The New Yorker Life

I’ve got some super exciting news to share…yesterday officially marked my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of living in New York! When I realized what date it was, I really couldn’t believe it. I think it’s so crazy how fast time flies…it seems like just the other day I was packing all my stuff up in Minnesota to make the trek over here.

Just for kicks, I wanted to share my personal opinions on ten New York stereotypes after living here for a year-

1. We’ve all heard the stereotype that New Yorkers are ‘mean’. From my personal experience, I actually don’t necessary agree wholeheartedly with that (impatient maybe, but I wouldn’t say mean). I’ve come across plenty of sweet, friendly people who have been so willing to help others out (Example: Just the other day I ran out of coins and needed to get on the bus, so I asked some people near me if they had any spare change and multiple people started jumping to my rescue to scrounge up some coins…so nice!).
2. The crowds..they are NOT a joke. This is probably my least favorite thing about NYC. Subway rides during busy hours are the worst – being super short doesn’t help either, I literally can’t breathe in there sometimes. Also, walking on the street in touristy spots is not fun either (Truth: people are always in a rush for some reason and WILL trample over you).
3. Rooftop bars = AMAZING VIEWS of the city. There are so many rooftop bars I haven’t been to yet – but definitely have a handful that are my absolute fave. I swear I will never be able to get over how awesome the city skyline looks – day or night. I look around and sometimes I still can’t believe I live here.
4. Space – appreciate every bit of it. I’ve lived in Texas and Minnesota, so you can only imagine the huge amount of room and closet space I had in my previous apartments. Also, anyone who knows me knows I have an abnormal amount of clothes (shopaholic over here!) so it was a huge surprise that I was even able to fit all my clothes in my tiny room. I donated 4 trashbags of clothes before I moved to NY, but apparently that wasn’t enough. My “closet” can only hold like 5 jackets. It’s kind of funny because I basically turned my room into a closet…I sleep next to my clothing racks and anyone who walks into my room makes fun of me by comparing it to a store. It’s definitely been an adjustment, but you gotta do what you gotta do!
5. Visitors. The amount of visitors I’ve had since I’ve moved here is insane! When I lived in Minnesota, only two of my high school besties came and visited (love y’all!). In my first few months of NYC, I felt like I didn’t even have to make any new friends because I basically had visitors every or every other weekend. I can’t blame them, who wouldn’t want to come visit NYC! It’s awesome though, and I never mind hosting people/doing touristy things so keep on visiting 🙂
6. Going out is hard. I’m not kidding! I lived in the Upper West Side my first year in NYC, and everyone loves going out in the Lower East Side. That’s basically a 45 min – 1 hour subway ride for me. There have been so many times when I got ready to go out, laid in my bed waiting for my friends to text me when they are heading out, and then ended up telling my friends I’m not coming anymore because it’s midnight and probably not worth it by the time I get there (yes, I may have turned into a grandma).
7. Can we address that stereotype that NYC is all fast paced and you can’t live a ‘normal’ life? So false! I think anyone can be a New Yorker – it’s what you want to make of it. Yes, there are really cool events happening all the time (even on weekdays), but it’s not like you have to go if you don’t want to! My weekdays usually consist of: work, gym, cook, eat dinner, shower, watch shows, sleep. I’ll go to a fun event during the weekday every now and then, but I’m definitely not doing that every night.
8. Spending. Oh yes, this topic is not a joke. Eating out or getting drinks is so crazily expensive (with the exception of Chinatown)! The restaurants and bars here are amazing, but definitely come at a price. It’s also hard when you have so many visitors and want to take them to the cool spots 😉 But hey, it’s all part of the NYC experience!
9. The food – so many choices, so little time. If you eat at chain restaurants, you are doing it wrong! There are so many delicious local restaurants I have yet to try…I feel like a person could live here for years and not be able to try everything. Can we talk about pizza and hotdogs real quick? I’m probably going to have a lot of people hate me after I say this…I’m sorry, but I really don’t see what the big deal is about them! My favorite hotdogs are still from Target Cafe and my favorite pizza is still from Domino’s or Papa John’s. I guess they aren’t particularly my favorite foods either, so who am I to judge?
10. Fashion…my favorite topic! Although I do miss malls (especially Mall of America), there are so many great stores and unique boutiques at every corner you turn – which I love! Shopping is the best here, but can also be a little dangerous for my wallet. Also – in Texas and Minny, I would always get made fun of for being the most dressed up at any event I went to. Well, not in NYC! It makes me happy that I can dress up to go out and everyone around me will be in similar attire. And during fashion week, you can catch fashionistas/style icons everywhere! And no, unfortunately I haven’t seen or met any celebs while living here.

Overall, it’s been such a great year/experience so far and I’m so happy that I’m living out my lifelong dream of residing in NYC. Thanks to all my friends and fam who have been so supportive of me being in NYC and make efforts to stay in touch. Bring on year 2, New York!