I have lived in the beautiful crazy city that is New York City for over ten years now, and to be quite frank I would not have considered myself a “New Yorker” until about a two years ago. It all started when I started attending college, having to wake up early every day to attend my dreaded morning lectures was well compensated by being surrounded by the natural beauty of Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus. Soon enough, I began taking my close proximity to the city as a much needed opportunity to explore it. With all this being said, the past two years of exploring New York City in a greater scope than ever before really molded me closer into the somewhat stereotypical “New York.” Here is my part 1 of what I will call the “New Yorker” Checklist.
1. The MTA = Your 2nd Home
When you no longer pay attention to when you next stop is you know you’ve gotten comfortable with your second home aka the MTA. All the newbies will stare at their google maps and the posted maps poster, but you will most likely be on your 3rd dream by now or enjoying some take out obnoxiously. I will admit, however, I am a huge violator of this as I am possibly the worst person when it comes to getting navigation advice from so that being said I will cry if I lose service in between stops, because I love my beloved Google Maps.
2. You Feel Like a Boss
Alone the same lines of navigating, if anyone has ever stopped you for directions and you seem to articulate perfectly the directions without hesitation, you have made it. Sadly, this will never happen for me, because I am the absolute worst with navigation. If you give simple three step directions I am still bound to make a mistake somewhere in between. Nonetheless, the few times I have done this I will admit it is a great accomplishing moment. You feel as though your mastered the craziness of Manhattan even if you just got lucky with the directions.
3. Rush Hour...What's New?
If you don’t get scared or intimidated by rush hour then you’re a champ. The New York air eventually toughens you up enough to push yourself through a train that is already obviously overcapacity. “New Yorkers” will admit that this eventually becomes an everyday practice and rather expected. If you have been uncomfortably close to another stranger during rush hour this is another box you can check off from the “New York Experience” checklist. I always find myself in these unusual circumstances as I am rather short and petite putting me in rather uncomfortable positions when in a crowded train.
4. Time Square? I'll take Greenwich instead
Lastly, quite obviously if you find yourself avoiding the touristy parts of the city more often than not, then you have transitioned to the “New Yorker” phase. Personally, I can’t count the number of times I have visited Greenwich and East Village, some of my favorite parts of the city, but ask me how many times I have visited Times Square in the last 5 years and I can probably count on one hand.
