I recently moved to New York City in August and it’s been a dream of mine ever since I can remember, well it’s been a dream of mine ever since I first saw Home Alone 2. Believe it or not, living here has met every expectation I have had. You might think it’s funny, but my favorite is the crossing the street when you’re not supposed to. That’s a $500 ticket where I’m from!
I was born and raised in Burbank, California aka Los Angeles. My town is right by West Hollywood where the tourists walk down the Hollywood walk of fame, teenagers force their parents to drive them to the famous “Pink Wall,” and, trendy adults (who seem to never work) swarm the tables at Urth Cafe on Melrose. To the other side of my town we have Glendale, CA, known for its majority population of Armenians, you have crazy drivers, a lot of Armenian food and great hospitality. Home will always be home but I’ve found a newfound love for this crazy city called New York City. It’s not as slow paced and chill as LA, but I like the hustle and bustle.
I love crossing the street when the red hand is flashing, almost getting run over by multiple taxis and taking a whiff of the oh so beautiful trash on the side of the road…kidding… but seriously, there’s something about New York that always leaves an impact on anyone who visits. “LA is my town, NY is my city”, a perfect Instagram bio by none other than my favorite Princess..sorry, Queen* of Genovia, Anne Hathaway.
There is so much life in this city; I can’t get enough of it! I used to be woken up by birds chirping and complete silence, now I’m woken up by angry middle-aged taxi drivers honking their horns and would not exchange that for anything.
I feel like living in NYC is a necessity for everyone at least once in his or her lifetime, especially if you are looking for a chance to leave the nest; New York is your answer. Sure, everything is insanely overpriced, I have blisters on parts of my feet I didn’t know blisters can form on, I have to run around this big city just to get somewhere on time but that’s what living here is all about. It’s about finding who you truly are as a person, who you are by yourself and the meaning of #adulting. Here’s an image to give you an idea of what and afternoon in NYC is all about… Imagine this, you have a two hour gap between your classes, your dorm is too far from school but you want to relax a bit before your next class starts. You wander around, people watch for a little when you see a bunch of trees ahead in the distance, curiosity at its finest. You trudge forward as the trees open up and find yourself in the insanely breathtaking Bryant Park, with its amazing views and wide open area, you almost feel as if you’re in your own world just laying on the grass watching the clouds fly by. You have the gorgeous New York public library to your right, a great restaurant inside the park, an amazing vintage carousel off to the side and in the heart of Bryant park, and people are scattered out on the grass soaking up some sun before their due back to work or school. This is what I love about this city, with the amount of walking you do here; you will always find a hidden gem wherever you go. This city is full of adventure and life, if I was a doctor I would prescribe all my patients with a dose of NYC! Do I miss home? Sure I do, my family is there, I left half my heart there but half my heart is here, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.