About The City's Issue - A Love Letter To New York City

Love is blind. That’s right. Even before moving here, even before I ever set foot here, this city felt like an integral part of me, brought to life through the silver screen. Its corners, characters, histories, and towering buildings felt like a prelude to a love affair waiting to unfold.

Years later, a series of events, perfect timing and a stroke of luck finally led me to an American university (in Paris though). It wasn’t just chance — I was relentless. I wanted it, and searched for every opportunity to make it happen. I threw myself into the world of advertising — looking for an experience straight out of Mad Men. Surrounded by the vibrant energy of Ogilvy and Y&R, I set one unshakable goal: no matter the obstacles, I would find a way to make New York my home. And I did. To this day, among all the places I’ve been and lived, nothing compares to the freedom and vibrancy you feel in New York.

"Now I get it: I think you are New York, and New York is you," said my brother as we were going to my favorite NY address - an acupuncturist in the East Village who is inexplicably able to make me sleep like a baby. His words stayed with me. Sometimes a place stops being just a location and becomes a reflection of who we are. Its complexity, its imperfections and contrasts become the very things that make us feel most at home. A city can shape us in ways we never imagined, becoming not just where we live, but a part of how we understand ourselves.

My path to this love story was anything but easy: it took me years to get here, but only a few days to leave. After the pandemic, I feared losing the image of the city that had become so embedded in my soul after all those years of yearning. Yet, when I finally returned, it felt like reuniting with an old friend - time and distance hadn't diminished our connection.

No matter how many times we leave or return, New York is always here, waiting, unchanged in its essence, yet always surprising, always ready to embrace me with open arms. Looking back, maybe Sinatra had it right: if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. But for me, it was never about making it anywhere, it was always about being able to come back and still loving it.