New York, New York!

I’m from the city that never sleeps. The place where it’s the toughest to make it, and the easiest to love. One of the most crowded cities, yet one of the most lonely. You can get lost and disappear here, but what’s better? You can find yourself again, if not for the first time.
I was 7 when New York changed my life, molded me to stick my pinky out when I drink tea and hop fences - all in the same summer. I spent most of my time playing “skellies” with my cousins, popping quarter water caps off the curb, drinking iced tea and eating crabs outside, waiting for the ice cream truck. That was the grime I grew to love. The glamour came when my parents took me to Broadway to see Cats for my 8th birthday. I wore my faux fur and slept the whole time, but I knew I loved it. If not the play, just this city.
Name a food you can’t find here. No really - go ahead. Name a place you can’t live, or can’t find someone just like you. The trains don’t stop running here, and the people run even faster. We are the home of the world renowned legends, the Yankees, the Mets, the Knicks, the Giants and the Rangers. Both Broadway and Hip-Hop call us home. Wow.
To describe the way I feel about my city would take me an eternity. I may not always like it; the gritty subway stations and pissy project hallways may grind my gears, but I wouldn’t rather be from anywhere else. I knew from day one that I could be absolutely anything I wanted to be.
Because anything is possible here. ANYTHING.
Thank you, New York! Thank you, BO.
- Crystal Jade