What No One Tells You About Living In NYC

Maybe you hear horror stories of how expensive The Big Apple is, or see photos on Instagram that make this city seem like the best city in the world, but there are some things that are not talked about as much. I moved to New York City about 1 month and a half ago, and here are some thoughts that I have about living in NYC!

It is possible to find an apartment that costs less than $800 per month.

Note that 1. I’m splitting a junior studio (pretty much a one bedroom without a door… if you can picture that) with my friend  2. I knew the girl who lived in the apartment before me, so I knew I wasn’t getting ripped off for anything (I got lucky with that) 3. Personal space is currently not a priority for me, but a lot of people say “Oh, I could never live in a studio with someone. I need my space”. I say it’s what you decide is a priority, and whether or not your financial situation allows you to be picky. 4. I live about a 30-35 minute commute to work.

You can find a plethora of free things in the city.

In terms of physical items, I’ve found a perfectly adequate coffee table, mirror, side table, wine crate, and 2 chairs on the sidewalk, that were going to go to the trash. In terms of things to do in the city, there are tons of free events that you can find on Meetup.com (there weren’t very many in the previous city I lived in), Eventbrite.com, and by signing up for daily emails about events (The Skint, NonsenseNYC, Pulsd).

Waiting in lines is sometimes unavoidable.

Wanna go to a good restaurant for dinner? Expect to wait at least 30 minutes to get seats. Brunch on a weekend? At a poppin’ spot? 20-40min wait time. Shopping for groceries at Trader Joes (the most bang for your buck, with quality in mind)… that line sometimes wraps around the whole store. I actually have never purchased anything from Trader Joes because I would rather not wait in a line to buy groceries. Of course there are other options, but the locals love Trader Joes.

When Living in NYC, Shipping is a b*tch.

Yeah, my roommate’s brother has Amazon Prime but that’s not very helpful for us because we’ve heard that packages get stolen from the ‘lobby’ sometimes (we don’t have a doorman).

You can actually meet people NOT just through online dating apps.

For those that don’t know me, I am one of those few people who use online dating apps more for the reason of making friends, rather than hooking up or dating. I’ve been pretty successful with making friends through Tinder, Coffee Meets Bagel, and Hinge. In NYC, almost everyone uses online dating apps – there are sooo many (Happn, J Swipe, Ok Cupid, Bumble, and more). However, I forget that by attending random events (like going on Eventbrite to find interesting events) and striking up random conversations… it’s possible to make new connections offline.

And when you get to live here, it’s all totally worth it.