10 Things You Might Not Know About Life in New York
People always ask me about what life in New York is like. They ask what makes it different from everywhere else. Here is a list of 10 things you might not know about life in New York.
1. You will give your left kidney to rent an apartment
In Texas, where I am from, you basically just walk into a leasing office and they hand you the keys to your shiny new apartment. Here in the city they would like to see 18 ½ years of bank statements, a $1,000,000 deposit, your guarantor's first born child, 13 albino peacock feathers and your left kidney. All this so that you can pay $2200 a month to live in a loft space with no closet in the UWS. But we do it because who would want to live anywhere else!
2. Brunch is a way of life
This is one of those things that makes New York magical, sparkly and a little tipsy in the afternoon... BRUNCH! Here in New York, Brunch is an every weekend event. Whether you are headed to brunch after church or after a late night out, the whole city seems to take it very seriously. On Saturday and Sunday, you can walk the streets and see thousands of people sipping New York’s version of weekend water...MIMOSAS!
3. Escalator Rules
This is something that you might not pick up from just a visit to the big city and is very different from most cities that I have been to. You do not stand in the middle of the escalator. You will get yelled at by the man in a hurry on his way to work. There is a walking side and a standing side. Stand to the right to ride the escalator and take the left if you feel like sprinting with the rest of the hurried Wall Street professionals. Who knew Escalator’s had rules?
4. The MTA is ridiculous
Once you have yelled out loud to yourself about the MTA, you know that you are a real New Yorker. To tourists, the subway can either seem like an awesome way to travel or the scariest place on planet earth where you may or may not die from a mole person. You are both so right and so wrong. The MTA is the “fastest” way to travel throughout the city. However, just know that the MTA will make you mad every other day. The MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) loves construction (even though nothing ever gets fixed), shutting down your station and making you late to every important meeting. And yes, you did just see a homeless person peeing on the seat next to you.
5. Bodega’s
I had never heard this word in my life before I moved to NYC. A bodega is a magical place that stays open forever. It’s basically just a corner store BUT it’s also your new best friend. Your neighborhood bodega is filled with overpriced, terrible grocery items, homeless people smoking weed right by the door and a sub-par deli. But it’s always there for you. Where else can you go when you want a grilled cheese at 3am or when you don’t want to stand in the 2 hour Trader Joes line just for a stick of butter? Bodega’s are New York City’s backbone.
6. You walk everywhere and you want to.
Friends from back home always say “Wow, you must walk so much in New York that must suck.” But reality is, once you’ve lived here for awhile it becomes a way of life and you want to walk places. 40 blocks no longer seems so bad when your other option is fighting a construction worker for your seat on the subway on your way home.
7. Comfortable Shoes are ESSENTIAL
Say goodbye to your Louboutin pumps (unless you are taking an Uber of course)! Comfort becomes your new cute. When you are walking up to 5 miles a day, you don’t seem to care about the newest, cutest pair of shoes. Invest in a cute pair of tennis shoes, a pair of loafers, comfortable flats and buy a magic rub eraser because they will get dirty! All that being said, I break this rule all of the time and wear cute, expensive heels when I am going out because beauty is pain!
8. No one cares
One of the greatest parts about New York City is that you are free to be whoever you want to be. Unlike living in other parts of the country, here nobody cares about what you wear or do. Everyone is focused on themselves and in a rush to get somewhere. If you want to wear a hot dog costume and sing your heart out on the subway platform, GO FOR IT! You probably won’t get any weird looks because we have seen something more strange already this morning.
9. Everything is more expensive.
Yes, you probably already knew this but you were right. Everything in NYC is more expensive. The food, the clothes, the rent but mostly... THE DRINKS! This week I went to a music venue with one of my friends and bought a $24 drink. Let's all just breathe and take that in. So...you have two options here: save up before you go out or make sure to put on some lipstick and flirt so that Mr. Wonderful from across the bar will pick up that tab honey!
10. It’s just as magical as you thought
Last but not least...Even though we all complain, have a chance of getting peed on, get mad because our train is delayed and get cat-called on the street 19 times a day...we all think New York City is still the most magical place on the planet and wouldn't change a thing!