New Yorkers

New Yorkers. Having lived in New York City now for many years, I can definitely say that I identify as a New Yorker. Being a New Yorker is much more than just living in the city, it’s a way of life. To give you an idea of what it’s like being a New Yorker I’ve listed a few things we really can’t live without (and no, it’s not the hotdogs!) and what are the typical things we like to complain about.

What New Yorkers Can’t Live Without

There are a number of things a New Yorker can’t live without. The number one thing would be restaurants or takeaway (we use Grubhub or Seamless). We don’t use our kitchens because most of the time grocery shopping is too expensive and a hassle. It’s much easier to go out for dinner! You will often also see long queues to get into restaurants, especially for brunch on Sundays. It’s normal, we wait, it means the restaurant is good! Healthy food is also very important to us. We follow all the new, green food and juicy trends as if our life depends on it.

As a New Yorker, we simply cannot start our day without our coffee. You’ll see us queuing up at Starbucks or other coffee places to get our caffeine shot to start the day. I personally grab a coffee and bagel to go at the corner street cart, nothing beats that! It only costs a few bucks, an added bonus.

I am a big fan of walking, and I recommend everyone visiting the city to mostly do so on foot. But it’s a big city! So to get anywhere fast (and New Yorkers like speed!) I take the subway. Occasionally a taxi, but most of the time I swipe my MetroCard and jump on the next train.

If you are a woman living in New York, it’s high-maintenance (or so my wife says). Many women in New York can be found enjoying themselves at one of the following places: a hair salon (Drybar), a massage salon, yoga, a nail salon, a beauty salon, or a spa. It’s a place where women place emphasis on their personal appearance.

Lastly, as a New Yorker, I don’t do my own laundry. I blame it on the fact that the apartments are just too small to fit a washing machine. We have weekly laundry services; I drop off my laundry and when I pick it up, it’s washed, ironed, and folded. Perfection.

What New Yorkers Complain About

New York is a great city to live in, but we wouldn’t be New Yorkers if we didn’t have plenty to complain about. The number one thing we complain about is how expensive living in New York is. Rent is expensive, drinking is expensive, schools are expensive, just things, in general, are expensive for a New Yorker. But we’d never move.

For me personally, I complain about New York taxis for two reasons. The first is when another New Yorker tries to upstream me and steal my cab. The other reason is when a cab refuses to take me to my destination. Usually, I only say where I am going when I’m in the cab but on occasion, they ask me where I am going and then tell me they can’t go there. It’s not allowed and it’s annoying. Uber and Lyft are of course great alternatives that solve this problem.

The New York subway runs 24/7 so it’s very frequent. Yet you’ll still find us running for the train, keeping the doors open and if we do miss it – huff and puff for the next two minutes until the next train arrives. We have places to go and things to do. We are in a hurry!

Which is why the last thing New Yorkers complain about: walking slow. In New York, we walk fast, really fast. Anyone that stops in our way to check their phone or map (sorry tourists!) is in our way. Especially when they are at the subway turnstile.