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New York City Vibes: The Life

Life in New York City is not what one would completely expect, but it is guaranteed to be something you won’t forget. Life does not miraculously morph into something fabulous the minute you land here. You do not leave the airport and immediately enter the Manhattan hustle and bustle. You’ve actually landed in the borough of Queens. You are probably in a taxi, stuck in traffic, only a quarter mile into your destination with 75 dollars already on your cab meter.

Living in New York City is a thrilling experience if you know how to navigate it, and I don’t just mean learning the difference between East and West. The fabulous part is what you make of it. So it is just up to you, fate, a good sense of taste and direction.

NYC is never boring, it is safe, and there is always something to do, and we do not mean the usual attractions. The skyscrapers are massive, but please watch your step as you look up, as there are potholes everywhere! City dwellers do not do the sights. We just live around them and get a tad annoyed at their draw, not because we do not find them fascinating, it is more the winding lines that take up two city blocks to get on a tour bus. The inability of tourists to buy coffee anywhere else but at Starbucks is also a good reason to make us scowl. The crowds slow the flow of foot traffic. It is challenging to get through a crowd intrigued by a sculpture of a bull, in order to get to our favorite downtown street meat vendor. So please do not take it too personally, we might just be feeling anxious because we’ve got very high rent to pay for something about the size of a country tool shed, or we just really want a lamb gyro platter with special sauce.

Though Manhattan has its infamous high fashion rows, and its “cat-walk” streets, it is not always about the luxury designer or affording high-end items. It is what you can do with your clothes that gets you noticed. We simply do not care if you’ve got the red bottom shoes and we are not impressed. Why you ask? Well, because you’ve paired them with trendy ensemble that screams “reality star” and a bad attempt at rainbow hair. But do not worry you still get points for the proud smile and surge of new city confidence. Instead, try the red bottoms with a tribal print skirt, cropped bomber jacket, blunt bangs and smudged eye makeup, and you will rock the perfect “no effort yet styled look” that is probably a lot more coveted than the next “it” shoe. Now you are ready for that catwalk, extreme confidence, and hair blowing in the wind as you walk down into a subway station, ready to hop on the next train to the best rooftop lounges that the Meat Packing District has to offer.

Or maybe you would rather dance the night away at some of the best hot spots in the Lower East Side, like The Roof at the Public Hotel, or Mr. Purple, or the more intimate 205.  Just do not hop in a subway car that is completely empty during your night around the city. If you do, pinch your nose and hold your breath until the next stop, or do yourself one better and hop in a yellow taxi-cab. NYC taxi rides are underrated. But if you have a weak stomach, just walk. Chances are your taxi driver is a doctor or an engineer from a foreign country awaiting an acceptance from Harvard or Columbia University, with an IQ higher than a lot of people holding top positions in the United States. Need I say more? So if the driver speaks to you, you might just want to listen. Even a NYC cab driver can be quite the wise sage in this town, and a person you won't ever forget. Just hold on though, or else, whiplash.

Article by Susannah A. Hack