empire state of mind

I woke up to the sound of zippers zipping and plastic bags rustling. I turned my head towards the source and with eyes partly open, resentful of the room's brightness, I saw a half-naked man facing my side of the bed fumbling through his luggage. It was the guy who roomed with me after Brad left.

He smiled as he saw me half awake, and staring. "My plane leaves in about two hours. Until when are you staying," he asked while he slipped on a shirt.

"I'm taking the afternoon bus but I'll be checking out early as well," I said as I stood up.

He nodded and said his farewell courtesies before he headed out.

Indeed, it was my last day in New York City and despite my general lack of sleep and fatigue from all the activities I have had these past couple of days, I don't intend to waste the morning in this room, on this bed, alone.

After taking a shower, I packed up my things, checked out and ventured on a short walk through the city. The walk however was anything but short. Starting off at the New York Penn Station, I covered about six avenues and a lot of intersecting streets.

There was something interesting about seeing New York City at this hour.

A young man in Chelsea looked dazed over his morning cup of coffee. "It's a bit hot today," he greeted, trying to make a conversation. I nodded before moving north.

I pushed my way through the sea of tourists in Times Square. The beeps of a truck backing up, the roar of a yellow cab's engine as it cuts through the avenue clear of commuters and rapid thuds heard from the corner as a news stand receive its stack of daily periodicals make up the city's wake up call.

Pigeon-flocked sidewalks proved to be a bit challenging to walk on as it was literally littered, with poop.

There's a fat guy coaxing passers by to buy something from his stall along 7th Avenue. I turned right to Park and passed more tourists posing for their mementos.

Along the way, there was a deli with several people lined up, including a police office. This reminded me that I have not yet eaten breakfast. As if on queue, my tummy rumbled. I would have gone on walking but according to Maslow, physiological needs trump everything else.

I sought refuge at a quaint place along the stretch of Madison Avenue. It was a branch of Dunkin' Donuts. What can I say? I got curious if their food was any different to what they serve in Manila. I took the corner table on the second floor. With my order on the side, I faced my laptop, let my mind wander and allow my fingers to key in:

I have seen what it's like out here - what it's like to be alone with eight million strangers in the Big Apple. Yes, it's tiresome and stressful. Loneliness even calls from time to time. Nevertheless, the upside outweighs all the aforementioned. It is a glorious feeling to be here in New York City, if that's even an apt way to describe the sensation. I am more confident walking along 5th Avenue than in Ayala. I am even more conversant with strangers here than in my neighborhood. It does help that people here often take me for a local. More importantly though, never in my entire existence have I been more independent.

I feel like I belong here as I am destined for greatness, and greatness, as we all know, is in New York City. The metro houses every person I ever wished to know, every idea I wanted to learn and every experience I want to take part of.

I took a bite of my food and stared out the window towards the Manhattan skyline. I've never had an American dream prior to this trip, but this changes everything. I intend to live here, soon. Perhaps, after finding that one thing that's keeping me anchored to Home.

In New York, you'll get the full breadth of life and more. Indeed, there is nothing you can't do while you're in the best city in the world. Everything's just bigger(!), better(!) and brighter(!) here, except for the doughnut. Ours taste better.