I admit that I haven't kept up with this blog. More importantly though, the reason why I didn't keep up with it is because I was busy enjoying the city, meeting new people and creating memories.

Unfortunately, my time in the city is in a downhill sprint towards its end and I feel like a summarizing, "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" type of close to the blog is in order.

When I first moved here in May, I liked the city well enough. However, I remember telling people that I didn't understand exactly what the draw was to the city, why people are willing to pay two or three thousand dollars a month on an apartment the size of an iPod.

At the end of the summer now, I understand it and I've decided to end with a list of what I will miss- and what I won't miss at all.

What I won't miss:

Noise- Aside from the studio at work, which is well-insulated, there is almost no escape from noise. Whether its a siren at 4 a.m. or, on a quiet night, the dull white noise of thousands of tires on the streets outside, there is always sound. I'm positive that my ears will not know what to do when I return to Ohio and they're not constantly bombarded.

Mass transit- You know, being able to walk out the door and go anywhere in the city for a measly $2.25 (or less, if you have a monthly pass!) is convenient and efficient. However, having to wait for ten minutes for a train in the sweltering stench of a subway tube that is crawling with rats in order to board a train in which you're stuck breathing in your newly-found friend's armpit for the entire journey isn't too wonderful. Neither is missing a train. Or when the MTA suddenly decides that, without much warning, a train is no longer in service. I eventually grew to tolerate the subways out of necessity, but I'm still not 100% into them.

Everything takes 10 times longer than it should- You want to get to work? Wait on a train. You want to get groceries? Prepare to stand in line and wait for one of the thirty-four registers to open. In a sense I actually found these patience-testers to be positive aspects. I can't tell you how patient the city will teach you to be. Most of these inconveniences are outside of your control, so why not just slow down, enjoy yourself and relax? At the same time, if you're running late or need to get somewhere now, it's a bit of a struggle.

Tourists- This may be #1 on my list, if this were a better organized list with a hierarchy. I fully support visiting New York. I wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't been a tourist myself the past two summers. That being said, New York is a busy, bustling place. Everyone is trying to get somewhere quickly, moving and hustling and it's no place for a family of 10 to stand in front of the subway turnstiles to take the photo for next years Christmas card. I'm convinced that the (false) notion that New Yorkers are unfriendly stems from run-ins with tourists. If tourists would try to assimilate and make themselves more streamlined into the New York way of life, New Yorkers wouldn't be rude or impatient with them.

East Coast snobbery- While I wasn't ever the object of New York scorn as a Midwesterner, I was always a bit surprised at the attitudes of many New Yorkers (both transplants and natives) that I observed. To them, it seemed, the rest of the United States is populated with uncultured, less-savvy simpletons, jealous of their big city lifestyle. The Midwest and South especially were the object of pity, the assumption of these vast areas being that they are full of dim-witted proletariat types. New York is a wonderful place, but to say that it isn't also filled with the less cultured or ignorant is ignoring huge portions of the population.

What I will miss:

The pace- As many times as you have to wait for a train or stand in line, there are just as many instances of the speed of light pace that one keeps while living here. It's true: New Yorkers move deliberately and aggressively. After a while, you walk quickly, choreographing a dance through throngs of people so that you don't have to slow down. The taxis drive quickly, purposefully and I'll miss this style of driving. Returning to the slow-moving Midwest will be culture shock.

Food- I can't think of many other places in the US with the quality and variety of food that New York has. You could eat authentic Halal food and walk 4 blocks to eat authentic Japanese food and take a train out to Brooklyn for Russian food. Chances are great that you will believe deeply that what you are eating is the best thing that you've ever tasted if you visit here. It happened many times to me this summer. From what I can recall, I've only frequented one chain restaurant (Subway) in the ten weeks that I've been here. Today, in fact, they knew my order at a local Greek restaurant, the Greek Kitchen, before I even ordered. I have been there often. To return to an area that is largely made up of Applebees and McDonalds won't be easy. Where the Olive Garden passes as ethnic food, I will soon return. It looks like I'll have to get working on finding local places back home to cure my cravings.

People- As much as it is inconvenient and sometimes annoying to be around millions of people, I can't say that I've minded after a while. You get exposed to so many unique people. I've talked to people from all over the world on the subway, just from them asking for directions on the platform. You see celebrities once in a while. You see the very best in the actions of other people, and are humbled daily when you see those less-fortunate. There's little protection from the unpleasant realities, something that reminds you that you're not much different or any more superior from those begging for food on the sidewalk.

As I've said, I find that New Yorkers are actually very, very nice people. I have yet to have a really negative encounter with a New Yorker. Give them their space, don't be as warm and cuddly as you might be to a Midwesterner and everything's fine. I witnessed more kind favors and acts on the streets and subways of Manhattan than I have in a year or more of living in Ohio: people holding doors of trains to help others make it on-board, men helping carry strollers up steps, etc. You see this sense of community and it, in some way, makes you less cynical about people.

Central Park- I couldn't have lived here all summer without it. You need a taste of nature in a big concrete jungle once in a while. I spent hours longboarding here, reading on benches and walking around. I think that, as time allows, I'll spend more time in parks when I get home.

Exercise- Similarly, I love the exercise here. Everything you do is exercise, whether it's keeping yourself vertical on a train, running up stairs or walking to the store. It's convinced me to try to get into some sort of regular exercise after I leave.


This is a short list of the things I'll miss, but I could go on and on. Perhaps most of all, I like New York because of the opportunity that it presents. The people who work here are, for the most part, the best of the best. This is where the best and brightest go to work and make their careers and there's something to be said about a city that is filled with talent, innovation and energy.


Returning to Ohio won't be so bad. I miss having a backyard, driving a car, friends, family and all of the quirks of my home state. I can't wait to go to an Indian's game, listen to Mike Trivisonno, eat at my favorite restaurants and prepare for the next part of my life.


Thank you to all of those who read and kept up with this blog. It's been fun and I hope that you've enjoyed this summer as much as I have!