As my time here in New York begins to come to a close, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the differences I’ve noticed between Michigan and NYC. Given that I’m still in the United States, you wouldn’t think there would be so many cultural differences, but there honestly are!
Here’s my current list of differences:
Multi-Level Stores: Everything here is so squished and condensed! It’s a rarity to walk into a store and for there to not be an escalator or two. I must have gone up at least four escalators when my roommate and I went to see Captain Marvel in theaters (it was so weird)! Even a few Starbucks here will have a partial upper floor with additional seating (because abundant seating is also a rarity in NYC).
No one owns a car: Instead, everyone uses the subway, which makes sense, because the drivers in NYC are crazy! Even though the metro is dingy and breaks down frequently, it’s super convenient! It’s so nice to be able to hop on a train and simply read a book while you wait to get to your destination. I have been purchasing 30 Day Unlimited passes, which means I can take the subway as much as I want!
Everything here is so much more expensive: I mean, I knew this going in, but I still mourn my wallet’s empty state.
There’s no green or trees here: If you want to see trees or grass or really anything that isn’t a dull gray, you have to go to Central Park (at least in Manhattan, parks are more frequent in other places). It’s kind of a bummer. Then again, Central Park is such an expansive and beautiful place. My first time going there, I wandered around and explored, and it was really peaceful.
Gray Slush: Any snow we get quickly turns into a gray slush that makes my toes freeze. I mean yes, I’m totally grateful that I missed out on that Polar Vortex everyone in Michigan was suffering from early on in the year, but I’m still kind of sad that I haven’t seen real snow this year. Who would have thought?
It’s dirty and gross and smells everywhere: Might want to come with nose plugs. If not, you get used to it…somewhat.
It’s easy to find your own unique corner of NYC: There’s so many events and meetups happening, it’s so easy to find your own niche. I’ve been able to go to some many writing and book events that I wouldn’t have had access to in Michigan!
Never ending activity and noises: Gotta love police cars zooming by at 2am, though in all honestly, Hope has prepared me well for this with the railroad tracks that go by on campus.
Diversity: There are so many different cultural corners to NYC! You have places like Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Italy, Little Poland, etc. The weekend before Fat Tuesday, I made my way down to Little Poland and my friend and I got pączkis from an authentic Polish bakery.
Everything is so easily reachable: I can walk out of the New Yorker and cross the street to reach CVS. Target is only a 7 minute walk away. You walk to almost any sort of store or fast food place.
One Dollar Pizza: I appreciate the existence of $1 slices of pizza so much. Honestly, I purchase it on a weekly basis; my roommate and I have made it a tradition. (And it’s also easily reachable: only a 5 minute walk!)
Regardless of these differences, NYC has really grown on me during my time here. I sincerely hope I’ll be able to return in the near future.