Moving to NYC - What I Expected
I wrote this before I moved to NYC. Read the rest to find out what I expected city life to be like!
I am moving to NYC this week and I am both extremely anxious and overwhelmingly excited. I needed a bit of guidance from my parents and friends on how to find the best apartment, but I found the perfect studio apartment with a small kitchen, bathroom, and main room with plenty of closet space. I need to start budgeting and setting up a routine. I love creating a new routine in a new foreign place. There are always so many things to discover and learn from when acclimating to a new culture.
I heard that people can get pretty lonely in New York City. It is a city of individuals. Of course, during the quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic, living in majority isolation became even more normalized. I am hoping that as the city begins to open up in-person activities, people will become more sociable and there will be more opportunities for me to meet and get to know new friends. My apartment doesn’t allow for any pets in the building, which means that I am going to rely on other people to keep me company. Though support animals are great for keeping mental health in check, I am prepared to only rely on others for that. Though feeling lonely can be a really negative feeling, I am excited to live on my own and have time to spend with myself. I have always appreciated the alone time and can definitely be an introvert no matter how social I can seem in other situations.
Having heard New York City referred to as the ‘City Of Dreams,' I do have expectations. Not all of these are positive expectations. I do understand that there are often negatives of each positive in every place. I am excited to discover those positives and negatives as I spend more time exploring this ‘City of Dreams.’
One example I can think of when it comes to looking at both the good and bad of a place is the subway in New York City. I am thrilled at the thought that I will never feel like I truly need a car in order to get around the city. Because of this, the metro sounds pretty amazing. It is saving me money on purchasing a car, gas, and maintenance fees. But there is also a lot to hate about the metro in New York City. Of course, this is solely going off of what I have heard from others’ experience or from my own short visits to the city n years past. I have heard that if there is an empty car on the metro, one should avoid getting on that specific car and instead cram themselves in with the crowd in another car… What a weird concept. Though this is something that I am assuming takes experience to grasp, I do see how an empty car could mean multiple situations during which you really do not want to be in that same car.
I have heard that no matter who you are, you should always carry a means of protection with you at all times, especially at night when taking the metro or walking down the busy street— as the ‘City Of Lights’ never sleeps. I haven’t decided whether I am going to bring a taser, pepper spray, or a knife with me, but I think those three are the options I have narrowed my choice down to.
Seeing all the unique fashion trends is definitely one of the positive aspects of living in the city. I am thrilled to be able to sit in the middle of Central Park on the bench, watching each passerby and appreciating their fashion statements. I think I have always had a bit of fashion interest, but have never pursued any sort of career in such an industry.
I am nervous about the potentially overwhelming rigor of my classes at Columbia University. I am hoping they don’t take all my free time away from me, as I also want time to meet new people, make friends, and explore the area. I think a huge part of exploring a new place is the self-discovery that comes with it. I am intrigued by the different personalities of people I will meet this year in the city and how I will learn the type of people I connect with the best and the types of people I may not get along with as well.
As I am walking around the city, I also plan on vlogging to give others an idea of what it is like for a Columbia Master’s student living for the first time in NYC. SO if you have any ideas on what information viewers may find helpful, let me know!
I’ve also been told that people in New York are rude and can seem stand-off-ish. This is not to be confused with mad or unhappy with you, instead, this behavior is used as a self-protection mechanism. If people ignore you on the street or seem like they are in a bad mood, it may just be due to them feeling unsafe at that moment. I need to remind myself of this behavior of New Yorkers because I am a very friendly western girl who loves to make small talk with strangers. Even just talking about the weather to the cashier as the grocery store is a normal thing for me to do back in Arizona. I hope I can get used to this new way of treating strangers.
Another exciting thing about living in the city is having so many different foodie hot spots within walking distance. Back in Arizona, I have always needed to get into a car and drive for a while to get to any of those new hip food hubs. As a ‘relaxed’ vegan myself, I am always looking for new vegan-friendly places to eat. I love food and would definitely call myself a foodie. But, with that being said, I do need to add a disclaimer by saying that I do not willingly pay steep amounts of money just for food. That is where I draw the line—between my wallet and food. Budgeting will definitely become a challenge more me in the city with so many amazing restaurants in the surrounding area.
Though living in New York is going to seem like a dream, the City Of Dreams will always bring nightmares with it and I am prepared to take on the monsters that will try to haunt my dreams.