Even though I graduated 2 years ago (and damn, does it feel a lot longer than that), I've still had the chance to visit Philadelphia every now and then to see my girlfriend. With her graduation, there's no longer going to be the same incentive to get out of the city every couple of weeks now. And with my closest friend who lives there heading off to grad school in a couple months, it's going to be difficult to head down just for the sake of it. Manhattan and New York City in general are wonderful places, but it's always been good to get out of the pressure cooker and have a change of scenery. It's actually been some time since I've spent a solid weekend in the city - the last time was in mid-late March - and the day trips I've been there for haven't really given me the chance to say goodbye to the city. It's been heading home on a late bus back to NYC, taking the R1 out to the airport, far south from University City, and catching a far-too-early Amtrak back to Penn Station. I have plenty of fond memories from the city, a lot of them, ironically enough, coming after I had graduated. So long, Philadelphia...
And on another note, it's crazy that it has been 2 full years since I graduated. I was up at Columbia yesterday playing basketball, and aside from feeling my age while playing the game, seeing all the 'Congratulations Class of 2010' banners made me realize that there's never going to be any going back to college. The mentality that my friends in school have relative to those in the workforce is much different, notably in that those in school still profess to be relatively youthful, while the others are starting to feel time weighing on them.
On the same note, this brings to a close the part of my relationship that has been long distance as well. My girlfriend will be moving to New York in July. The past 2 years haven't been perfect, or easy, but this was always going to be the hardest part...and the fact that we got through it bodes well. We'll see what the future brings, but I'm optimistic.
