I don’t often wind up in New York City anymore. It is the city of my birth. It’s where I grew up. And it’s where I had many of my earlier adventures. But Despite all that I have no relatives left there, and no strong reasons to visit. In fact the New York Times is my only daily tie to the city of my birth.
One day in the 1960s, I wandered away and found that I didn’t feel a strong need to return. In fact, I formed a solid and lasting bond with New England and made it my cultural and physical home. Solid friendships and many adventures facilitated this shift of allegiances.
The shift in regional alliances solidified when I went to grad school in Pennsylvania. I found myself homesick for New England, and the coast. I rushed “home” at every opportunity. As soon as I could I moved back, an I’ve never left since. I just stopped thinking about this. I was a New York boy, transplanted to a new home in New England—end of story.
But things have a way of doubling back on you. I worked briefly on a project in Manhattan’s historic South Street waterfront. I opted to fly rather than drive down from New England and deal with parking and traffic. After getting off the plane and recovering my luggage, I grabbed a cab.
After getting into the cab and telling the cabbie where I was going, we settled into a discussion of recent events. This discussion went on for a while until he asked where I was from. I responded that I lived near Boston but was originally from New York City, Manhattan—just uptown in Washington Heights. This was met with stunned silence. “No way; where are you really from?”
By the time he dropped me off where I was going, he was still convinced that I was putting him on and that I was not a New Yorker.
I’ve thought about this a lot. Actually, I’m probably a bit in two minds. One part of me is rooted in New England. I’ve spent my adult life and have strong family connections, friends, and significant memories. But a part of me has strong beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that make me a New Yorker. I just never thought about the dichotomy before the taxi driver said something.
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I was recently asked where I am from. My reply? “Everywhere and nowhere”. I got a look. 🤷🏻♀️
A good reply. Now if they really want to ge flummuxed let them ask you where you are going!
I felt cheeky one day when someone asked me that, and Ianswered them with the devils reply from the book of Job – “…going to and fro, and up and down in the world.”
A couple years ago I realized that, after 30 years in SoCal, I’m a Californian. My ties to Colorado are largely nostalgic.
And I have only returned to my “hometown” twice since I moved back to Colorado. Hate that place.
I understand. I have a certain respect for NYC, but I’d never move back there. And I certainly did hate it for many years.
When I refer to Denver I add, “that whore.” No one disputes it! 🤣
I’ve always suspected that, in part, Zevon’s song things to do in Denver when you’re dead was about the Airport. I don’t know about now, but it was the worst place to get hung up.
Other thn that I have some nightmarish recollections that I think are about Denver, but in those days…who knew?
Denver’s old airport was rough because of the weather. Salt Lake and Billings can also be pretty grim, and that was my world. Still is if I were to fly anywhere, though I’d probably try to find connections in Albuquerque. I love that Zevon song and I love Bob Seger’s “Get out of Denver.” I only like one other song by that guy, Kathmandu, which was where I dreamed of going if I ever got out of Denver!
I was born in Newark, NJ, but before I could make any strong ties to the NY metro, my parents moved us to the Washington, DC suburbs and that’s where I grew up and was there from age 5 to age 32. But my second-longest home was Massachusetts, and despite now living in the San Francisco Bay area for fourteen years, I still identify more as a New Englander than as a San Franciscan. I remain a loyal Red Sox and Patriots fan, both of which has been disappointing recently.
Hang on for the Bruins.
I’m not a huge hockey fan but I do keep up with the Bruins.