Living in New York: What it’s really like

They say if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere! And while that’s of course true, the move from your hometown to the big city can be daunting. If you’re moving for work purposes, you might be looking at the location in proximity to where you work and not worry about anything else. But if you’re moving to the city to pursue a passion, that passion can lead you to believe New York is something it might not actually be.

I am one of the latter. While I have not moved out of my hometown just yet, I am looking to move to pursue a dream much like others I’ve known. But I wanted to see what those who have moved before me have learned about living in the city to see if what might I was thinking is based in reality, or just a romantic notion of what I think New York living is like. I set out to find answers by talking to those who had gone before me and now live and work in New York, and I’ve learned a few things.

First and foremost, New York City is huge! It truly is a jungle and unless you’re the adventurous type it’s too easy to just stay in your own neighborhood. With endless restaurants, bars and entertainment all over the place, it’s too easy to never venture outside of your new “comfort zone” to explore all the city has to offer. In the same vain, there are people living in the city that have been there for a year or more and still don’t have a firm grasp on the subway system! It’s just too big to learn and memorize the whole thing, so you memorize what you need and learn and figure the rest out later.

Social media is a great way to explore new things the city has to offer. If your friend goes out to dinner outside of your neighborhood and takes a picture of their meal and puts that picture on social media, you will venture out to the restaurant they ate at. The people I’ve spoken to explained that a lot of the time, that’s the only way to explore outside of your neighborhood.

Walking is a great form of exercise and in New York, it’s sometimes the only way to travel. This means that you don’t necessarily need a gym membership if you spend all of your time walking. My brother, for example lives about a mile away from where he works (3 avenues and 12 city blocks). There are people that pay gym memberships to walk a mile a day and my brother walks two or more a day. That’s not even mentioning that some buildings in New York are strictly walk-ups. There’s your treadmill and stair master right there in your everyday life! On the other side of that is having so many great restaurants at your disposal that you essentially re-gain your “freshman fifteen” if you don’t take care of yourself properly.

And finally I learned that you will really be okay! Moving into the city can be daunting and a bit overwhelming, but if you move with a plan and keep the things in mind that people have learned before then you too can survive your first year in New York!