Manhattan makes me sad

I had a wonderful evening in it tonight with the luscious Hungarian. An unexpected East Village dinner ensued. An OUTSIDE dinner...on this, the last FULL night of summer '06. Dinner, outside, NYC, the bestest old friend, tons of laughs. I had a great time, honest. So why did I come away from it so melancholy? Maybe because I felt like I was walking through The Ghost of NYC Past, Circa 1996...except most of the main characters had left the show. Kind of like "ER" now...technically the same show as ten years ago...same hospital, same Chicago streets, yet you don't recognize most of the characters, and the whole damn thing just feels tired and worn out. Does Manhattan feel tired to me? That's kinda dramatic and ludicrous. Manhattan is MANHATTAN. But it can be wearying. And lonely. The thing that keeps it fascinating...its ever-evolving go-go-go structure...makes things from 6 months ago seem dated, let alone 10 years ago. And that makes YOU feel dated. And you're...and by "you're," I mean ME...constantly nostalgic. Forget 1996...the summer of '04 seems like a lifetime ago to me. Perhaps it's not Manhattan. Maybe if the main characters came back, i'd feel better. Maybe I'd feel the same way in Pittsburgh, DC, Tampa, Dallas...LA. Or any small town. Anywhere. I think it's different to a degree, though, in Manhattan. It's exhilarating or wildly depressing...depending on the characters and the storyline of your life. If there even ARE any "regulars" left in the cast. I always fought any impulse to say I didn't enjoy NYC, feeling it'd be some sign of defeat and weakness. Yet, gazillions of other humans live and work outside NYC and seem to carry on just fine. Right now, frankly, i'm finally ready to admit i'm sick of Manhattan. Not done with it...sick of it. Alert the press.