33 Things I've Learned Living in New York City
That wasn’t rain. It was dirty water from a leaky air conditioning unit.
There’s no such thing as a “no fee” apartment. Don’t believe ‘em. They lyin’.
The empty subway car is empty for a reason (and that reason might be a pile of barf that resembles boiled hot dogs)
Lost your metro card? Go the wrong direction on the Subway? Stare down a 🐭? Step in a pile of 💩? LAUGH IT OFF + move along.
The subway is always faster than a car 🚊 Walking is always better than all. Don’t @ me.
Swiping a subway Metrocard is an art form best practiced at any time other than rush hour.
You will always bring your umbrella when you don’t need it and forget it when you do.
A bodega is a corner grocery store and also a lifeline that sells everything from beer to diapers to the best egg-and-cheese on a roll in town (a.k.a. the best hangover cure).
You’ll find a way to make sneakers look sexy AF 👟 after a few blisters + falls on black ice in heels 👠
Movies are full of lies about NYC real estate. Movie depictions of Manhattan real estate are a lie. There is no way Monica and Rachel could have afforded that apartment. For a peek at realNYC apartments, visit the Tenement Museum.
Money can be made by doing practically anything (all you need is a creativity, flexibility + the ability to check your ego).
It’s perfectly acceptable for someone you just met to ask how much your rent is (if you lie, they’ll find the truth on @streeteasy)
There’s always something to do. Sign up for the Skint mailing list and every single day you’ll get an email with 50+ things to do, often free or cheap.
New Yorkers are nicer than you think. There’s a common misconception that New Yorkers are unfriendly; it’s the thing most travelers to the city immediately realize is a myth. Because truthfully: New Yorkers are often very nice. Sure, there are jerks among the masses, but in more instances than not, New Yorkers are happy to help strangers, their fellow city-dwellers, the tourists & the foreigners. NYC is an incredibly diverse city; more so than just about anywhere else. And it’s that diversity has made the people here so special, so unique, so friendly, and so helpful. It’s a beautiful kaleidoscope of people and ideas which has made New Yorkers so open to others.
Always tip $5, at least, to any delivery person, no matter how inexpensive the meal is. They’re lugging your food across the busiest, craziest city in the 🌍 They earned that $.
The skyline is always amazing. Something about the NYC skyline is truly striking. No matter where I am, if a 100+ story building pops up in your perspective, it’s hard to avoid looking up. Personally, I just can’t resist taking a photo even when I’ve got a million photos already.
It’s v normal to have deep-seated emotional feelings about pizza, bagels, brunch + your go-to bodega.
Some of the best views are from the cheap (or free) ferries. The East River Ferry is a less expensive way to see the city than the tourist cruises. And the Staten Island Ferry is free.
New Yorkers love to walk and they’ll walk everywhere. Bring comfortable shoes, strap on your FitBit, refill your water bottle, and go. This is by far my favorite thing about living in NYC.
Don’t sleep on Brooklyn. Visit Red Hook for the best view of the Statue of Liberty, Carroll Gardens for brownstone charm, Williamsburg for nightlife and incredible food, DUMBO for dramatic views of the city and its bridges, Greenpoint for fabulous home decor stores, vintage shops literally everywhere and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Prospect Park are great for picnics on a sunny day.
Queens is the real culinary heart of the city, with the best dim sum, dynamic Indian restaurants, Vietnamese pho shops, the craft brewers in Long Island City, and Mexican food that will make you feel like you’re back in Oaxaca.
If you hear the phrase, “It’s SHOWTIME!” while you’re on the subway, watch your head. Someone’s foot may come swinging over it. You’re welcome for the free commute entertainment.
Crosswalk signs are basically optional. Traffic signals are suggestions, not rules.
We’ll forgo eating at a restaurant that has a B rating posted in its window, yet we’ll happily buy lunch from the sketchy food cart on 19th Street and Park Ave.
New Yorkers will pay a couple hundred dollars a month for a membership to Equinox fitness clubs while complaining every day that we live in a 5th Floor walkup and have to climb all those flights of stairs.
New York is one of the few cities with a true 24/7 mass transit schedule, yet complaining about the unreliability of our subway system is one of our favorite past times.
You better learn your East from your West real quick.
This city really never sleeps.
Always be prepared for an unexpected torrential downpour.
You can see someone in a Chanel suit, Jimmy Choos and a perfect coif walking next to someone in mom jeans, a baggy sweater and Chucks, with razor-straight bangs framing huge plastic glasses, and know that both are the height of fashion in their respective neighborhoods.
Carrie Bradshaw lied (about literally everything).
Your limits will be tested, but if you make it here, you can make it anywhere. NYC’ll chew you up + spit you out if you're not paying attention. But it's this grind that separates the tough from the weak. Whether it’s been 1 or 10 years—the lessons you learn here are invaluable.
You’re gonna be spoiled for life. Some cities may come close, but they’ll never be NYC.
Happy anniversary to you + me, NYC. Thanks for giving me a peace I never knew I could find, new beginnings + reintroducing me to my truest self. Here’s to many more together. Read the full list at girlandthe.com 👩🏻💻
XO
Girl & The Apple
