went to brooklyn

prefacing that i don't get around often: i'm someone who barely travels... i haven't even gone outside of the U.S. and i don't even have a passport. the furthest i've been from home is maybe denver colorado or san antonio texas. even then, it's been many years since i've gone long-distance.

i live near pittsburgh, which has its moments, but the people aren't the most inviting and i always feel like i'm the weirdest person in any given room. even the queer community can be close-minded and cliquey, at least from the people i've been around. i also think that's a symptom of being closer to the midwest without actually being in the midwest.

but i'm writing this because i took a trip to new york for a concert recently, stayed in brooklyn, and honestly i have never felt more comfortable in such a packed city. something about the energy was just inviting and i appreciated the feeling of not being judged for looking gender-questionable. it also smelled like weed most of the time; people were walking down the street at 8am joint-in-hand, which of course to me is a plus (would never happen in PA). the food was also really amazing, especially in the delis, and seeing manhattan in the distance was absolutely grand. i am personally a big graffiti enjoyer, and there was loads everywhere. if i was rich i'd probably move there and drive a van around for people to tag for fun. 

the city was just super pretty to me in an unconventional way, it didn't need to be super clean because the culture was quite palpable. i know i'm reiterating this, but my favorite thing about it by far was the diversity; there was kinda 0 room to be close-minded and judgmental because there'd have to be lots of it to go around. it made me think of friends i used to have in pittsburgh and wonder how they'd react.

i think this was one of my favorite places to vacation to, even though i haven't really been to many other places. also: i always thought of pittsburgh as a diet-manhattan but they are not really even in comparable leagues. if brooklyn was affordable i could see myself being comfortable there, even if i couldn't totally be successful. but uhhh let me know which cities you think i'd enjoy if you want!