Things I noticed while in The City

- Everybody is beautiful, even the squares in their 50s look a little cleaner than the 50 year olds walking around in your suburbia
- Parks actually exist! They're small, but kept pretty clean
- It's hard to differentiate the sexual orientation of young men... you're not quite sure if they're gay or if they're the rocker type
- Models are sickeningly thin and for the most part flat chested (not that this wasn't a known fact before) but actually seeing it made it that much more grotesque.
- Again, everybody has a very well groomed dog
- There exists a place in lower Manhattan that is not sketchy where it's possible to have a family and lead a relatively normal life. This place is called TriBecCa and it is awesome.
- The food is actually pretty cheap. I mean yeah of course fine dining is expensive but you know just normal foods of the sandwich variety won't put a huge dent in your pocket. In fact the dent is smaller there than it is here. Who would have thought? I guess that's because we're used to the touristy part of the city. Once you go downtown - it's unique and pretty decent quality.
- Everyone wears Chucks - doesn't matter if you're young our you're old, you have a pair and you look damn good wearing them (how do they do it?)
- Speaking of clothes, everyone has great clothes. Even if they wear a plain white tagless t - it looks GREAT. I guess this is due to accessorizing; a concept completely foreign to us. Wearing a generic watch does not constitute "accessorizing." I'm talking fun flats, boots, or shoes with some Ray-Bin sunglasses, beaded necklaces, bracelets, rings, hairbands. It's very cute.
- Do I even have to say skinny jeans with knee high boots?
- They have really fun stores whereas in suburbia we are bombarded with chain restaruants and big name companies... don't get me wrong, NYC has it's fair share of chain companies, but if you want small boutiques - you've got them. You want hole in the wall bookstores? They've got it too. We passed by this great one right across from Magnolias - the prices on the books were also AMAZING. Kathryn and I hit the jackpot there - we loved it. Perhaps we were on a sugar high from Magnolia but... regardless it was a really great place.
- Duane Reade is EVERYWHERE
- McDonalds serves mozz sticks! Whattt?
- Everyone is really really friendly - despite what people say about mean New Yorkers, if you stop to ask for directions, you will most likely receive some help accompanied with a smile.
- Fact: everyone does walk REALLY REALLY fast - I guess it's true what they say about that New York minute... maybe you walk really fast just to keep up.
- The Subway is a lot more confusing than The Metro
- The front seat of a taxi is the best place to ride. You think suburbia has bad drivers? You wouldn't stand a chance in the city. These taxi drivers are wreckless but they get you where you need to go, and don't skip a beat. Never in my life have I felt that scared in a car.
- It's fun taking the time to get to know your taxi driver and hearing "his story" I met this guy from Senegal, he spoke French, moved here on his own, saved enough for a cab and now supports his family back in Sengal with they money he makes. He's been doing this for 10 years. - On that note, the people there just seem infinately interesting; everyone has a story and it's not your typical "I grew up in the suburbs in a middle class household with a sibling and we went to church on weekends." It's a melting pot of great stories! I hope to be able to hear a few one of these days.
- Street vendors are abundant. Whether it's sodas, penuts, bubble guns, t-shirts, jewlery, or flowers. The streets of New York has everything for a last minute shopper.
- Cafe's are EVERYWHERE