When I was in 6th grade, my parents took me to New York City for the very first time. I had heard of New York, of course, but I wasn’t yet aware of just how much I would love it. I already loved musicals and knew I would be visiting the epicenter of Broadway, so I was very excited to see Wicked even though I had already seen it on tour in Orlando. However, my family told me we would be seeing Legally Blonde. I was devastated because “I didn’t ‘know’ Legally Blonde” (young Jordan forgot she also didn’t “know” Wicked the first time she saw it ;). Fast forward to the final curtain and of course I was OBSESSED. Thus began my lifelong passion for theater and my 6 + year long stint of both performing and stage management, as well as serving as Vice President of Thespian Troupe 2329 my junior year.
After I decided not to pursue theater professionally… New York remained my destination of choice. The grit, drive and sheer magnetic pull of the city had found its way into my veins and coursed through like the ever-veering lines on a subway map. Upon learning where I live, people usually ask me “what made you want to move to New York?” And my answer is always a brief explanation of how theater drew me in but I wanted to call the city home no matter my career. And that is the truth, but if you were to ask me on a deeper level, I think it’s more than just I fell in love with the city. I think it’s about what the city represents — which to me, is my lifelong dream coming true.
Right now I’m writing this at a bar on a Friday night, while I enjoy a glass of bubbly before attending a Broadway show this evening. Not just any bar, but The View – Manhattan’s iconic rotating lounge and restaurant. I found out earlier today that I receive a free bar snack and glass of bubbles here because of my status on TodayTix app (where I buy Broadway tickets.) So here I am, nibbling on citrus soaked olives while admiring the Chrysler building, and for the probably three hundred and twenty seventh time since I moved here, reflecting on how I am living middle school, high school, and college aged Jordan’s dream.
In the reflection of the window, I see younger me staring out of the taxi in complete awe the first time we ever drove in from LGA. In the sunny blue sky, I see the color of the water surrounding the map of Manhattan I had plastered to my childhood bedroom wall. These memories and reflections are sentimental, yes, but I think they’re also incredibly important.
Throughout high school, I talked about wanting to live in NYC ad nauseam. I probably annoyed my family and friends more than they’d care to admit. By the time I was in college, I still mentioned it here and there, but I think it had finally started to hit me that I was growing up and would eventually graduate and move somewhere, and I thought “holy-shit-I-hope-it’s-New-York-but-I don’t-want-to-jinx-it-and-also-that-actually-happening-would-actually-be-kind-of-scary…” so it was no longer my entire personality. The moment it became real… I will never forget. I remember it as clearly as the view sitting in front of me right now. While I don’t know what your dream is – I can confidently say that you will never regret going after it with all you’ve got. I may not be performing on Broadway tonight, but I’ll be in the audience after a day at work, without any travel needed other than the F line. And that’s more than younger me could have ever imagined.
Perhaps, like me, you’ve already achieved your dream. And if that’s the case, I want to encourage you to reflect on that as often as you can. It’s so so easy in life to move quickly, to forget that you are already living in what past you prayed for. I know it might sound cheesy, or feel silly, but SOAK IT IN when you can! As my tattoo artist posted the other day: “Be cringe, fall in love, burst into tears, see the world, be crazy, get a tattoo” and to that I’ll add “and remember where you are!” Don’t forget to appreciate how far you’ve come.
As I approach the seven year mark of living here, I feel more and more like a New Yorker. I can confidently say I am one, for many reasons. But one of my favorite reasons is because now I know that NY is an amalgamation of stereotypes. Everything you’ve heard is true. It will break you, it will change you, it is dirty (but so are our martinis), it feels really huge, bigger than yourself but then also so small… you’ll run into someone you know at on one of our 10,000 restaurants at the exact same time and wonder how is that even possible? It’s everything you want while simultaneously it pushes you away. You say you want to move out of the city someday, but you don’t know where, because how can anywhere else compare? (Spoiler alert: it won’t.)
So now, when people ask me “what made you want to move to NYC?” I think my answer will be, because on any random weeknight, I want to be able to enjoy some olives and champagne while I look out at the Chrysler Building. 🫒🤍
