Peace Up, A-town Down

I'm back in Athens. I have never been happier with any decision I've ever made in my life ever. That might sound like hyperbole, but, I assure you, it's not. As the three of you reading this probably know, I spent the last almost year in NYC, and it was something. I'm not sure what, but it was definitely something. A friend of my recently compared his time in New York to being at summer camp, and I'm going to steal that analogy here. Much like going away to summer camp, New York is fun and exciting and you do all sorts of things that you'd never do anywhere else, but, also like summer camp, it starts to wear you out. Plus, I was always the kid at summer camp who stayed awake the whole last night, because I was so excited about going home.
Well, I think that's enough about NY, let's move on. If you've never been to Athens, GA, I don't even know what you're doing with your life. It is one of my top favorite places on Earth. You might be saying to yourself, "But Julia, you've lived in New York and Italy, you've traveled all over the south of France, how could some tiny town in northeastern Georgia be one of your favorite places?" And to you I say, "Why do you know so much about my life, weirdo?" But then I will tell you why Athens is the greatest, and wherever you live/went to college/lived formerly really can't compete. Don't try disagreeing with me, your opinion is wrong.
Here's why:
-It's quaint as shit. Not only is downtown Athens adorably old-fashioned, but most of the neighborhoods around town look like something out of a fucking Norman Rockwell illustration. There's a farmer's market going on down the street right now. Is anything more quaint than a farmer's market? I think not.
-The inhabitants are easily as weird (or weirder) than the so-called "freaks" in New York. I've been sitting downtown for about 2 hours now and have seen around a baker's dozen people that I can't tell if they're currently stoned or have just gotten stoned so often that their faces just look that way. Basically, if people watching was an Olympic sport, and you medalled by the number of bizarre things you see, someone from Athens would win the gold every year.
-FOOD. People think that just because we're a small town, our restaurants are marginal at best, like in Auburn. That is simply not the case. Between Hugh Acheson, the farm-to-table crowds at Branded Butcher and Farm 255, the 20 or so fine dining establishments located in and around downtown, plus the folks over at Senor Sol (the best authentic Mexican food you'll ever eat outside of Mexico. It's attached to a Shell station), Athens has some of the best food I've ever been around. If you try to tell me you've had a better biscuit than they make at Mama's Boy, you're a liar and a whore.
-BOOZE: Athens has 75 bars in the 10 block area of downtown. Yes, you read that right, 75 BARS IN A 10 BLOCK AREA. There is a bar for every demographic, and some that overcome all demographic boundaries. If you can't find a bar in Athens that you like, stop blaming the bars and go do some soul searching.
-Walker's: This pub and coffee house gets it's own bullet point, because it is simply the best. It is the only place I've found anywhere that you can come in the morning and stay until 2 a.m. You can study (or blog) with a coffee during the day, then make the obvious transition to beer around 4 (let's be realistic, it's more like 3), and just continue into the night. Plus no one gives you dirty looks for just getting one coffee and nursing it for 6 hours while you try to finish a paper that's due at midnight. Walker's is my Cheers. I'm there right now.
-The music scene is just incredible. Of course everyone knows the big names, R.E.M., B-52s, Widespread Panic, Of Montreal, Drive-By Truckers, but there are tons of up-and-comers getting recognition all the time, like Dead Confederate, the Whigs, Venice is Sinking, the Modern Skirts. You can go to a show pretty much any night of the week, and you're basically guaranteed a good time. Plus, lots of comedians come through here, if that's more your scene (it is mine).
-We have a microbrewery right outside of town. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays when the weather is nice, you can buy a commemorative Terrapin glass (which roommates have been know to fight over while trying to split them up on move out day) and taste their wide array of beers while enjoying the musical stylings of one of our many aspiring musicians.
-UGA: As a graduate of the enormous university, I would be remiss to not include it on this list. The traditional SEC powerhouse provides a perfect balance to the extreme hipness of the music/art/lit scene. Without the extreme "Southernness" of many of the students, the weirdness might get overwhelming.
-It's just great.

That's it. I defy you to come here and not immediately fall in love. Seriously, try it. The only person I know who doesn't like Athens is my father, but he also doesn't like anything. Don't be like my dad; come to Athens and let it wash over you like so much craft beer.

Back Where I Come From

Well, after almost exactly 10 months in the city, I've come to a conclusion. I miss the South. I miss driving and having a porch and grass and trees and space. I never thought of myself as a super "Southern" person. I have travelled a bit in my life. I've been to Europe. I speak French. I enjoy meeting people of varied backgrounds. I thought, all of this considered, that New York would be the perfect place for me. I was wrong.
New York is an interesting place. There are over 8 million people in the boroughs, many of whom are not originally from New York or even the United States. At any given time, there are dozens of things to do. It's an exciting place. What I've learned in my time here is that I am not an exciting person. A perfect day to me is one spent drinking beer in the sunshine, maybe playing corn hole with friends, laughing and generally lazing about. New York is not the place for that. New York is the place for cool people. It's where you live if you like constantly being inundated with new sights and sounds and faces. It's where you live if you want to be on the cutting edge of music and fashion and culture. I thought that I wanted those things, but now I realize that I like a slow paced atmosphere. I'm a pretty laid-back person, and New York, as it turns out, is not a laid back town. So, on Tuesday, April 3 at 11:59 a.m. I will board a plane to the South. I'll be living with my parents for a few months before ultimately moving to my favorite place in the world, Athens, GA, in August. Hopefully moving back to Athens will give me the motivation I need to go to grad school. If it does, let's all just keep our fingers crossed that UGA will let me be a student there again.
Because so many people hold New York as the greatest city in the world, I was at first worried that I was some sort of a failure for not being totally happy here, but then I realized that New York being an incredible city does not necessitate my happiness. I think the important thing to remember is that New York is a great city, but you can only be happy in a city if you like cities, no matter how great or shitty. I have learned from my brief time here that I am not in love with cities, and I'm pretty sure cities aren't in love with me. I have nothing against cities, they're great for a visit, but I'm just not ready to commit.
To the people that I have met in the City:
Sorry I didn't really tell any of you I was leaving. I'm really bad at goodbyes. Actually, I'm just really bad at doing anything in person, hence the blog. You're all great, and I'll miss you. Thank you all for everything you did for me. I really do appreciate it, even if I'm not good at showing it.
The long and the short of it is that I came to New York to find myself, and I wasn't here. I think I may be in Athens, but then again, I have a very strong feeling that I may actually be on the West Coast. I'll let y'all know when I figure it out. For now, give me a call if you find yourself in the Portable City (that's Mobile, y'all).

Many Moons

Well, I haven't posted on here in many moons, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm a little tipsy, so please don't be too harsh on the judgment (why is there no 'e' after the 'g' in judgment? that doesn't make any sense).
Moving on. I have officially relocated to New York City. That's right, the Big Apple, NYC (or Enyce, if you prefer), the City of Dreams (I made that one up, but it seemed fitting). It's glorious here, but I still feel like such an outsider. I try to fit in, try to seem like I know where I'm going, but it doesn't really work. I mean, I'm learning the neighborhoods, but I still get the odd sensation that everyone looks at me and assumes that I'm some redneck who's on vacation and can't handle herself in the Big City. It's kind of like how I still felt like a freshman at UGA even as I was completing my final semester. Which reminds me, I got my diploma! The high and mighty overlords of the University of Georgia actually decided that my mediocre grades were enough to let me graduate. Huzzah! It's kind of odd, too, because no one else I know has gotten his or her diploma, but whatever, I got mine and they can't take it back. So there.
Other than my feeling like a total outsider and the fact that I did not bring nearly enough clothes, New York is groovy. Lyndsay and I lucked out and got a super-great apartment in Murray Hill (Midtown, central location=perfection). Though our apartment broker may have been a criminal, apartment 2F is now all ours and I am so beyond thrilled. It's a one bedroom, but splitting a one bedroom between 2 people is actually fairly common in Manhattan and we really do have tons of space. One ridiculous thing about NYC is that landlords apparently don't understand the need for central AC, so we have none. It's been fine so far, but seriously, it's 2011, and we're not in Europe. Why the hell do these people think AC isn't necessary? Other than that (and the tiny roach problem that has now been quashed), our apartment really is fantastic. I am just still having a hard time believing that this is not a vacation.
I should probably write a more coherent post in the morning when I'm a touch more sober. Until then, hasta la huego (I have no idea if that's spelled correctly; I took French)!