There are thousands of reasons why New York City has been deemed the greatest city in the world, but, below the surface, the reasons New Yorkers love the big apple are often the same reasons why we hate it.
MTA
The MTA is arguably one of the most important entities of NYC, responsible for shuffling natives and tourists throughout all five boroughs accessible at the swipe of your metro card. How else would you get from the Upper West Side to the Chelsea in 15 minutes?
As much as it is helpful, the MTA is one of those things that can take your day from good to WTF, why me?! These are the days you realize the city is not always forgiving, like when you accidentally miss your stop, train delays ruin your commute to work or evening plans, or have an un-deodorized armpit inches away from your face in the dead of summer.
People Everywhere
The cool thing about New York City is that you never know who you are going to meet. You could walk across Central Park and run into Robert Di Nero (happened to me—true story) or be leaving work and see your kindergarten crush. Even though it's a big city, there are times when it feels small.
On the other hand, you also meet some nasty people you wish you hadn’t, either because they are just vile and rude, turn out to be complete stalkers, or are plainly a waste of your time.
Tourists
It's pretty easy to spot them out of the millions and millions of people that occupy New York City. Tourists come from all over the world to visit, making NYC one big melting pot of many cultures, races, and ethnicities. Giving directions and being translators is fun for a while, but sometimes, it's hard to be patient. Getting caught behind a hoard of slow-walking tourists is actually one of my biggest pet peeves in life. We love to hate them.
Street Fairs and Festivals
Street fairs and festivals are an awesome way to spend the day outside. They're definitely worth traveling to different neighborhoods, like Little Italy, Hell's Kitchen, Union Square, and the Upper East Side.
Before you realize it, you’re back home with two brown bags worth of stuff you didn’t need (at all) and a belly full of street meat and funnel cake. It's a blessing and a curse.
Fashion
Fashion is a huge part of NYC’s culture, with Fashion Week being one of the most highly anticipated weeks of the whole year. Any street in New York can be turned into your own catwalk. As long as you own it, you can pull off wearing anything.
Consequently, you never know what you’ll see on the sidewalks of New York City, and there are just some things that can't be unseen. These days, anything is considered chic.
But I absolutely love:
How a Starbucks can be spotted every four blocks.
And how Happy Hour is always the best hour.
I absolutely hate:
Alternate side parking. It's seriously like playing musical chairs with cars. But worse.
And trash days, when you can not only smell everything your entire apartment building threw out, but also your entire neighborhood.
