Recently I went on a trip to both Massachusetts and Rhode Island to visit my college best friends. Born and raised in New York City, I noticed a lot of differences in the ways that we live.
1. Everyone is friendlier in a small town.
In New York, it is rare to walk down the street and have someone actually smile at you, which means you're not allowed to smile at anyone. It is almost like an unspoken rule: Have your meanest face on at all times. However, in a smaller town everyone seems to know each other, and everyone says hi or waves. Needless to say I had to drop the resting bitch face I've learned to perfect.
2. Everyone moves slower.
Being from the city, I have learned to walk with a faster pace. The streets are always packed with tourists, business people or regular citizens who are always in a rush to get somewhere. If you don't keep up, you will get shoved out of the way. Several times I was asked, "Where are you in a rush to?" not realizing how fast I was walking and how far ahead I had gotten. Unfortunately, I had to stop walking so fast, which sort of made everything seem like it was moving in slow motion.
3. No traffic?
NYC traffic is not something to joke about. What should be a 15-minute drive, sometimes takes over 30 minutes ... on a good day. There's always construction, an accident or just a million streetlights which always need to be considered when making plans. As I walked about town with my friends we barely passed any traffic lights and could make it halfway across the state within an hour. Unheard of.
4. What do you mean there's no Starbucks on every corner?
In the Big Apple, it is impossible to go more than one block without seeing a Starbucks or Chipotle ... or any type of deli for that matter. The thought of actually having to travel far (and by far I mean more than 15 minutes) to get a coffee or a burrito sounded crazy. Living in a big city, you don't realize how lucky you are to be able to walk less than a block to get your favorite food or a coffee.
5. Public transportation.
Although the subway smells and the buses are always overcrowded, the public transportation system in NYC can take you literally anywhere. There isn't one place you can not get to without hopping a bus or getting on the subway. In small towns there are scarcely any bus stops and no trains? I guess I need to learn that public transportation is not something to be taken for granted.
6. It's quiet ... too quiet.
Being from the city there's always noise, whether it is traffic, police sirens or rowdy people, there is never any quiet. Sleeping at my friend's houses, it was almost too quiet. Not hearing any horns or sirens while falling asleep almost made me nervous.
7. Nature?
Sure there's Central Park (which is always crazy-crowded, and let's be honest, you're not that far from the busy streets anyways) and other small places to go sit outside, but there is nothing quite like the parks and forests I was surrounded by in the smaller towns. Sometimes being in a city for so long you don't realize how nice it is to walk around and actually see trees and spend the day by a lake or even walk on the sidewalk without having to keep up with pace or all the cars in the street.
I will always be a city girl, but seeing life in a smaller town was a great experience. There are so many differences that makes visiting there truly a vacation from the hustle and bustle from the city.
