Where the Fuck am I?

Amanda and I are still settling in. Today is the first day I've felt like there was enough done at home that I could break out of the house for a bit and get a little writing done.

So here I sit at Amelie's French Bakery just down the street from my new house. The pastries and sandwiches are delicious, but the coffee could be better...already missing Bagel Pub's cold brew iced coffee.

My neighbors across the street are very nice as is one of the guys next door to them. For those who are unaware, it's pretty customary for neighbors to welcome you to the neighborhood (yes, that shit still happens) and then proceed to tell you that if you need anything, feel free to stop by and ask. Even my landlord (who lives directly next door to me) offered to help us move in and unpack. It's also pretty customary to NEVER take someone up on their offer to help. So really it's just a thing people in the south say but would never do themselves.

People smile when you go out to eat. They great you warmly. The Target doesn't look like it's in Somalia. There are no cabbies cutting you off. If you honk, you better be ready to fight. It's like I have to learn how to be a southern boy again...

I've grown so accustomed to passing people on the street without eye contact that when I hear "Good morning!" it throws me off. Driving in downtown Charlotte, even during rush hour, is a breeze. I might pass by a total of 50 pedestrians in the time it takes me to get from our house to Amanda's building when I drop her off and pick her up.

I can see downtown from multiple places and the three or four building that reach the tallest really stand out amidst the blue of the sky. But that's it. Three or four buildings is all I get now.

The homeless sit by the highway entrance ramps in the morning, angling for those morning commuters in cars. The streets are clean. The buildings cleaner. Everyone seems to have a dog.

It's like Mayberry grew up just a bit and became Charlotte. As metropolitan as I used to view Charlotte is as small town as it feels now after living in Brooklyn for five years.

The friends are still great! The family is amazing! I just wish I could move the house, friends and family all up to Brooklyn for the same cost of living as here.

But the door will never close on Brooklyn. It will always be ajar with the slightest streak of light slipping through, beckoning me to return. Maybe one day.