new york as the misunderstood state

i miss ny a lot. Having lived in the midwest for almost 4 years i get a lot of people who will spit, "eugh, i hate NY." usually followed by my asking, "have you ever been there?" I am always amazed by how many say, 'once'- really you can hate an entire place after one visit- one visit which is usually to the empire state building and staten island?!

so anyway- i love ny, i grew up on long island and can still remember the initiation of summer being that constant distant humm of cicadas. i remember collecting leaves every autumn- and have yet to find comparable collers in the midwest. i remember going to jones beach to boogie board and the taste of the deeply salty water.

i like that ny has the appalachian mountains running right through it, and that the roads near my second home never ran straight. i love the smell of the woods and the rocky water falls and that people might take a while to crack, but then they are loyal, friends for life.