooled the lot. Pay up, suckers! Not only have I survived, I've flourished! 99% of me is completely content with my new life. The other 1%?? Wwwwweeeeelllll, let's just say that I'm attempting to live with that 1% disappointment. And it's a rather large, bitter pill that I've had to swallow for... oh... 30 years or so. So what's another 30 or 40 years. <shrugs>  I hate the platitude "it is what it is," but in this case, it's an appropriate sentiment.  99% contentment is a heck of a lot better than most people, so I can't complain.

Living in a small town is so much better than the concrete jungle that is New York... or any big city. The rudeness, the impersonal nature and the animalistic behavior that are required for surviving in a large city are exhausting and not nearly as much fun as it might sound.  While the anonymous life of big city living does have its advantages, I would rather have neighbors who know a little bit about my personal business, then go back to feeling like an impersonal cog in a never-ending, dirty machine. Yes, I do get mildly irked when, on the extremely rare occasions, my downstairs neighbor asks me where I'm going or where I've been upon my departure or return home, but that's the price you pay for living in a civilized community.  It's been a long time since I've had my comings and goings monitored by anyone.

In early February of this year, I visited NYC for a long weekend and, within 10 minutes of being back, I was reminded of all the reasons why I don't live there anymore. It was fun to see the handful of friends that I still have left in NYC and, even though I miss those friends very much, I wouldn't move back for any reason, ever.  But I will take the occasional long weekend to visit them, see some good theatre, and check out my favorite restaurants and haunts. And then escape back to the tranquility that is Newburyport.  

What's so great about Newburyport and the north shore?  I'll give you an example of something that I would never have done in NYC no matter how long I lived there.  Today, I took a 15-mile round trip bike ride from my apartment in the center of Newburyport to the Park River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island. Even if I had the nerve to get on a bike and ride the streets of NYC, where would I ride to? Nope, I definitely have a better quality of life in Massachusetts. Here's a short and not completely exhaustive list of other great things about this area: my friends (both old and new), the beauty of the area (particularly the waterfront promenade), the annual literary festival, a fantastic library, the close proximity to lakes, beaches, mountains and city life, the annual garden tours, the abundance of performing and visual arts, great shopping and restaurants, friendly people, and an area steeped in history (which I love delving into more and more). Will I stay living in this small town forever? Who knows. But, for now, I adore my new home and cannot imagine living anywhere else... although I still feel the pull from England - calling me to live there. I don't think I'll ever get that chance, but I may just have to keep that hope alive. Until further notice, I call Newburyport home.

Beautiful downtown Newburyport.  Love it!