If I can make it there...

You know the line. You have probably sung it off key hundreds of times, whether it be at karaoke bars, the end of Yankee games, or in the privacy of your own living room, the words have belted out from within you. New York, New York! Or maybe that's just me and everyone I roll with. I certainly have done all of the above, although I'd like to think my belting occurred with the voice of a musical muse.

Anyway, this line in particular always burns me. I guess it is because I really believe it. If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere. I have always allowed New York to hold power over me and my life, to sit high upon that pedestal. Even now, as I sit and write about how believing this line as if it were a Noble Truth, I feel the fear rise up. I feel a dense pit inside me saying, Have you made it? Will you make it? Can you even come close? I guess I see myself as not yet having made it in Ol' New York, even though upon investigation of my life here, one could argue pretty convincingly otherwise. Either way, I know that I have a long way to go, even if that long way is just a path in my head that leads to self-respect.

Excuse me for getting carried away. My goal here is to conquer. Not by dividing, au contraire, I shall conquer by exploring and collecting and putting together the puzzle of New York City here. For me, for you. This city is the best in the world, I can say that with confidence. No, no, I'm not accepting any arguments so just chill. Alright, I'll show you.

This is me. This is my city.

Oh, and I think the song gets it wrong in the end, It's up to you, New York, New York. It's not. It's up to me, DUH. Welcome.