3 Things New York City Has Taught Me

Keep reading for 3 things New York City has taught me!

1. To be unapologetic and confident.

I know this sounds bad, but hear me out. I made this the first lesson I learned because this is one of the most well known things about New Yorkers. If someone bumps you in the street do you think they’re going to apologize? Most certainly not. For my first year attending St. John’s, every time I went to the city I would always apologize when that happened. I have since then learned my lesson. Now, if you translate that into the rest of your life you can get some good advice. Be confident. Walk with your head up and know that you are meant to be wherever you are. The word unapologetic has an extremely negative connotation, but not the way I want it to apply here. I want it to mean fearless. Take risks. Wear that hat everyone may stare at. Spend money on that vacation you don’t think you can take. You will regret the things you don’t do.

2. When you feel like you’re drowning, there’s always an escape.

If you walk through the city it can seem a bit intimidating. There are skyscrapers everywhere and it can actually feel like a jungle (They don’t call it a concrete jungle for no reason…) But wait! What’s that green stuff? Central Park. I love Central Park because of the scenic walks, but I also love it for what it symbolizes. OK- stay with me, this may sound a bit metaphysical and fluffy but I swear it makes sense. Everywhere else in NYC there are skyscrapers full of people working and talking and making coffee runs. But in Central Park there are horses and caricature artists that will make you look absolutely ridiculous, but in a kind of accurate way (which still baffles me). Central Park is the definition of a stay-cation. I can spend $0 and walk through the green fields and by the ponds and just relax. I know there are at least 48 different things I should be doing, but in this moment and in this place I can just be.

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3. You can do anything you want.

“If you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere.” Amen. Growing up in small towns does not prepare you for the NYC lifestyle. What is the NYC lifestyle you may ask? It’s go, go, go. People are always on the move, there is always something happening and you can do it all. Actually that’s not true. You have the opportunity to do it all. Being able to do it all has taught me that I don’t have to do it all. Learning to prioritize activities is probably the most important thing I have learned during my college experience in NYC.

Time for a story:

It’s my junior year, and I’ve hit a major slump. All I’m doing is going to school, work, and the gym, and then coming straight home. I don’t have a social life. I quickly realized that’s not me. That’s not why I’m here. That’s not New York City. I had to come to the realization, after quite an embarrassing meltdown that even school needs to sink to the bottom of the totem pole occasionally. This in no way means I’m going to skip class for the rest of the semester. It does mean, however, that I completely understand the importance of experiences. If there’s an art gallery opening on a particular Friday, or I’ve been invited to a concert on a Monday night, I will go. I won’t go every time but that’s the beauty of prioritizing. I won’t do those things the night before a big test, but if I just had a big test I just might.

Enjoying it while I can.

New York has so many things to teach and to give and I plan to gather as many of those things as I can before life leads me in another direction inevitably. Good things can’t last forever because if they did you wouldn’t know how good they were. Thank you in advance, New York, for being one of the best things in my life.