Day 9 of 31: the 9 worst things about living in NYC

Day 9 and I’m already finding myself with a solid case of writer’s block. Blogger’s block, have you. Thankfully the good ol’ ask-a-question feature Instagram let me seek you all for help, and you gave me so many great ideas! So thank you!

This idea is from Michelle, and I must admit I gravitated toward it because I just love any and every opportunity to make a list.
….and talk about New York.
…and mayyybe sometimes whine.
But don’t worry – tomorrow we’ll do a positive flip it and go into the BEST things about living in NYC.

the hardest (worst) things about living in new york city

1. Always having to face the weather. Yep – there’s a reason New Yorkers literally always talk about the weather, and it’s because we CAN’T ESCAPE IT. There’s no mere hopping in the car and getting from point A to point B (without spending an obscene amount on Ubers, which I must admit is my vice). We rely on public transportation and walking all the time, so heat/cold/rain/snow is like an added fight for survival that few of us realized we were signing up for.
2. Pigeons. And people who think it’s cute/fun to feed the pigeons, resulting in a (worse than) real life The Birds situation.
3. The pressure to always be doing something. I mean sure, you could live in NYC and be a homebody, but then why spend the outrageous amount of money on rent? Whether it’s with work or social life, being out and about most of the time is the norm here.
4. The FOMO. On that same note, if you do stay home or are out of town, there’s the constant wondering if you missed out on one of those ever-so-magical “New York City moments.” More on those tomorrow.
5. People’s comments about how much they hate New York. “I visited New York once and hated it so much, I could never live somewhere with all those crowds!” Well first of all, Craig, your visit probably consisted of Times Square and all of the most touristy pockets of the city that exist. Secondly, your hater is showing.
6. Smells you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemy.
7. Becoming a bit of a snob. Yeah, I said it. When you live in the greatest city in the world with so much culture, energy, wealth, intelligence etc. so many things elsewhere begin to pale in comparison. As I type this, I’d say that’s my #1 least favorite thing about living here.
8. The Rat Race / comparison trap. New York brings people from all over the world who want to succeed, so there’s always going to be someone doing more and doing better than you, which can of course be discouraging.
9. Lack of nature. I’m certainly no Pocahontas, but it wouldn’t hurt to hear some birds chirping in the morning or see a tree outside my window.