Never Can Say Goodbye: Writers on Their Unshakable Love for New York by Sari Botton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

i had previously read "goodbye to all that" and wanted the flip side of those who stayed in new york. this was not that book though a lot of writers intend to come back. one writer who has stayed was rosanne cash and this quote i found particularly telling:

"There are those who come to New York to try on, to burn fast and furious in the workforce, deplete their need for the city and the city's need for them, and move on. And there are those who (to paraphrase the poet Rumi) have New York in them all along. I am one of those, I see New York in the mirror, and New York looks back at me."

i'm approaching my ten year anniversary in this bustling city and don't see moving soon. at moments this book reinforced why i live in new york, like this one:

"My favorite thing in NY is the way people who live here give & ask each other for directions on a daily basis. It's the purest transaction, one that never asks for anything but a quick & honest reply. People who stick their heads in a train & ask where it goes almost always get an answer that doesn't expect a reward; it's an incredible thing to witness..."