New York is Always a Good Idea

Note: This article has been updated- it is solely based on my own experiences and a bad Airbnb.

And that is so true but you don’t know it until you actually experience it. There is this incredible atmosphere and culture where everyone is going their own way and doing their own thing. There is a mutual understanding that you don’t get in anyone’s way. The culture is all work, everywhere you go people are dressed in work attire. I even saw advertisements that said “how to take the work out of dressing for work.” It is all almost a little robotic. The people go to work all day, they drink at night, they get their coffee and they go back to work the next day. This is the adult life.

 It takes all kinds there. But everyone fits in, everyone has a place, it’s like no matter who or what you are, or where you’re from, you belong there and you feel it.

My favorite part of being there was the fact that I could walk out of my Upper East Side apartment and walk to wherever I wanted to go (we didn’t taxi or uber often unless it was at night and we only really used the subway to bar hop). Even if I didn’t have a specific destination in mind I felt like I was actually going somewhere and I was walking for a purpose. You don’t get that feeling in the suburbs.

There is a coffee shop on every corner so it’s always in supply for the city that never sleeps. Three o’ clock coffee stops were always a must. I could tell you everything I saw, but the list would go on forever, so I’ll just tell you the one thing that I didn’t see. That would be sleep (and a good shower).

I learned with New York apartments you never know what you are going to get. The place I stayed in had two bedrooms, extremely small, nothing but a mattress on the floor and a rack for clothing, not even a closet; a nice living area, a kitchen, and a bathroom. I used an Airbnb rented out by two girls who seemed to be about my age. I am not exactly sure how often they are there because their kitchen and bathroom were infested by cockroaches. Not the big roaches, the small and medium sized ones, but roaches nonetheless. I know not all are like this, I guess I just got the short end of the stick, but for a weekend stay I made it work.

I absolutely see the appeal of city living, though it is not for me. There was a girl on the subway carrying all of her groceries along with a Swiffer wet jet and nobody looked at her funny because that is a totally normal thing to do. However, I would hate to have to stand on the subway for X amount of time with all of my groceries and a Swiffer only to reach my apartment and have to walk up six flights of stairs to put them all away.

Despite my complaints about walking blocks upon blocks without seeing a single trash can, there were countless positive things that I did adore about this city. If you just looked up from the ground, there was never an ugly sight. The architecture is to die for. Just like the people, there is a little bit of everything. You see sleek and shiny next to detailed and historic, the combination leaves you breathless.

It is also bewildering that in the middle of the concrete jungle there are these beautiful parks, it was like nothing I have ever seen before. In the middle of Central Park, there are these giant rocks that you can stand on and overlook the entire city. It was a view and experience that I will never forget. Something about it made me feel like a new person. Looking out over it, everything was still. It was a refreshing break from the hustle and bustle of the city.  

In the end, I have to say I’m very glad I have so many friends that live there because I, myself, never could (however one day I hope to own a cockroach free apartment there that I can visit whenever I’d like). But, New York, I will be back again.

---