Cityfinity

The basis for my ideal city is Venice, Venice of parallel universes, flowing queens and the smell of violin polish I always sense around Rialto. Actually, Venice is more than a base: the only element my ideal city would differ from Venice in is boulevardslike those of Rome. Venice doesn't have boulevards for it's too dense, its houses and streets crammed together so tightly that they encage high humidity and summer fevers, making them almost endemic. Rome respires in a similar way, but as it's spread across seven hills, the air has more space to unfold.

A long time ago, my favorite thing to do was take the subway to Times Square at any time of the day while undergoing a silent monologue on whether hot dogs from street vendors would sabotage my digestion or not. Although I suspected they'd turn out to be just as delicious as food from the [...]

If there exists an end of the world, it's probably Coney Island. Its atmosphere couldn't be more diametrically opposed to Manhattan, but it actually feels just as much like New York as the most famous of the five boroughs - the beauty of this city is exactly that it seamlessly unites its most contrasting aspects. I like Coney Island so much that I sometimes think I'd go there instead of Times Square or Lexington Ave if I could only be in New York for an hour.

One of my best friends is currently in New York. Although it's been more than a year since I've lived there, I don't envy her. After my return I used to panic over not being (in every sense of the word) there any more. Gradually I've grown to realize I don't have to worry about anything: the bond I have with this city will take care of my coming back when the time is right again.