New York... A City or a Borough?

I'm sitting here in my Queens apartment, and I know I'm in a city. Heck the noise outside my window is louder than the noise I heard when living in downtown Tokyo. But that's the thing I don't get... where I live in Queens is not downtown. Queens feels more like an urban suburbia (Like that makes sense). The only area that feels like a city is Manhattan. So I'm starting to wonder if all the references to New York City are really just references to Manhattan.

Last night my room mate and I were out again. We had a fabulous evening drinking fabulous cocktails at a fabulous club. It was fabulous. Where were we? Manhattan of course. So the half hour train ride back to Queens got me thinking. Manhattan is so full of life... so much energy, so many landmarks, so much opportunity. Can places like Queens and Brooklyn really posses such allure?

Let's get this straight, I have yet to visit "downtown" Queens or "downtown" Brooklyn. I might be completely wrong on this. But my first impression leads me to believe that New York City isn't five boroughs...but rather one borough with four little siblings.

I know that Brooklyn is the artsy, hipster capital. That's fine. Queens feels like a giant mix of ethnicities. That's fine too. The Bronx I have yet to visit, and Staten Island... although I've visited confuses me too much to write about.

So that takes me back to Manhattan. Manhattan is where it all happens. All the famous movies were filmed there. All the "New York" touristy landmarks are there. All the people are there. So what does it mean if I live in Queens? I know that I'm in New York...but does it feel like New York? I can't answer that yet.

Either way I'm not complaining. I love my apartment and feel blessed for the opportunity to be here. Someday I will move to Manhattan. Someday the electricity that is Manhattan will be a part of my daily life. But for now, it's time to put a head on my shoulders. Great opportunity only comes from great amounts of hard work.