Explore everything!

Needless to say, I soon found myself adjusting very well. After just a few days, I had maneuvered the manic labyrinth that is the New York City subway system and found my little world opened to all of the amazing things that the city has to offer. In just a few days, I had explored Central Park a couple of times, found my way over to the "Friends" apartment, and located some local restaurants that would soon become my favorites by the end of my six weeks.

Take recommendations from locals!

But I was still in the city for an academic program, meaning my Monday through Friday schedule consisted of hours of listening to speakers and working on group projects that would bring me into a wider knowledge of the publishing industry as it exists today.

However, New York City is a city that believes that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (and Meagan a very irritable student). With that in mind, we were quickly advised to check out the infamous Smorgasburg food festival every Friday. Since the World Trade location was just a quick hop and skip from our classes, I made sure to swing by for at least a quick treat on my Friday lunch breaks.

Make a point to go to your dream locations!

While I had never dreamed of living in the city as a little girl, I did dream of living a lavish life like Eloise from "Eloise at the Plaza". This, of course, meant that I had to stop by the Plaza hotel and have a look around. The first Saturday that I had a chance to convince my roommates to go with me, I jumped up and steered the group to the subway.

Let me be the first to confirm that the hotel is just as beautiful and extravagant as our friend Eloise describes it in the books and movies that I grew up with. Picture this: golden revolving doors that lead into a high-ceilinged room with bright, glittering marble everywhere you look and red carpets all over the lobby floor. Oh, and a wedding that we may have accidentally crashed the day that we visited.

Just an addition to the magical charm of the Plaza hotel...or an embarrassing story that I will never get tired of telling? Time will tell.

Eat lots of good food!

If nothing else, I have always wanted to make a special trip to New York City to visit several of the wonderful restaurants nestled in the bustling blocks of each of the boroughs. Let me tell you, this city has everything you can imagine, from bagels to cheesecake to ramen to fusion cuisines in almost every imaginable combination.

My favorite would have to be a close tie between the local deli around the corner from my classes and Junior's Cheesecake, but I can never say no to a good bagel. Thankfully, the bagel shop one block down from the dorm had cheap and tasty bagels, because that was a frequent stop before our weekend adventures. I mean, nothing says "America" like a cinnamon raisin bagel on the hour-long subway ride from 14th Street to Coney Island on the Fourth of July...at least, not to me.

Do something you could never do at home!

One of the first things that I noticed about the city that was different from anything that I had seen at home was that NYC is much more fluid and open than anywhere back home.

By this, I mean that pretty much anything goes on the streets of New York City. If you want to go out in your pajamas on a Monday morning, that's fine. If you want to run around with six-inch heels on at three in the afternoon, that's cool. If you want to go to a parade full of bright colors, bold posters, tons of confetti, and the most accepting people you will ever meet: go to New York during Pride month.

Seriously, I have never been to a Pride parade in my entire life until June of 2019 and I am so glad I got this opportunity.

Seeing the different businesses with their slogans plastered in the windows was new for me, but attending the Pride parade at the end of the month was truly the experience of a lifetime. As a small town girl from the south, I don't know that I would have ever had this experience if I hadn't been in the city during Pride month and I was lucky enough to attend on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots!

If you want to experience new things, you have to change your environment and just give things a shot. You never know how a single experience can shift your whole mood and outlook on others.

Keep with a group!

Sure, the city streets can be a little intimidating at first but I promise they aren't all as terrifying as you may think. As long as you are aware of your surroundings and can at least look like you know where you are going, you should be safe during the day (nighttime is a different story in most places). Nevertheless, it is a good idea to travel with a group.

Yes, it is safer to travel in a big group so you can put together more than one mind when you get lost or troubleshoot if something terrible should happen to one of you in your commute, but group travel also makes for a fuller experience. While you are watching the directions, another person can look around and point out interesting landmarks while another points out interesting people as they pass.

Seriously, find a group and get to walking because there's so much to see!

Don't be afraid to push your comfort zones!

After six weeks in New York City, I can safely say that I still do not want to live in a big city. I enjoy a fast-paced life, but I cannot imagine myself living a happy life in a city that feels cramped and urban as New York City. I have lived in a small, southern town for the entirety of my twenty-one years and that's the lifestyle that has become comfortable to me. In that space, I can continue to feed my drive to progress in life and remain close to my family.

In that lifestyle, I can also find comfort knowing that I am never far from my family but can live my own life in the familiar (and consistently warm) environment I have known and loved for years.

As an additional bonus, living in the south also promises that I will, hopefully, never be asked if I have ever seen snow again. Yes, I have. I live in North Carolina, not Nevada.

Whether you want to live in a big city or not, I highly recommend you choose one that appeals to you the most and explore it for a few days. You never know what you might learn about yourself in even a short amount of time!