A love letter to New York City

I’ve met only a few people who didn’t like New York. This is a city you can fall in love with. Sometimes, it is a platonic feeling – you love the place before you have ever been here. New York causes intense feelings in people. You either love it or you hate it. There is no in-between.

I am one of those who loves it. I love it so much that the thought of leaving this place makes my heart sink. And I found myself thinking about the reasons why I love New York. It is not the luxury stores on Fifth Avenue, or the access to easy shopping with unlimited options, nor the endless lights in Times Square and the crowds. It is not the freezing weather that hurts your soul from December to March. No. What makes me love New York is how it always surprises me.

It is those moments on the subway feeling anxious to arrive at your destination and suddenly singers are entering the train singing “My girl” or “Stand by me”. It’s when the subway driver announces the next station in a funny way, getting smiles from everyone. What makes me love New York is leaving the subway when it is pouring, trying to figure out how I’m going to get home and being surprised by a stranger offering me shelter under their umbrella. It is receiving a compliment from a stranger about my lipstick, my shirt, my dress, my shoes, or even the color of my nail polish. It is smelling sweet roasted peanuts on the corner, a Shake Shack sandwich, a warm waffle, or the rain falling on the ground, reminding me of my childhood in the countryside. What makes me love New York is listening to English, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Chinese on the same square. It is knowing that, even in a country full of prejudices and things that I will never agree with, I am in a safe place, in a city that welcomes people of all types, of all creeds, of all colors. I love New York because I can fall in love with this city every day, whether it’s finding the iconic yellow cabs, seeing the Empire State Building when I wasn’t expecting to, or watching people of all types walking the streets and wondering the stories they carry. I love New York because it reminds me of the movies I’ve seen and I can imagine the stories in reality. Or because here, I have fulfilled my largest life dreams, dreams that the young Laura perhaps never believed she would achieve. New York has been a hidden witness to special things in my life, like when I got married to my husband for the second time. New York gave me reasons to start a business and made me connect with thousands of people I didn’t even know. It also made me meet other people who changed my life. New York has brought me friends for life. New York also punched me in the face. New York made me cry several times, because, like every great love story, we have had our ups and downs, and we have had moments where we don’t understand each other. But most of all, I love New York for all of the things that I’ve learned that made me a much better human being. I cried, I grew up, I lived passionately. And, certainly, I will never be the same after New York.

Laura Peruchi

Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!