If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere... OK, but I just want to make it to my building before I pass out. As great and dreamy as New York is, it comes with some frustrating drawbacks, especially in the summer, like:
1. The inevitable heatwave.
It happens almost every year... We just try to enjoy those perfect summer days before it strikes.
2. The smell of hot trash.
You finally found a not-so-crowded street, you're walking down gasping for air, when you're hit with the stench of sunbaked garbage that has probably been sitting on the curb for the whole day.
3. The subway... during rush hour.
Waiting for an extra three minutes for your train, because delays are so common lately, in the sweltering heat, is bad enough (subways are really only somewhat bearable in the wintertime. Now add 50 cranky, sweaty people and a subway car without air-conditioning to your commute.
4. The influx of tourists.
Summer is peak travel time, and NYC has quite a bit to offer, including disgruntled New Yorkers trying to get around bumping into tourists who stop in the middle of the sidewalk to look up at a building.
5. The roaches.
There are fewer of them during the winter and the rats are always around, but summertime roaches... they like to crawl out from wherever they hide during the day and run around your feet at night. Thinking of taking a nice stroll down empty Fifth Avenue? Look down, it's not all empty.
6. The... rain?
Don't you love being blocks away from home and getting caught in a heavy rainfall that only lasts for about 15 minutes?
7. Flip-flops.
It's tempting to wear them in the heat, they're so easy to slip on... but not only are you unable to run across the road before the traffic light turns green, getting stuck with the horde of pedestrians who actually follow the traffic laws, but your feet will be needing an intense scrubbing at the end of the day from all the dirt you have gathered.
8. The arctic buildings.
The sudden rush of cold air when you walk into a building after braving the heat... so perfect, so relaxing... but since all the AC's want to copy the North Pole, if you stay too long you might wanna pull out a sweater.
9. Rain? Air conditioner condensation? Pee?
You know what I'm talking about—your heart skips a beat every time at the thought of what liquid just dripped on your face. Pro tip: Don't walk too close to buildings.
10. The fact that none of this matters.
Because let's face it, as annoying as it may be—the rats, the roaches, the boiling summers, the freezing winters, the smelly streets, the slow pedestrians—you're in New York, and the struggle is worth it.
