Hello Sweet Tea, Chopped BBQ, and Mosquitoes

I am moving. From North to South. From Brooklyn, NY to Greensboro, NC. So, I figured it was time to frame a farewell to New York, my home for the last three years.

Goodbye Battery Park City Hudson River park with all the people walking their dogs and babies on Sunday afternoons.

Goodbye Hudson River park rollerbladers with your unfortunate spandex.

Goodbye malformed pidgeons.

Goodbye all my favorite movie theaters. Even you, Angelika, with your sickening popcorn.

Goodbye magazine shop on 6th Avenue and 11th Street. It took me forever to find you, tucked away on the corner like that, but I was glad I did.

Goodbye Fresco's On the Go on 52nd Street between Park and Madison. You are grossly overpriced, but your chicken caesar wrap cannot be beat.

Goodbye Ricky's. At first I thought you were a cute little one-of-a-kind shop on 6th Avenue, but I found out pretty soon that you were a franchise all over the Village. I will miss your strange mix of beauty products and kitchy t-shirts and bags.

Goodbye Erb and Moonshadow Thai restaurants in Greenpoint. I love your fruity and pineapple fried rices. I do, however, still think it's really sketchy that you only take cash, Moonshadow.

Goodbye strange subway smells.

Goodbye ladies who sell cheap jewelry on the sidewalk, and in particular the lady who sells cheap jewelry right in front of 215 Park Avenue South.

Goodbye St. Mark's Bookshop. Your poetry section never fails to make me feel inadequate.

Goodbye Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of TV and Radio. You're the worthwhile museums.

Goodbye French restaurant on Spring Street with the best steak I've ever had.

Goodbye McCarren Park and your summertime baseball players.

Goodbye sports bar next to McCarren Park. I had never had an alcoholic beverage 'to go' before, but I certainly enjoyed the experience.

Goodbye Far Rockaway beach where I got the worst sunburn I've ever had and your weird seafood restuarant/deli hybrid where we ate.

Goodbye Union Square. You are the place for protestors. And skaters. And homeless people. And students. And dogs. And children.

Goodbye four-story Barnes and Noble in Union Square. Sometimes I just drool at you.

Goodbye Winter Garden in the World Financial Building. You were my favorite place to go and write.

Goodbye New York, sensory overload.