I’ve always appreciated city living, but after this weekend, I appreciate it a little bit more. I spent the weekend on Long Island with my parents and experienced the first Nor’Easter I have in a long time.

It was a weekend I wasn’t traveling and thought it would be a good idea to head out to the land of suburbia. I drove out Saturday looking forward to some overdue rest and relaxation, but that idea quickly disappeared on the Meadowbrook Parkway. The drive from the city was routine enough, with a lot of rain and extra strong winds, but that was to be expected from the weather report.

However, around Exit 16, traffic stopped abruptly, and I saw a tree topple over. I didn’t see any major damage to the cars nearby, but as traffic merged to go around it, another tree fell onto the highway. I couldn’t wait to get home and out of the car.

The next morning the neighborhood had an astounding number of trees down. Many of them blocked the entire street, and residents had to feel lucky the trees didn’t topple the opposite way and into the homes instead of the street. After seeing all the damage from the rain and wind, I realized I could not even begin to imagine what the recent natural disasters in Chile, Haiti and Turkey were like. I know I won’t take New York City living for granted again. Even when there is natural damage, apartment buildings rarely get affected and the residents are not responsible for the clean up. We can also get around town without a car and keep all of our basic needs at an arm’s reach. Our tax dollars may be out in use for the clean-up, and I’m happy to see them put to good use!

— Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher