The Best Things About Living in New York

Whenever I traveled and told people I was from New York (yes, actually from New York), they’d flood me with a series of questions: Is life really like what you see in Sex and The City? Have you ever been shot? Do you hate New Jersey?

And then they’d ask me the details – what to do, where to go, what to see, where to eat (Peppino’s, obviously). Or, they’d start talking to me about a summer they spent living in the city or living in Williamsburg, and have I ever been to X,Y, or Z?

I’d draw a total blank. I may be a born and raised New Yorker (which, funnily enough surprises some guys I’ve met [and I quote: So..you’re a real Brooklyn girl?] as so much of Brooklyn is largely made up of what we now call transplants), but I don’t know New York like the back of my hand…yet.

I’d not ever really lived in New York; I lived in my neighborhood. In a way, I feel like I am discovering the things that make this place so great while rediscovering why I love it so much. There’s been a lot of adjustments, like remembering that a regular, round slice is a lot different than a margherita slice (which is the norm in Australia, for example) or driving, which I am terrible at to begin with, but throw in jaywalkers that come out from behind random cars on crowded streets and my anxiety level behind the wheel is on high alert; however, there are some pretty amazing things that make this place the incredible city that it is.

There’s been a lot of lists about New York out there, but here are just some of the reasons I am so glad to be back home.

The Pizza. Way to start off the list with food, but it’s only right when talking about New York. I came back home to New York craving red meat every single day, and my appetite for pizza and pasta – I thought and my family feared – sort of went on the backburner. But the pizza here is just so damn good, and each piece I have is just one more piece that reminds me of why I could spend the rest of my life eating pizza.

Going Out. New York is the city that never sleeps, and there are always people out doing something. It’s been a bit of an adjustment going out, because my friends here don’t go out until 11 p.m. or a bit later seeing as places in New York are open all night. Whether we’re meeting Kiwis (New Zealanders) in bars telling my height-impaired friends they’d be hobbits back in New Zealand, or I’m vodka tasting with global ambassadors on the city’s best rooftop bars, going out in New York is always an adventure.

The train. It’s a serious love-hate relationship with the train. I hate how crowded it can be and on some nights I hate Showtime (when the kids dance and do flips on the trains), but for the most part I don’t really mind it. It’s pretty amazing to be back on a transportation system with one solid fare at a very cheap price no matter the distance you are going. And, not to mention, the train in New York runs 24/7.

The Culture. One of the best parts about living in New York is the culture that exists here. We have some of the world’s best museums but also are home to beloved Broadway shows or standup comedy shows with some of the greatest comedians of all time. There are movies and TV shows constantly being filmed here, and there are incredibly talented singers, dancers, artists, photographers, writers (myself included),and other creative-minded people finding struggles that breedsinspiration and creation in the streets here.

Delivery. Oh, delivery. How much I love you. How much I love the suggestions, “Let’s just get it delivered”. I forgot what it was like to be able to have food – even just a sandwich – delivered to my door. In fact, when I was home at Christmas, the Chinese delivery man let himself into my house to deliver my brother and father’s all-too-frequent order of Chinese delivery. Yes, he literally just let himself into my house. OD (i.e. too much)? Maybe, but ordering in is seriously the lifestyle of New York.

The Shopping. It sounds superficial, but holy God is it nice to be able to go shopping again and be able to buy things that are a reasonable price. I love that I have perfect go-to stores like H&M (how did I live without you for four years?) but can also head to Smith Street in Brooklyn or Soho in the city when I am feeling like I need a little something extra.

The Bagels. An everything bagel (not toasted of course) with butter is one of the simplest yet greatest pleasures of life.

The Music. I forgot how much I loved music until I moved back to New York. Brooklyn specifically is the birth of hip hop, and I love driving around with my friends or my stepsister or my brother and listening to genuinely good rap and hip hop as we drive. Rap aside, though, our live music scene is bursting with incredible artists. We have some incredible buskers setting up shop and playing in the subways or in bars around the city or top-notch performers giving free concerts in the parks in the summertime. Any night of the week offers some great live performances by fabulously talented artists.

The Rooftops. The rooftops in New York offer unparalleled views of the world’s best city. For as great as New York is, it’s not an easy place. It’s tough as nails, and only the strong can survive here. Some days it might feel like the city has just ripped you apart, but head to a rooftop and look at the sprawling lights, all laid out in a perfect grid, or head to the Brooklyn waterfront and look at the jagged-edged city skyline, and you can’t help but feel grateful and inspired. New York City is my theme park.

My family and friends. You knew that one was coming. The best part to being home and living in New York is being around my family again. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been in one place, and it’s nice to have my family right there through the ups and downs each day brings, whether they are motivating me to keep my chin up or laughing with me as we watch my niece bop to any song or tune that someone starts singing. They’re my favorite people in the world, and on top of that I have some of the great friends whom I’ve been friends with for decades and continue to be incredible and inspiring influences in my life. To say I am lucky is an understatement.

Each day I am trying to embark on my own happiness project, not just to identify the things in my life that make me happy, but also to feel at a happier place with myself that can come from no where else but within myself. It’s a challenge, hence the word project, but one step at a time, and being in the world’s best city with my family and friends is definitely a good place to kickstart it all.

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