THINGS I GAVE UP WHEN I MOVED TO NYC

After reading this article on ManRepeller the other day, I started thinking about this subject. What have I really given up by moving to the Big Apple? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being negative about moving here, but there are definitely things that I’ve noticed are very different. So here is my list:

PEACE & QUIET

Cars honk like crazy, I am very often woken up by drunk people walking home from the club (not just on the weekend), loud music from cars driving by and from neighbors throwing a Wednesday party just because, people fighting in public (never understood that), sirenes… NYC is so noisy (all cities probably are) that I find myself missing the country side were I grew up in Denmark. I think my ears need a break. The other day Edward and I went to Clason Point to look at houses, and it was the loveliest, and most calm area I’ve been in for a while. That, and just that, made me want to move there.

HIGH STANDARD APARTMENTS

We currently live in an old 1 bedroom apartment in the Bronx. It’s old, it’s falling apart. But it’s still freaking expensive. It feels like I pay so much more money for nothing. We are looking for another apartment (that is actually nice, in Manhattan, and affordable) to rent/buy, and the struggle is real.

BIKING

I used to bike to everything in Denmark. Here they have CitiBike (or you can buy your own, but then you have to bring it upstairs in your apartment for it not to get stolen…), but people are mostly just afraid of biking. There are no bike lanes except from on a couple of streets. The worst of all though: CitiBike is not available were I live.. Like why?!

TIME

I was used to being very close to my friends and the city in Denmark. It would take me 20 minutes to bike to university. Oh boy, did I give that up! Although Manhattan is not that big, I spend over two hours on my commute to/from work every day and it takes me the same time to go to my friend’s apartments or if we are just meeting up downtown. I really hope to move to Upper West, so I can get closer to everything.

MY MONEY

Now, when I moved to NYC I had watched a lot of Sex & the City. You know, brunches, shopping, drinks, more shopping, a little cupcake here, and taxi-ride there. No. On a “first job after uni”-salary this is definitely not possible if you also want an apartment, phone, cable, go to the gym etc. Also I try to save up. Goodbye money.