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Before travelling to New York, I had no idea of what to expect. All I knew was the things they showed in TV shows like Gossip Girl. I’m pretty sure Gossip Girl is a very accurate depiction of New York though because Gossip Girl is perfect. I’m pretty sure Blair and Serena and Nate and Chuck are very real as well. But, there was still quite a bit I didn’t know about New York so here are some of the major things I learned about the Big Apple!
- It’s okay to jaywalk: In other cities, you usually wait for the little hand to turn to the walking guy on the light and then you know you can start to walk across the street. But not in New York. In New York, if there are no cars, you are good to go. It’s scary being a pedestrian.
- Some people are nice: Everyone says that New Yorkers are not the friendliest. But there are definitely exceptions to this. So many people helped me and Megan out. So thanks to all you nice people!
- Some people are super not nice: I definitely got sassed out a lot in New York. People would yell at me if I was in their way. One time I was walking down the sidewalk and a man was on his phone and didn’t see me (totally his fault) and then he yelled at me and told me to watch where I was going. He was probably just having a bad day.
- There are no garbage cans: I am so used to there being garbage cans on every street corner, but for whatever reason, there are few garbage cans in sight in New York. I don’t know how they don’t have a littering problem.
- Birds aren’t scared of you: I hate birds. But birds don’t hate me apparently. They will fly super close to your face. It’s terrifying. And if you’re sitting, they will come and chill right beside you. It’s like you’re Snow White. Except not.
- There are no bugs: This is probably my favorite thing about New York. I didn’t get a single mosquito bite there despite being outside for long periods of time. If that’s not a reason to move to New York, I don’t know what is.
- There are police everywhere: This was another favorite of mine. Not only are there police everywhere you look but they are also the most friendly people ever. They are so helpful and really wonderful people in general!
- New York isn’t actually that dangerous: I am very proud to say I didn’t get mugged once. Or assaulted. Or raped. It was good. I was so paranoid the first day thinking my passport would be stolen and I would be stuck in New York for the rest of my life. Actually, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
- Washrooms are not easily accessible: So, in New York if you want to use a store’s or restaurant’s washroom, you have to buy something. Every washroom door has a keypad on the lock and you have to enter a special code found on the bottom of your receipt in order to enter. It’s extremely frustrating especially when you’re about to pee your pants.
- Subway stations are underground and not clearly marked: Actually, subway stations are pretty clearly marked, I’m just ditzy. I expected the stations to look like the LRT stations here in Edmonton. But instead, they are just a set of stairs leading underground.