One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you cannot change.
After visiting New York City a few times and being blown away by the city and lifestyle, I can see why millions of people can’t resist settling into the big apple. You can’t really describe the city and its various facets, so the least I can do is give you the pros and cons I have found, and you can make up your mind about it!
Let me know in the comments section below what is your favorite aspect of New York City that I haven’t mentioned myself in this article!
Pros of living in New York City
The arts and historical awareness.
New York is the home of multiple museums (83 to 100 more precisely), all crazier than the other. Whether you want to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Shed, or the ice cream museum, you will find something to peek your attention.
And nothing is surprising by all the art you see straight in the streets. Made by local artists and presented in small galleries all over the city. You can visit them for free! (e.i. the David Zwirner gallery.)
The diversity
Nothing pleases me more than seeing and hearing diversity when walking around town. As I was walking in Gramercy Park, my hears when delighted to hear all the different languages spoken. French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic… over the span of a few minutes. And looking around, you can find restaurants from all over the world.
Don’t quote me on this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if New York City was one of the most diverse cities in the United States. It’s a melting pot of every other culture in the world.
All this diversity allows you to be your most authentic self. You know no one will judge you for what you are wearing, what you’re eating, how you’re talking… And gives you more opportunities to fit in with people!
The social life
To optimize your stay in New York City, you need to socialize with people and network. When they say the city never sleeps, they are not wrong. Everyone is hustling and trying to make it big, so you will find your tribe and like-minded people.
Once you put yourself out there, the experience of the city will shift from what everyone is saying.
You can never get bored.
I swear I am not lying when I tell you that you can always find something to do in the city! Whether it’s to visit a new museum, an exhibition, try a new restaurant or a coffee shop, go do yoga in central park… you will never get bored. There are even exclusive events all over the city you can partake in.
You can stick to what you like and focus on those activities, or try new activities to develop new skills and build new interests!
The Food
Related to the diversity, it goes without saying that the food scene in New York City is an absolute vibe.
Not only you can find anything you want, from anywhere in the world, but more often than not, you can also have it at any time you want.
I remember this scene in friends, where Phoebe asks in what other place can someone order Chinese food at 1 am in the morning, and realistically the answer is New York. I thought it was just a joke, but it’s true.
No matter your diet, you will find it in new york, if you don’t have any restrictions and can eat anywhere, it would take you 22.7 years approximatively to eat your way through the city!
Cons of living in New York City
Expensive city
If you’re thinking about living in New York, especially in the city, rent will be your biggest expense. Renting in the city can easily put a dent in your wallet and purchasing a property is extremely hard at the moment.
Having a roommate can help you out immensely and also give you an occasion to feel less lonely in the city if you know no one yet.
But even if you are simply visiting, the accommodation will be your biggest expense.
I would like to also mention that New York is the second most expensive city to live in according to CNN travel. And most other sites agree that New York City finds itself in the top 10. So you should definitely come prepared to spend money.
You often will find yourself in a vicious circle where you will want to take full advantage of everything the city has to offer and go all in social events and keeping up with that lifestyle which will become very costly.
The crowd is insane
The stats of the New York population is simply frightening. In 2022, the population was 8.9M compared to 3.9 in Los Angeles or 653k in Las Vegas.
Factoring in tourism, New York City was anticipating 56M visitors this year alone.
This makes the city very busy and it can get tricky to get around. And obviously, when the town is this crowded, it creates a big mess.
Traffic for days
Don’t be surprised that you are arriving late everywhere if you take your car. There is no such thing as rush hour in NYC, I would rather call it rush day. Car everywhere, all the time, which is normal considering the number of people living in the city.
If you can take public transport do it, you will have a better chance to arrive on time, as not only the traffic is insane, but finding parking is hell.
That covers everything at the moment, let me know if you agree or disagree with this list in the comments section below!
Until next time,
Sofyah,
