Have you ever had a dream come true that you didn’t know you even had?
This is happening to me… To us.
Okay, so that’s obviously not it… I already have my Associate Degree in Culinary Arts – I’ve always known I want to do something with food/restaurants.. However next year, after Zack has graduated and I finish my program with the Institute of integrative Nutrition – I am going to finish my bachelor degree, in Food journalism and media.
What did come as a huge surprise to both of us, is how overwhelmingly excited we are about where the school is.
The International Culinary Center is in NEW YORK CITY!!!!! I never knew I wanted to live in NYC, until Zack & I got to seriously talking & realized its the best of the best when it comes to both of our career goals. His degree being in film/editing and mine being in culinary.
The funny thing is, when I say that I’m from New York most people assume that means NYC. I’m told time and time again “oh you don’t have an accent” or “wow that must have been amazing” no.. No it wasn’t. That’s because I grew up in the South-Western tier of NY state. (for those not familiar with NY, this is what you typically refer to as “Upstate NY”) So my perspective of New York living is nothing like the city. Jamestown has a population of 31,146, is a 10 minute drive to the Pennsylvania state line, and 5 minute drive from “Amish Country” as the WNYers call it. Because of this I swore off ever living in NY state again… But I hadn’t really ever considered the NYC.
Now that we’ve made this decision it’s all I want. It’s as if any other city/state was never even an option!
I remember my first trip to NYC. One of my best friends, Lindsey and I took a train leaving Buffalo at 1am and pulled into Grand Central Station around 7am. As soon as you come into the city you can tell – the walls all around you are more and more covered I graffiti (some people hate this. I find it to be part of the city’s charm) I remember getting out of the train like I had arrived in any other city, completely underwhelmed. The station was massive – but it was just that, a bus/train station.
Then we walked out into the heart of midtown manhattan. I don’t even know how to describe that feeling…. It was suddenly very apparent we were in another world. I was Beaming and in complete awh. That first moment that I looked up and up and up at the buildings surrounding us… I felt an electric charge tingling all through my body.
The second time I went to NYC was with my sister and my ex-brother-in-law. This time I explored NYC in style and was able to enjoy the culinary side of the city. We went to Mr Chow, Nobu, The View. We went to Brooklyn for pizza, walked Crentral Park, and sipped mimosas at the Plaza before our flight home.
Since then I’ve been several times in short spurts and each trip is more and more incredible. To say I will be a New Yorker (again) after our wedding, is incredible and strange!!!!
To really kick things off, I registered for my first NYRR event. The Mini 10k in manhattan/Central Park on June 9, 2012.. We’ll obviously still be Baltimore residents, but the weekend will really make it all stick. Also it’s practically exactly one year before we make the big move!
Also, do you see what I’m writing people? Central park! I never dreamed of living in NYC – but since starting to run I have constantly wished I could run in central park. Soon, this will be somewhere close enough to run daily!
have you ever had a dream you didn’t know you had, come true?
