by Regena Handy

Other than the year I turned 35, birthdays as an adult have never been a big deal to me. That particular year was poignant because in my own mind it signified transformation from a young woman to one of middle age. Under normal circumstances, I am just thankful to have been here another year.

This column isn’t really so much about birthdays, however. It is actually in regard to where I spent the one I celebrated last week.

I joined two old friends and one new one for a whirlwind visit to New York City. That the timing coincided with my birthday was purely a fluke. We flew out of Charlotte, N.C., on a cool, sunny morning, landing at LaGuardia Airport to a cold wind and the roar of the highest populated city in the USA. It had been 18 years since I was in NYC.

Now, I’m a country girl; I make no bones about it. Though I like to visit other areas, I am by no means what one might term a world traveler. For most of my life I have plain out been too busy. Or perhaps that is the excuse I’ve allowed myself.

But the older I get the more important it has become to do a few things outside my comfort zone, simply for the experience of doing so. Often—as it was in this case—it serves as a good reminder of the myriad cultures that live outside my own front door.

And boy, oh boy, does NYC fit that description. More than eight and a half million people inhabit the 300-plus square miles that make up the city. That is slightly more than the entire population of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Hundreds of different languages are spoken by the city’s residents.

We rode a tour shuttle through the city late one day as people were leaving work. From the upper deck of the bus we viewed the sheer crush of humanity, traffic jammed roads, and block after block of lights that highlighted the magnitude of the city’s size and its vast array of ethnicity.

I have known of people who live in and express their strong love for NYC, saying they could never live anywhere else. I can honestly say I understand their opinion—not than I can concur with their assessment—but because that’s how I feel about my little part of the world.

But even if I don’t want to live there, what a grand place to visit! We did lots of touristy things—Times Square, the Winterfest and tree lighting in Lincoln Square. Standing in the freezing temperatures outside the “Today Show” on TV to wave at the cameras. Authentic Italian food. Audience participation at “The Megyn Kelly Show.” Rooftop restaurants. New York style pizza. Christmas lights.  Walking for what seemed miles, looking in store windows.

A bucket list item. Birthday in the big city. But, as always when I’m away for a few days, I’m reminded there is no place like home. No place.