As my senior year of high school was winding down last year people would tell me, "You are going to learn so much in college," "these next four years are going to be the best of your life," "your whole life is going to change"-- well, of course I knew that. However, I think the one thing they forgot to mention was how much I was going to learn in this new world of mine, "The Big Apple." Yes my life has changed, yes it has been one of the greatest years of my life, and yes I have learned a lot in my college classes, but here are some things I have learned that traditional senior year advice could not prepare me for.
1. Riding the Metro-North is actually a lifestyle.
The amount of times I have heard “please watch the gap between the train and the platform” is too many to count. For me, the train is the most convenient way to get to Manhattan as well as to get home. Well, unless it is during peak hours.
2. Sneaking up to the sixth floor of 30 Rock is not as easy as it seems.
There is nothing more exciting than knowing you are in the same building as Jimmy Fallon. However, there is nothing more disappointing than seeing four guards and gates blocking the entrances to the elevators. So close…yet so far.
3. SoHo is SoHard to menuever.
Just when you think you have got all the numbered streets down they start to disappear. First you are on Grand St, then you see Canal St and then you get so confused that you start seeing things in Chinese (wink wink). SoHo is a place of great eats, but also a really confusing one, full of a ton of streets.
4. “The city that never sleeps” is a real thing.
Whether it is making a late night run to “Vive la Crêpe” or just catching a late train, there always seems to be people around you. As a college student I expected to be up all night every night doing homework, but as a college student in New York city, I did not expect to lack this much sleep! Really, who would want to sleep and miss out on a city as great as this one?
5. Walking 10 miles is nothing.
After a while you don't really notice the numbness of your feet.
6. Dropping $40 on food is worth it.
The food in any borough of the city is like no other. I stopped drooling over all of the “NYCEats” Instagram accounts and started experiencing them. Trust me, you and your taste buds will not feel guilty after spending that money.
7. Starbucks is superior.
There is literally one on every corner. There are probably like 1,000 Starbucks for every one Dunkin’ Donuts. As one might expect, this is very upsetting for a former New Englander who used to be able to find a DD within five minutes of anywhere.
8. McDonald’s who?
Just order a burger, shake, and fries from Shake Shack. You’ll understand.
9. Do not try to stop subway doors from closing.
Just like New Yorkers, subway doors will not stop for anyone. If you do try to stop them from closing, be prepared to feel a little sore in the morning.
10. Times Square? How about Times Scare…
After erasing my label as a tourist, I do not intend to go anywhere that might bring it back. The life size minions and eight-foot statues of liberty get creepy after a while too.
11. I have become good at acting…like I am not a Red Sox fan.
Going to my first Redsox versus Yankees game was really fun except for the fact that I couldn’t cheer. I was supporting them on the inside. That’s all that matters…right?
12. I am no longer the coolest person I have ever met.
There are hundreds of people I come across in the city almost every day. Each one is on a mission with a rockin’ job. If not, they have a rockin’ subway spot to play music at or a rockin’ studio apartment that they share with 700 other people.
