The City
Jackson Hole I

Like a fake movie set, the Teton mountains first appeared white and blue, perfectly shaped against a mysterious gray sky. They were like the skyscrapers of Chicago or New York, just small peaks in the distant horizon, promising excitement and grandiosity.

I have always been a city girl, enthralled by high rises and narrow streets, traffic and trains. Visiting Chicago, I always felt that anywhere in the city, something exciting was about to happen. I never felt lonely in Chicago – I was comforted by the ever-present sirens and neon signs – constant reminders of life. I couldn’t imagine anywhere else that had that sense of electricity, connectedness, and importance.

I was convinced no other place like a city existed until I saw mountains for the first time. Four years ago, I spent a day on the French/Spanish border in the Pyrenees. Immediately, everything about them captured my attention, whether it was the wildflowers and wild horses, or the mysteriously placed lakes and rivers. The contrast of sharp mountain peaks and narrow valleys invigorated me. I remember my friend Henrike saying, “I can’t imagine that the people here are affected by the same things we are. This world is different. War and Hollywood don’t exist here.” Driving through tiny Spanish villages, I too wondered what it would be like to live in a place like that. Instead of feeling lonely and disconnected, I imagined it like a bustling city: being in the midst of the most enlivening forces in the world.

Just a week ago, the mountains inspired me once again as I traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I watched the distant Tetons suddenly rise next to the bus, and soon felt a mysterious privilege – as though I was in a place few people would ever get to see. I felt free, on top of everything, as though I could see the whole world at once. I felt happy; I felt immortal. I wanted to move forever, between the depths of the valleys and the tops of the mountains. It felt like flying and I hadn’t even started skiing.

In the mountains, I found a city bigger than any human can build. It is a city where skyscrapers are snow covered and made of jagged rock; where sports cars and taxis move as streams and lakes; where neon marquees are the reflecting sun on the afternoon snow. The life of this city creates a sound louder than any car horn or fire engine. It is a city where the biggest thing in life is the exhilaration that fills your insides every time you look out the window.

It is a city that proves I will never be alone, a city that will always feel like the most exciting place in the entire world.