This is the first of a series of posts where I do detail my wine life in New York.
I never thought I was going to move much in my adult life. Growing up in Mexico, I had stability for most of my childhood, and it lasted until the first years of college. Then the exodus started. I was constantly traveling, studying abroad, learning about the world. Ten years ago, I moved to New York City from Houston, Texas. The Lone Star State always felt like home for me since it was closer to Mexico; the Tex-Mex lifestyle suited me well. Although I always lived in big cities, New York felt different. New York City felt like a European kind of city that I wasn’t aware existed in the U.S with a unique culture.
In terms of Wine, New York has given me the most fantastic opportunity to learn about so many wine regions altogether by the glass. Not geographically, but the variety and availability of wine in New York are impressive. Almost every ten blocks, you have a handful of wine and liquor stores. The importers, the events, the restaurants are here. I would always be thankful to New York City for showing me the wine world from my window in West 34th. St.
I lived in the most crowded area, not the trendiest neighborhood. But I wanted to live there in the middle of it. I wanted to feel the miracle on 34th Street. It helped me to be aware of feelings that I was not aware I felt. I created rituals in the city, walked over the same streets, bought from the same coffee shops, said good morning to the same barista every morning for a couple of years. I became vegetarian, more spiritual, more energetically aware. I danced salsa and merengue again. I loved walking down the stairs and felt the people. Having Macy’s across the building was therapeutic. I found mindfulness amidst the chaos.
Then I crossed the bridge and found the most diverse neighborhood of it all. When I thought I knew everything about Brooklyn and Manhattan, I moved to Astoria, Queens. The neighborhood of the world, they used to say. I found the best street food, the vibrant community, THE COMMUNITY. I even worked in a non-for-profit near Crescent Street and learned so much about policy and immigration. After that, I dreamed of moving to D.C., but I found more wine, and I stayed.
I wine you New York City. I might not finish this wine story just yet. I might always be here but not near. I will write you again.
