"If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."
If you have ever taken the plunge and moved to New York, this is the phrase you've heard a million times.
In a city that seems to be the most amazing place in the World and the most stressful at the same time, it's no wonder that living in New York teaches you a lot about survival (and a lot about fun).
In my summer of interning for the greatest place ever and attempting to live my very best Carrie Bradshaw-esque life, there are many things I've learned slumming it through the streets of the Concrete Jungle.
1. New Yorkers are the nicest assholes you'll ever meet
While of course there are handfuls of genuine jerks in every city in the World, New York gets a bad rep for being nastier than most. And it's simply untrue. New Yorkers just have a chip on their shoulder. There are several unwritten rules of New York and if you don't follow them, you're in for a rough few weeks of transitioning. However, a good New Yorker will probably be more than happy to tell you that Houston Street is pronounced How-ston, not like the city in Texas... if you have the balls to ask.
2. No one ever sleeps in this city
People are either working or drinking. Bars don't close until 4 a.m. and the job market is savage. With a work grind so hard that you'll be finding yourself at the office more than you are in your own home and a party scene so wild you'll never want to go to sleep, you'll find yourself barely catching any quality ZZZ's. Living in New York will force you to adopt the mentality that you can just sleep when you're dead.
3. No, the crime scene isn't like "Law & Order: SVU"
If you're a newbie to the five boroughs, you may feel a little vulnerable in the big city. I packed my bags with a can of pepper spray and a rape whistle, you know, just in case. But New York is actually pretty safe. While I'd recommend traveling in your #SQUAD after Midnight, you can rest assured you'll be fine traipsing through the city solo. (side bar: I've ditched the pepper spray.)
4. You have to absolutely love your job and work your butt off
Over this past summer, someone told me that in order to be successful in New York City, you have to really love what you do and do it well. Among the dozens of books and advice I read about New York, I read somewhere that if you don't want your job, there are easily 1000 other people who do. You are very replaceable. And you can't forget it. In New York, if you're not willing to give 110%, quit while you're ahead. On the flip side, working in a place that has as much energy as New York will make you never want to work or live anywhere else and inspire you every day to wake up and kick ass.
5. It's very easy to fall in love in New York
You will pass 10 beautiful people within a single block and meet even more everywhere you go. Every twenty-something in New York is good looking, smart and ambitious. And while the surplus of available SO's is an obvious contributing factor, there's something especially romantic about smooching on a rooftop bar or strolling through the Upper East Side hand in hand.
See? New Yorkers aren't so cynical after all.
