5 things I've learned from 5 years in New York
5 years ago I washed up on the shores of Brooklyn with no winter clothes, even less direction, and just enough chutzpah to give it a shot. Then came Covid, unemployment, the creation of this esteemed publication, some great friends, and some new family.
Here are a few things I learned along the way.
Family is essential no matter where you are
Whether they’re blood or friends forged into family, everything’s better with people who know you and love you anyway. Truth be told, I never would have made it to New York if my brother wasn’t here first so many thanks to him for taking all the wrong turns first and always having an answer to the best pizza / bookshop / bar / dancing / mapquest questions.
You don’t have to go out, but you can’t stay home
There’s so much here to be consumed—food, theater, music, street performance—that it’s easy to live here without actually living here. But whether you notice it or not, proximity to these amenities is built in to our astronomical rent prices so you gotta get out there and take it in before you’re older and less fond of crowds than you are today.
Can’t afford it? Just look around
Making a life here is a lot like anywhere else. You get up, you go to work, put your kids to bed, and watch your favorite show. And it’s the lull of that routine that makes the city really pop when it blooms again right in front of you.
It might be a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade or seeing the full length of Central Park from an overlooking building. If you keep your head up, you’ll see something every day that amazes you.
It’s not for everyone
But it works for so many different kinds of people. There are the universal New York experiences, and there are the thousands of other ways to live here that no one person could ever comprehend but are all necessary to feed the energy that runs through us. There are a lot of tradeoffs, but there are a lot of people who wouldn’t trade it for anywhere else.
It’s a great place to find yourself
When I compare the person I was 5 years ago to the person I am today, I’m just as proud of the things that have changed as I am of the things that have stayed the same. This city can make you a little harder on the outside over time, but also surprise you in the ways it softens you up and shows you to yourself.