10 THINGS I LEARNED AFTER MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY

Earlier this year, I made the big move to the big apple! It has been both chaotic, and absolutely wonderful. Today I am here to share 10 things I have learned since moving to the concrete jungle. 

1. Contrary to popular belief, New Yorkers are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met

If you are a gawking tourist in the middle of a crowded Manhattan street, you can expect to be pushed and shoved by those local to the area. But don’t take it personally. New Yorkers have places to be. I already find myself irritated with those walking at a pace anything less than a light jog on my way to work. I can’t help it! So I understand where the grouchy, cold, stereotype comes from. It’s justified. However {and this is a huge however}, New Yorkers have been the most welcoming human beings during my move to the east coast.

 If I am clearly struggling with directions, or simply ask someone for a hand, New Yorkers are more than willing to help. They enjoy offering their services, and sometimes give you extra tips or advice about the area. I have been invited to multiple happy hours by my co-workers, and everyone responds with a smile when asked how their weekend was. I don’t see a difference in the core of the New Yorker when compared to anyone else.

2. The hustle is real

People hustle in New York. You will never experience this type of energy anywhere else in the world, except for Tokyo {possibly}. But that’s what lured me to the city that never sleeps in the first place. People are always on the go, and always have a million things to do. Business never stops, but neither does a good party. People are networking 24/7, without intentionally networking. It is the perfect place to start a career, or to throw yourself into the unknown.

Within days of moving to New York, I was offered a job. Is it my dream job? Absolutely not. Will it pay the bills and give me a jump start to a life in New York? 100%. You have to take some risks, make quick decisions, and follow your gut. There are so many resources available to you and so many people willing to share their opinions and offer advice.

3. New Yorkers don’t have time for anything

This is something I still struggle to understand. Most likely because I have not lived in the city long enough for it to have a direct effect on me. New Yorkers hate to go to the store. Or anywhere that may consume an ounce of their precious time. A typical New Yorker will have his or her laundry picked up, washed, and folded so that it is ready for them by the time they are on their way home. Regardless of the laundromat around the corner. I do empathize with this to an extent, and decided early on that built in laundry units were necessary for my future apartment. {spoiler alert, I found the perfect one}.

New Yorkers also refuse to step foot into a grocery store. Food is ordered online via a variety of different delivery services. I’m talking non-perishables, fresh fruit, meats, and anything else you could possibly think of. I am going to shop at my local grocery store {aka Target and some organic Ma’ and Pa’ store across the road} this week and compare it to next week’s online order. I will be back with updates!

4. Everyone is single

Okay, so I don’t have any statistics to prove this alternative fact. However, it would seem as though everyone in this city is single. And young. And attractive. I am not necessarily in the market for love, but if things were to change, I wouldn’t need to venture farther than my own front door. We are all out here to find ourselves, our path, and possibly our partner. So put thousands of like-minded individuals in a city that never sleeps and you can say goodbye to Tinder, Match.com, and the like of them.

5. Affordable housing is not difficult to find

Coming from the Bay Area in California, I may be completely biased about this topic. San Francisco is now the most expensive city in America. This means in comparison, New York prices seem relatively normal while apartment hunting. $1,000 for a cupboard sounds reasonable. Add exposed brick, laundry in the apartment, a dishwasher, and a decent sized bathroom and I have struck gold! {which I absolutely did}. Affordable housing is absolutely attainable! But you must be willing to compromise.

If you are thinking Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, or even F.R.I.E.N.D.S. you are in for a disappointing truth. I mean, no one can afford an apartment of that size in the village as an aspiring actor, a paleontologist, a struggling chef, a masseuse, a retailer, or whatever Chandler did. It just isn’t possible. So maybe you won’t live in Manhattan. This was my dream too, but I decided living in Brooklyn would better fit my budget and my lifestyle. The affordable housing in Manhattan will put you at an hour commute to Midtown {each way} via the Subway, whereas my location in Brooklyn can get me to the Empire State Building in 25 minutes.

If you want to find cheap, cheap housing {by New York standards} look on the outskirts of the outskirts {Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, or even New Jersey}. This will put you in a nasty commute, but you will be living in New York City! What’s an hour on the Subway in comparison to a 3-5 hour flight across the country? Make your dreams come true in the way that you know how. If you want it badly enough, you can make it work for your budget and lifestyle.

6. Traffic lights are better defined as yield signs for pedestrians

I was accustomed to the pedestrian traffic etiquette while living in London, which did prepare me a lot for New York. As previously stated, New Yorkers just don’t have time for anything, let alone waiting {or they like to think they don’t have time}. I have plenty of time to go to the post office and yet, I wait with my entire body off of the corner in order to find my opening, and cross the street through oncoming traffic. Why you may ask? I have no idea.

Impatience has already crept under my skin and become one with me. It is always safest to wait out the storm and allow the cars to pass before jumping out into the middle of the street. Obviously. But it’s just not the norm here. As a tourist, don’t start walking just because you see others doing so. Always, always, always look both ways. I have seen too many ‘Oh shit, that was close!’ moments since moving here.

7. Standing too close to the platform edge on the subway could kill you, literally

Another thing to be aware of is the platform of the Subway. Maybe, more importantly, the people surrounding the platform. One of the first pieces of advice I received once moving to the big city included keeping an eye out for anyone that may push you in front of the Subway. Ha, ha I thought. The very next afternoon, my co-worker sent me an article about a man barely surviving a fall into the Subway tracks due to someone pushing him from behind. The train ran over his legs, but he survived. It’s the real deal people. Beware!

8. They take brunch very seriously in NYC

Brunch should be used as a verb here because that is the only way to provide you with an accurate description of the term. Brunch in New York City has become a sport. It is involuntary. Looking for all of the 20 and 30 year olds in the city? Just make your way to Chelsea or SoHo on any given Sunday afternoon. Mimosas will be in abundance, fresh fruit will counteract the honey smoked bacon devoured, and you never know how long it will all last. It will soon become a staple in my weekend and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

9. Anything goes

This is pretty self-explanatory. In New York City, anything goes. And I mean anything. Just last week I witnessed a man walking down 2^nd Avenue wearing chunky, platform heels, a top hat, and a faux-fur scarf. And it was 5:30 in the afternoon. Don’t be surprised if street artists begin swinging around the polls of a semi-empty Subway car to put on a show. Also don’t be surprised if they accidently hit you in the face, it happens.

Men and women screaming obscenities, threatening to kill you all, while pacing up and down the platform, all while wearing their slacks and suits? Yeah, that happens. I’ve been called Judy by a homeless man, who then told me how I was being a bitch, though I hadn’t uttered a word. That damn Judy. Be prepared for anything!

10. And finally, radiators

I was just explaining to family in the Hampton’s this weekend that I had no idea what a radiator was, let alone how to use one. Sure, I had one in my room in London, but I was never in control of it. I just left it alone and it always kept me warm. I came to New York and suddenly there are valves and whistling and pure confusion. Judge me all you want, but I simply couldn’t figure them out. You open and close the valve, and yet it only radiates heat at certain hours of the day? It whistles and moans, and there is nothing you can do about it?

The first night in my apartment, I slept with three sweaters, my beanie, and gloves due to my dumbass not being able to locate the ‘open’ valve on my radiator. It’s taken some time but I am finally at a point in the relationship where I trust my radiator and all he does for me. Let’s just see what happens come Summer.

And there you have it folks. The 10 things I learned after moving to New York City! If you have recently moved to the city, or plan on doing so, I would love to hear what you first learned upon arriving. It always interests me to see what resonates most with those undergoing a life sized transition. For me, it was radiators.