Travels: Do I Miss New York Yet?

Since we left Brooklyn on June 30, pretty much everyone and their brother has asked us if we miss New York yet. While my immediate answer is no, I feel like I need to go a little more in depth... and add why I'm just about to the breaking point.

First of all, we've done this before! We've gone on tour for months at a time, lived in Paris for a 2-month stretch, and even gave up our New York apartment for an entire year to exclusively tour and travel. This isn't anything new. While I love New York with all of my little heart, a break from the greatest city in the world doesn't hurt even the most devoted of its followers. All of that said, here are 10 reasons why I'm THRILLED to be back in my city next week:

1. I'll be walking distance to my BFF, Jess, and my baby-sized BFF, Max
2. Great pizza by the slice. Sorry, Nashville, you're great and all, but you are seriously missing this one. 5 Points Pizza is a great start... but it still doesn't compare.
3. Coffee breaks. Nashville actually has the coffee game down. Especially over here in East Nasty the coffee shops are unique and exceptional. However, they are not walking distance. We had FOUR within a few blocks of our apartment in Brooklyn. Here we only have 1 that is less than a mile away, so you kind of have to really want that afternoon pick me up to justify the walk or the drive. 
4. The openness. I could be talking about people's mindsets... but I'm not. I'm talking about how often and how late things are open. In NYC that answer is typically, "everyday and late" - in Nashville, it's "Sometimes and not so late"
5. Indian food, Thai food, Ethiopian food, Vietnamese Food. Nashville is getting to be very well known for their food scene & it's totally justified, but the ethnic food is seriously lacking. GIVE ME BRICK LANE!
6. Friends. We're building up our friend group here in Nashville, but it just isn't the same yet. Even though a ton of our friends have moved away from the city (NYC... it's always "the city" if you aren't aware), we always had a little crew who was more than willing to come hang on our patio at a moment's notice. Here I mostly only hang out with Ron's stupid, beautiful face. Stupid in this instance means awesome. Sorry you didn't know.
7. Mass transit. I really love driving... but I really love not HAVING to drive everywhere. 
8. Apartment sounds. This is a weird one - I had NO idea that I'd miss the sounds of living in an apartment building. In a strange way, they are incredibly comforting. That bang above you? Just your stupid neighbor. That booming sound over my head in this house? WHO KNOWS. 
9. Bodegas. Dear God, please open a really good convenient store near me. I'm talking walking distance for toilet paper, coffee creamer, beer, and random fancy granola bars. PLEASE!
10. East coast time. This is a silly one, but I really enjoy being on the same hour as my nearest and dearest (friends, family, and co-workers). Who wants to START work at 8AM?? Oh, I guess a lot of you probably do. Well, I hate it! I'm a 9AM gal, but I really can't be here. 

Contrary to this how this list may make me seem, I'm not super Negative Nancy down here. I actually really like it (a whole lot, in fact), so I'm glad to be spending time here. However, that does not mean that I won't enjoy every last second of my September in the city (most of September, anyway). Happy Labor Day weekend! 

xo,

b