New York's True Colors

Living in New York has given me the opportunity to see this city's true colors. Some of my initial perspectives of the people and expenses have either proven to be quite accurate, or surprisingly false.

subway adventures

For starters, the people here are actually very friendly and more than willing to help when needed. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I have seen a native New Yorker helping a tourist get to their desired location. This past week I was even unsure of my particular subway route while out and about on a run for work. Instead of having a slight bit of doubt in my mind, why not ask a stranger? To my surprise, this friendly New Yorker even whipped out his phone and gave me exact directions with the help of Hopstop. This scenario made me feel at ease that I did in fact know where I was going, and also that this type of helpful and friendly behavior still exists. Point blank: my perspective that most New Yorkers are too busy to be patient and helpful human beings was far wrong. I have come across so many lovely and open individuals while living here. It has made me realize that I could definitely see myself moving back upon graduating Drexel.

One thing that did not come as a surprise to me was the expense of living here. With the high taxes on food, clothes, you name it, I sometimes wonder how I could ever survive living in this city. As I mentioned in my previous post, being on a tight budget has become a must. As amazing as it is to have everything you need right at your fingertips, it comes with a high cost and I have learned this pretty quickly. You really do learn the value of a dollar while living in New York.

What I couldn’t prepare myself for was the sheer overwhelming volume of people, places and things to do. On any given day you can go to any one of thousands of restaurants. To someone new into the big city, it is overwhelming on mind as well as on wallet. Within my first week here, I had my fair share of awful takeout restaurant picks, leaving me missing the comfort of Philadelphia. However, within time everything becomes familiar. The feeling of starting new is exciting and also a great opportunity to learn about yourself and to step outside of your comfort zone. I am thankful for Drexel for providing me with this opportunity to learn not only more about myself, but also about an industry I am so passionate about as a D&M student. Working and living in New York has broadened my perspective as a whole, and I am eager to learn even more about myself and the industry in the time I have left here.