Happy Tuesday Everyone! This past weekend was an extra special one for St. Patricks Day! I can’t even begin to describe the sense of Irish pride I felt all weekend seeing the city filled with tricolor flags and people in green t-shirts. There seemed to be a huge amount of Irish people visiting the city for the weekend, I went to a pub after work on Friday and it literally felt like I was back home in Galway which was such a special feeling. Not only that, but I met quite a few girls that night who came up to say hi and tell me that they read this little blog of mine which made me smile SO much! It’s quite funny, everytime I meet someone from home they say that they would love nothing more than to move to New York and don’t get me wrong, it’s called the best city in the world for a good reason but it’s definitely not without fault! Here are 6 things that nobody tells you about living in NYC:
1. It’s A LOT Smaller Than You Think: It never ceases to amaze me how small Manhattan truly is. Not only physically can you walk a good chunk of the city in a day but also everyone seems to know everyone, especially the Irish community. For instance on the subway this weekend, I bumped into a group of Irish kids who I shared a bunch of mutual friends from back home with. That said, I sometimes will still wear my PJ bottoms and Uggs to the corner shop because chances of bumping into someone I know are a lot smaller here than at home!
2. It Makes You Appreciate the Little Things: Somedays when I hop on the subway and get a seat straight away, I’m instantly in a happy mood for the rest of the day. At times NYC can be a challenging place to be but when one of life’s simple pleasures comes about, you really appreciate it. For me it’s things like seeing Central Park covered in snow, seeing a cute dog wearing a rain coat or your favorite brand of cereal being on sale in the supermarket! I don’t know about you but I’ll take moments of happiness wherever I find them!
3. You Stop Complaining: One thing I’ve noticed since moving here is that I’ve stopped complaining about silly things! There’s plenty of things of complain about living in Manhattan, from crowded subways in the middle of a heat wave, to slow walking tourists hogging the sidewalk, the face that there’s no such thing as a 40 hour work week to giving away a huge chunk of your paycheck on rent each month! You get to a point where you stop talking about them, and just get on with it!
4. You Start To Think Of Money Differently: When I first moved to New York, it was initially such a huge expense getting set up. Before you even find a job, you have to find yourself somewhere to live (where you literally hand over thousands in the form of 1st, last and a deposit #UGH.) So the first year I was here, I was so very mindful of my pennies and would insist on waiting an hour in line to buy my groceries in Trader Joes just for the sake of saving $20 each week. However since getting properly settled, I’ve come to think of money a little differently. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still hugely focused on building up my savings account, but now I almost think that my time is a little more valuable than my money. So for instance now I’ll pay to get my laundry done, I’ll spend $12 on a salad a couple of nights a week instead of cooking (I know it’s shameful right!) but sometimes it’s just worth it to me! When everything in this city is so crazy expensive, you start to think oh well what’s another couple of dollars lol!
Photography: Edelle Kenny
5. It Teaches You A Lot: I know when I’m 85 years old (god willing), I’ll look back on my time in New York and just know that being here taught me more about life than any education ever could (Check out my What NYC Has Taught Me post) It’s taught me what it means to have a work ethic, to stand up for yourself, to ask for what you want and most importantly to dream big and just go for it!
6. It Will Always Have A Special Place In Your Heart: Whether you visited for a weekend, a week, a Summer or a year, I think everyone always feels like part of them belongs in NYC. It’s once place in the world that I could never imagine not coming back to. There’s just something about the city, the energy, the food and the people that make it inherently unforgettable! So good, they named it twice!
