oLiViaRz

My pros and cons of New York actually fall in line with each other. What I miss most about New York is that everyone is on the same level. You can live in the shittiest walk up in the village or an unbelievable penthouse two doors down. Once you step foot out your door, you’re just a New Yorker. No matter who you are, the fastest way to get uptown in the middle of rush hour is still the train. Everyone on your block goes to the same deli. When a blizzard hits, everyone is equally shit out of luck. There’s a sense of community. For me, New York was like a big small town. I LOVED that I could get to birthday party uptown, a work thing downtown, and out to Brooklyn by the end of the night if I wanted to. (Let’s be honest, I never did that because Brooklyn is Mars. But it’s the principle of it.) I would run into friends all over the city. Friends that didn’t work in “the industry.” If I said I was going to Target, everyone knew exactly what I meant because there was only one Target, and it is on Mars. I loved every minute in that city. New Yorkers feel a sense of accomplishment because they make it through the day. I made it through 8 years, and it was the best 8 years of my life.

But, sometimes you catch yourself thinking, enough is ENOUGH. I don’t want to live in the shittiest walk up anymore. A dishwasher should NOT be a novelty when you’re paying college tuition in rent. I don’t WANT to sit next to the smelly homeless man on the train holding my breath for 6 more stops. Why am I paying $3.00 for a damn apple (ONE APPLE!) at a deli? Oh yeah, cause the closest market is 4 blocks away, and it’s negative 18 degrees out, and it’s only a dollar cheaper at the market anyway. And why the fuck do I have to trek to Mars to get to a damn Target? Why do I have to plan my purchases based on what I can physically carry? I’m cold. I’m hot. I’m tired. I’m broke. I live in a shoebox. I can’t breathe. I just need space. I will never make enough money to live the way a normal person should live [read: Beyonce money]. Something has got to give. And then you wake up the next day and do the same thing too prideful to admit sometimes it just plain sucks, and New York is the best boyfriend you’ve ever had…even if he’s more like that asshole you know you should break up with but is stupidly hot.

- via tinsley