Turn yourself around and come on home

She got out of town

On a railway New York bound

Took all except my name

Another alien on Broadway

There's some things in this world

You just can't change

Somethings you can't see

Until it gets too late

Baby, baby, baby

When all your love is gone

Who will save me

From all I'm up against out in this world

Maybe, maybe, maybe

You'll find something

That's enough to keep you

But if the bright lights don't receive you

You should turn yourself around

And come on home

That's Rob Thomas on the radio. As if he were singing with an aim, flinging those lyrics directly at me. As if he knew that the bright lights didn't receive me, that the New York minute (of course, my view of the New York minute is not as dim as The Eagles' view) was much too short, that Chicago was probably "my kind of town" but not my town, that I had my chance at the big city life and I blew it.

I just returned from couple of trips to these places and haven't overcome the hangover yet.

There is just no way around it - I'm a big city girl - I want the constant crowds, the public transportation, the street performers, the terribly-in-a-rush people, the museums and shows and big openings, the crazy traffic, the crazies, the melting pot of cultures, the languages I don't understand spoken by the people I can't stereotype wearing clothes I can't afford, the tall buildings, the midnight crowds, the ethnic themed restaurants, the celebrity sightings...and most of all, the energy. The sense that everyone has a purpose, a place to go, a reason to live and rush about. No artificially sweet hellos, no polite conversation in the park.

Of course, outside of Bombay, I've never lived in a 'real city'. And today, someone called me "Miss Suburbia" today. Not exactly a flattering term for someone like me. It's different if you have a family to raise and need to live in 'decent neighborhoods' with good schools, backyards, garage sales every weekend and more grocery stores around than movie theaters or cafes. Not exactly my priorities right now. And yes, I know, if I grumble so much I should just move closer to downtown - but then comes pragmatism and living close to where I work and not wanting to drive more than 40 minutes every day and wanting a larger 'modern' apartment instead of a crammed old 'loft with character' for which I'd pay twice as much downtown etc. etc. So as always in my life, head wins over heart, 'oughts' overcome 'wants' and I return from the bright lights to the quiet lanes of suburbia.

It's true you know, you can take a girl out of the city, but not the city out of the girl!