Curiophany

I felt it for the very first time strolling down a swarming sidewalk. The chilly air nipped at my cheeks; a reminder that this was real. Taxi tail lights danced down the streets like guests at a ball. Echoing car horns and the click-clacking of millions of feet created a symphony of city sound. The smell of winter and fresh soft pretzels collided as bundled street vendors called out to the crowds. Items in store windows smiled and winked from inside their glass cages. My eyes desperately tried to savor every color and shred of light offered by massive billboards, like a frantic child during an Easter egg hunt. Gaze shifting upward, thousands of glistening windows decorating mile high buildings framed the velvety night sky.

I was sixteen when New York City swept me off my feet. 

The feelings I had towards Manhattan I couldn't describe. The mixture of wonder, excitement, curiosity and longing was left unnamed, because it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. And I never experienced this kind of affinity for a city again.

Until I visited Chicago.

During a weekend in the Windy City with my family, the strange concoction of feelings returned. The culmination of emotions left me planning my future in Chicago; picking out an apartment, nailing down the closest Starbucks, and watching my 25-year-old self walking to work in heels and a classy peacoat. 

And then I found myself in Los Angeles...

Shortly before I wound up in San Francisco. 

Each time I visit a new city, the pull returns. I picture myself doing life there, jogging through Central Park, shopping on Michigan Avenue, or grabbing lunch at Pier 39. I construct a future against the backdrop of the skyline while wondering about adventures to be had. 

This phenomenon, I decided, is known as curiophany. 

Maybe the only person on earth to have experienced curiophany. Or maybe there are others who find time spent in new cities more inspiring than any tangible item. One thing I'm sure of, however, is that I plan to let curiophany fuel the pursuit of my dreams. I will live somewhere incredible someday, and wake up every morning falling more in love with a beautiful city.