Until we meet again...

How long I spent sat there is lost to me, time seemed to have been momentarily suspended, it seemed that I had been there days, and yet not more than a moment. After all, what is time when you're relaxed and happy? What is time when you have nowhere to be? I would be there every night, often at length, gazing out at the world.

The motorway lay before me creeping right through the city centre, like an artery constantly a buzz with the flow traffic, even in the wee hours of the morning it was always alive with the glowing lights of passing cars, like constellations in an infinite variety of shapes.  Beyond that, towards the horizon was the gloomy and brooding shadow of a new Foster designed building, like an Armadillo curled into its shell for protection from the imposing darkness around, by day it gleamed silver, yet by night was enveloped into the surrounding darkness.  Beneath me, looking like a scale model that you could pluck out of the landscape and play with was the old church, looking forlorn yet not entirely surrendered, like a battle hardened soldier who has seen many wide eyed young things come and go, yet still holds his place and in a strange way despite lacking the polish or the transient beauty of youth retains a sense of gravitas in its position.  To the left and right were other hotels, Anastasia and Drizella looking with curious eyes at the Cinderella that had risen betwixt them and stole their shine.  Further away to the left the river ran, a dark ribbon through the lights of the night, dissected only by the motorway flyover.  

They say that New York is the city that never sleeps, but this place taught me that it's not alone, none of the worlds great cities ever sleep, they live instead in a state of flux, a constant transposition between the daily life of shops and coffee houses, offices and schools and the city lights at night, the evening traffic, the bars and the restaurants.  

The place never slept and never looked the same for two instances of time, it stretched out before me from my perch on the tenth floor an ever changing metropolis, it's urbanity a strange cocktail, simultaneously vulgar and yet beautiful and magical, a juxtaposition of the bad and good in humanity, human achievement and nature all bound up into a heaving mass of luxurious depth that seemed to be able to hold my attention endlessly.  I had lots of good times in that city on varying trips for business and pleasure, but one of the most vivid memories is of the time idled away on a deep set windowsill on the tenth floor.  

I miss you, city, but I'll be back.