I recently moved to New York City as part of a work-study program through my school. I have visited the big city before, but I only saw the tourist version of NYC, staying in nice hotels, going to Broadway shows, and of course people-watching at Time Square. Now that I am actually living here, I see a whole other side of this city, both beautiful and disgusting. Here are just a few things I picked up on just my first three days being here.
1. It stinks (literally)
Perhaps I was just too caught up in the twinkling lights in my previous visits, but I never realized just how much unpleasant scents one encounters on a day-to-day basis. From the garbage on the side of the road to the almost constant urine smell in the subway. Being in NYC makes me realize just how filthy us human beings really are.
2. There is never a dull moment in the subway 
As a small-town girl, the subway is an endlessly fascinating place to be. There are so many different kinds of people there, with so many stories to tell. I guess that is basically all of New York City, but it always hits me harder in the subway for some reason. Also, I quickly found that one can have a few particularly interesting encounters in the subway. I’m talking about the poor woman who is shouting things in a foreign language to no one in particular or the guys with an electric bass who hop from car to car playing for money. Never a dull moment. Side note: you can find a lot of performers on or next to the subway, with various degrees of actual talent. I encountered this violinist the other day that played a song so beautiful that I almost cried.
3. Roaches, mice, and rats (oh my!)
Staying at nice hotels never makes one aware of the pest problem in the city. The place I’m staying at is fairly clean, with weekly housekeeping services, but even then I already found two roaches in the hallway and my coworkers were telling me that the city has a big rat problem. Not exactly something you read in the pamphlets.
4. I’m sorry, that’s how much?!
Back home, I am a pretty savvy shopper. I’m good at saving money and spending responsibly. When I spent a summer in suburban Massachusetts, I could comfortably live off of $30 a week for groceries and none of that was ramen, but actually delicious home-cooked meals. Now, I’m only three days in and I’ve spent almost $50 on food, even with those simple home-cooked meals. A 69 cent can of beans is now $1.69. It makes a difference. In vacation, I never worried about money, but now trying to actually live here, I am constantly making calculations in my head.
5. It’s a whole other world
New York City seemed big as a tourist, but it seems even bigger when I live here. As a tourist, I pretty much stayed around Time Square, Broadway, and my biggest venture was over to Hell’s Kitchen, but now I am seeing that there is so much more to NYC than that, and it’s amazing. There is just so much to do and see that there is never an excuse to be bored. And I haven’t even visited the four other boroughs yet! For all its flaws, NYC is truly a sight to behold.
