10 Tips for Living in New York

In the last calendar year, I've lived in four (very) different places; London, New York, Miami and Colorado Springs. I'll no longer be able to say that starting June 9th, as that's when I left London, so to commemorate this pretty awesome (if I do say so myself) feat of mine I came up with this little series. I'll be offering random little tidbits on living in these places, starting with "home": New York. I may have never actually lived in the city, but growing up in its shadow definitely makes me a pseudo-local!

1. New York City = "the city." Embrace the inherent arrogance.

2. Nobody that's actually from New York calls the city "NYC" when they speak. It's the city. To avoid sounding like an outsider, avoid saying "NYC" at all costs.

3. In the city? You're going to have to take the subway.

4. ...Unless you're rich enough to want to pay for cabs. In that case, have fun in the traffic.

5. On Long Island? You're going to need to have a car.

6. Upstate and downstate are two very, very different worlds. (And Westchester is upstate. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.)

7. Three words: GET COMFORTABLE SHOES.

8. You know that place you're going right now? You need to have been there yesterday. If you're on time, you're late. MOVE MOVE MOVE. FASTER.

9. If you're walking in the city, for the love of god, do not stop in the middle of the sidewalk. You WILL cause a collision and everyone will assume you're a tourist. Pull off to the side.

10. The subway map? Yeah, still can't really figure that one out. Good luck.

Up next is Miami -- stay tuned! :)