Monday, December 12, 2005

New York Life


As many of you know, I live in New York City. I'm a single guy in a small apartment near Time Square.

So what's it like? I know a lot of people always dreamed of living life in the Big Apple. Here's a small list of what to expect...

(1) Mice and cockroaches: Unless you're rich and live in a really high apartment, there's no way to avoid them. And even if you are rich and live really high up, there's still no guarantees.

(2) Really, really expensive rent. Most of the money I make from my day job goes to my rent. I live in a small studio (one room) apartment. My bed is next to my kitchen! I could probably buy a house in the South with what I pay for this apartment. However, on the flip side, jobs in Manhattan pay more than jobs in the South.

(3) Celebrity Sightings. I've seen quite a few. I probably average 2-3 per year.

(4) Convenience. Everything I could ever want is nearby. I can walk to about 90% of my needs. The other 10% requires a short subway ride.

(5) Not dangerous. NYC is probably the safest city in the US. I never really feel scared travelling alone at night, there are always people around. Then again, I always play it on the safe side and avoid dark alleys.

(6) Diverse. NYC is full of culture. I can eat Ethiopian food for dinner one night, listen to French tourists on the street, or attend a broadway show. Pretty glamorous.

(7) No green. I live near central park. But even central park isn't too great. Manhattan is very, very urban. You'll be staring at pavement most of the time. If you're a nature lover, maybe Boston or Cali are better choices.

(8) Fashion. Lots of attractive people on the street wearing really nice clothes. If you want to develop a fashion sense, just walk the streets. Eventually you get a feel for what's hip and what's not.

(9) People. New Yorkers aren't really mean. We're just not the kind to wander around and enjoy the sights. Usually when we're out, we're walking from point A to point B.

(10) Weather. Really hot and humid summers, freezing winters. Hm...maybe not the best.

So do I like living here?

Yeah, but there's a lot of room for improvement. If I ever moved to another city, I don't think I'd die from missing NYC. Unless, of course, that city sucked.
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