As soon as you move out of the five boroughs, it becomes "The City" as if you're referring to an ex-spouse. And like an ex, the initial encounter is exhilarating, tinged with the tiniest specks of regret. Then a few hours later, you remember why you left and what you hated, all the while acknowledging that it has "something". That something when broken down into its component parts seems to consist of wealth, history, centrality in the conversation, a certain swagger from everyone from the homeless people to the doormen, and glitter. Especially at the holidays, all of Manhattan glows and booms like the crescendo of a modern opera played a little off key. It's an introvert's nightmare come to life and and a schmoozer's dream...