On July 4th, I celebrated not only my country’s independence, but also mine.
It was the one month anniversary of New York City and I, and it was celebrated by me taking myself out to watch fireworks along the Hudson.
In my past life, I absolutely abhorred doing things alone. I’d have so much anxiety from not having someone to eat dinner with that I’d often skip meals (my secret diet, my friends).
Moving to NYC has changed all of this quite significantly. A lot of it is due to knowing only a small handful of people in this city (so trying to eat with someone every meal would probably end up with me starving to death). The other part is because I’m in full explorer mode. Consciously moving to one of the most exciting cities on the planet, I’d be severely disappointed in myself if I didn’t take advantage of it at every moment possible.
After sitting home all day on July 4th, 8:30 p.m. rolled around and I made a last minute decision: I was going to see the fireworks along the Hudson. Everyone else I knew had plans already, and no one wanted to do such a crowded, touristy thing — so I went on my own. I strapped on my shoes and got on the overstuffed L train. After shoulder bumping and shoving my way past thousands of bodies, I found myself on the West side of town staring at the glorious, lit up sky.
Welcome to exploring independence in New York City, Liang.
