Amid

the strains of car horns bleating, theater stars

singing and traffic cops yelling, a Fayetteville

home girl is surviving quite nicely in the

concrete canyons of Manhattan.

Former

Fayette County High School drama teacher Sherry

Bishop has settled into the rhythm of the New

York life-style and could not imagine living

anywhere else.

Just

two years ago, Bishop decided to leave her home

of Fayetteville for the urban grind of New York

living. Why would somebody leave the serenity of

Fayetteville for the fast-paced pitch of the

streets of New York?

"I

came up here in high school and just loved it. I

always said I was going to live here," she

said.

Before

she made her trek north, Bishop taught at Fayette

County High School from 1988 to 1997 and

regularly visited New York at least once a year.

Finally, during the summer of 1997, she made the

bold move and has been settling into her new

urban experience.

Sitting

in a small coffee shop in her neighborhood at

West 48th Street and Ninth Avenue, Bishop

explains that surviving the mean streets requires

more than one job.

"Last

Friday, I worked five different jobs," she

said.

Bishop

works at Julliard doing productions and regularly

does temporary jobs, along with helping a friend

starting a catering business. Additionally, she

is also writing plays and will be directing an

Equity theater project later this winter.

But

like many people who make their way to Broadway,

Bishop's first love is the theater.

"I

had done some writing and staging in Atlanta, but

decided I wanted to live somewhere where there

were opportunities to do this every day,"

she said.

Working

for a temp agency allows Bishop some freedom for

writing and she's amazed at the difference in

attitudes at agencies in Atlanta and New York.

"Up

here, everybody temps and asks you what you

really do. In Atlanta, it's more of a way to land

a permanent job," she said.

Bishop

recently won first place accolades at the Deep

South Conference in LaFayette, La. for one of her

recent plays and hopes to see some of her works

produced in New York.

In

writing her plays, Bishop draws upon her Southern

roots and actually incorporates local names into

her writing.

"One

play has characters named Woody Shellnutt and

Dink Masters," she said with a grin.

Down

the road, Bishop would like to dabble at acting,

but right now she enjoys the creative energies of

writing and directing.

"This

city just offers so many creative

opportunities," she said.

Although

she's surrounded by concrete, Bishop said the

city is basically a series of neighborhoods and

her Midtown neighborhood definitely has a small

town feel.

"I

went to the video store the other day and they

gave me the wrong movies. The next day, the woman

apologized and made sure I got the right

movies," she said.

Bishop

is one of several Fayette residents who have left

behind the trees and quiet for the urban grit of

the city.

One

of her good friends is Steve Friday, who has his

own band, and just recently left on a nine-month

cross-country tour with "Buddy," which

tells the story of Buddy Holly.

"He

really helped me get adjusted to the city,"

she said.

At

least once a week, Bishop has "a New York

moment," which explains why she continues to

live in the city.

"I

jog through Central Park a lot and I just look at

the backdrop the buildings provide against the

trees and water and realize this could only

happen in this city," she said.

While

loving her new life, Bishop does miss a few

things about the South.

"I

miss my students and having them call me `Miss

Bishop.' I also really miss Chick-fil-A and

Tab," she said.

But

in the end she's leading the life she always

wanted and wouldn't trade it in for a case of Tab

or a bucket of waffle fries.

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