goodbye to the big smoke

so long hogtown.

i left toronto 2 1/2 weeks ago. well, i mean, to be completely honest, my time was up. i finished my master's degree in a dramatic fury. and that fury left a very bad taste in my mouth. so if there was any tinge of sadness--any hesitation to leave--i dropped it the day/week after my thesis defense and turned my back on toronto and my nose back towards brooklyn.

so what happened that made the experience so sour? especially for a town like toronto--the haven for american ex-pats. the town that when i'd mention to anyone where i was living, they'd exclaim excitedly how much they *love* toronto and how they thought it was the coolest town ever. i definitely didn't experience that. i can't say it was anything about the town. or the country. it was 100% me.

speaking of brooklyn...

there is a funny bit of envy regarding new york city. i've not felt it as much as i did those days in toronto. it creates some interest where interest may not necessarily be present. new york city was a natural progression for me from philadelphia in 1998. so on i came. to the big apple. what's the big deal? it's like anywhere else--you crash someone's pad until you find a job and work your way up. i'd even say it's contrary to the old blue eyes song--you can make it here in ways you could never make it anywhere else. so there. why be envious?

i digress.

so i'm back now. back in the same neighborhood i left four years ago. back to the same friends i had before i left. like i'm picking up where i left off.

EXCEPT WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?! and what happened to my town?! i live in a gentrification nightmare.

i know nyc has a very high turn-around rate. but oh my.