Whose city?

I was born in a city and have hopped to others over the course of my life, at times through choice, at others through necessity. When I was younger, I longed to live in London – from which friends had fled, disgusted by the rat race. I was drawn to its myriad local cultures, its green parks and their invitation to laze, its buffet of entertainments both high and low brow, and at night its clubs pulsing with sweaty, euphoric bodies where all sense of self seemed to dissolve. But it was a dream beyond my means, as I couldn’t reconcile myself to living in a cupboard.

Most of all I love the bustle of the city; seeing strangers going about their business is inexplicably gratifying – one gets a sense of safe, anonymous distance from their activity and yet also of belonging. Cities can make you feel part of something bigger, even when social atomization is often closer to the reality.