The 15 Totally Accurate Signs You Grew Up In Manhattan

Living in Manhattan for your childhood is hard for some people to wrap their minds around. But here is what it was like for me!

“NO ONE is from Manhattan.”- The exact words from a drunken out-of-towner I met one night at 1 Oak who was CERTAIN I was lying about my upbringing. He was sadly mistaken. Yes, gentrification and the influx of out-of-towners moving to the city might make it seem like we don’t exist, but we do. Here are the 15 signs that you grew up in Manhattan!

1. You Walk Literally Everywhere

Your face when people new to the city groan about having to walk everywhere is most likely a mixture of confusion and pity. New Yorkers are born with a powerful speed and agility that cannot be matched, don’t @ me. Walking is pretty much second nature to us, and there have been plenty of times where my gift of speed walking has gotten me faster to a destination than the subway would have.

2. You Say You’re From ‘The City’

If you tell another New Yorker you’re from the city, they know exactly what that means. The city is New Yorker code for Manhattan, and we would never dare to use the term as a generalization for all 5 boroughs.

3. You’re Used To Everything Being Open 24 hours

Visiting friends in certain parts of Brooklyn often means having to stock up on snacks and liquor before 9pm when all the bodegas and local shops close. But Manhattan? You could probably buy a goldfish at 1am if you wanted to. The city LITERALLY never sleeps. Sadly, Times Square took that saying a little too literally, and clothing stores in the tourist trap stay open until 2 in the morning. *Moment of silence for the Forever 21 sales associates*

4. You Probably Don’t Know How To Drive

Blame the MTA for being so convenient (well…in Manhattan, at least) and inexpensive. There just really isn’t a need to drive if you live in the city, and most of the time, being stuck in car traffic takes way longer than taking the subway.

5. People Don’t Believe You When You Say You’re From Manhattan

Whether you’re from LES, the village, the East Village, or any other neighborhood in Manhattan, you’ve used to being met with baffled expressions when you tell people you’re from the city. But let’s be real, for most of us, rent stabilization is the only thing that’s allowed us to remain in the city virtually unaffected by the hiking prices of rent.

6. You’ve Probably Never Been In The Empire State Building…Or The Statue of Liberty…Or Any Tourist Attraction For That Matter

Paying $30 to go up the Empire State Building? HA! You can catch nicer views of the city at your local rooftop bar all while simultaneously drinking your body weight in tequila shots.

7. The Only Chain Restaurant You’ve Been To Is The 24hr IHOP on 14st After A Drunken Night

The reason for this is because most of America’s classic chain restaurants are located in the dark, tourist black hole we call Times Square. So it makes sense that most of us have yet to experience dining at Applebee’s or Olive Garden. But in all honestly, who would even want to eat microwaved, overpriced breadsticks when you live in one of the culinary capitals of the world?

8. You’ve Indirectly Become Conversational In A Foreign Language

Don’t ask me how, but my bodega guy is the sole reason I can consider myself a conversational Spanish speaker.

9. You Hear “It’s Showtime…” On A Daily Basis

It takes an especially over-the-top performance for me to flinch at the talented subway performers that frequent the city’s subway stations. Not that they aren’t incredible acrobats and pole dancers, but seeing these performances everyday is why most New Yorkers don’t even glance up from their phones to watch.

10. You Use Deadass As An Adjective, a Question, and an Affirmation Interchangeably

Exhibit A:

“He deadass just ghosted me.”

“WTF, deadass??”

“Sis, I’m so deadass.”

11. Celebrity Sightings Are Really Not That Serious

Zendaya at Urban Outfitters? Riri in Soho?? You name the celebrity, we’ve probably seen them, and were entirely unfazed by it.

12. You’ve Probably Never Been To A Walmart

My first experience entering a Walmart wasn’t until my sophomore year of college when I visited Farmville, Virginia (don’t ask me why I was there). It was…overwhelming, to say the least. But thankfully, the city’s fervent rejection of opening a Walmart is what has allowed our local bodegas and other small business owners to thrive and stay in business. Yay to the rejection of capitalistic enterprises!

13. Ricky’s Is Your Go-To Beauty Supply Store

Sallys? Ulta? What’s that??

14. You’ve Experienced Every Extreme Weather Scenario That Exists

Heat waves so hot your foundation melts off? Check! Blizzards and skin-slapping winds running at 50 miles per hour? Check! Each and every one of your worst nightmares when it comes to weather, we’ve probably experienced.

15. You’ve Tried Every Multicultural Cuisine That Exists

Honestly, this is probably one of the best parts about living in the city. I can have Huevos Rancheros for breakfast, a Banh Mi for lunch, Korean BBQ for dinner, topped off with some Baklava for dessert. And did I mention that all of these cuisines are authentic??