1. When they say, “The City Never Sleeps” they weren’t lying! My window does not close completely in my apartment so I hear everything and anything. It also doesn’t help that I live above an all night jazz club, which plays renditions of hits like “Bad Blood” from Taylor Swift. In Cincinnati I could easily sleep outside my house and have the most peaceful sleep but here I am lucky if I get a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep. I usually go to sleep to a melody of taxi horns and jazz music. The city not sleeping does have its benefits. I can go outside my door and find something to do at 3am if I wanted to while in Cincinnati it’s dying down if not dead at 3am.
2. Rats are NBD?! Now for me if I see a rat I am programed to produce an annoyingly high-pitched sound from my mouth. I’ve grown up thinking that is a natural reaction in such a situation but New Yorkers are programed differently. While I am about to have a panic attack they seem unbothered by the whole thing. It’s just a normal Tuesday occurrence for them (I hope I never conform to this practice!).
3. Subways aren’t just how New Yorkers get around it’s also their own musical stage. I have had people serenade my subway ride home to the tunes of “Isn’t She Lovely”? In Cincinnati I have seen a few people playing downtown to an audience but never in such a big scale like in New York, there are easily ten people at most stations jamming out. I have seen drummers, violin players and tons of vocalist all here to make the ride to and from work feel a bit more like a musical.
4. Drivers do not and will not stop if you decide to try to run across the street! While that sounds like it will stop people from doing so it has not. I have seen so many near collusions I can not keep count. Even when pedestrians have the right of way cars are still turning and are only about 5 feet from rolling over your feet. If you cross the street cross with a group!
5. Heels are a foreign object here and are only worn by the brave! I have seen maybe 5 people wearing heels here in my 2 months. I myself tried the heel thing for the first week I was here and had to stop because of how swollen and achy my feet were. Gym shoes are and will forever be the best friend one can have in New York. I am not talking about the standard Nike but really elaborate leather, patterned, and or intricately designed sneakers #sneakersonfleek. In Cincinnati I would don a pair of heels here in there because I wasn’t walking everywhere but here heels are a death mission and only the brave succeed! What differences do you notice when you’re traveling? Let us know in the comments!