Dear New York,

I will never forget the first time my feet met the pavement of such a magical land. I discovered a new world there. I felt so small beneath the watch of your skyscrapers, but comforted in their shadows. You taught me to love, and that you can love places as much as you can love people. To me, you are more than a place, you are an idea, a dream, a state of mind. Your bright lights lured me in the way it did for many starry eyed young women before me, and will do for many after me. I did not happen upon you, I was called to you. To the glory of the towers meeting the northern night sky in a beautiful display. So many strangers here, each with a story, each with a dream. That is why we come to New York, isn't it? Because maybe somewhere in the glow of Times Square we realize how small we are, but also the opportunity that you can give us: a chance to be someone new, to chance, to hide, and to heal. You held me, loved me, spellbound me---I belonged to you in a mere moment. You are a place like no other - a world all its own, where anything is possible. That, I believe, is why you draw so many of us. Maybe, you're everything we were hoping for. You always are.

With love,

A New Yorker at heart