Living in New York City completely rocks.
Every night of the week, you can do something pretty insane, and every night when you're going to sleep, you should pinch yourself to remind your brain that this city is actually real. Appreciate it!
And then every morning when you wake up, you should remind yourself how lucky you are, native or not, to live in this city.
Yet sometimes, you'll miss the fresh air and seeing stars at night. Sometimes, you'll get sick and tired of getting screamed at on the street. Sometimes, you'll even wish you lived in a city with semi-reasonable prices.
And then, after all that whining, you quit complainin'. This is New York City... only the strong survive, right?
That being said, here are 9 annoying instances that, when they do occur, make you totally hate on New York City-- even if it is for just a second.
1. When your rent rises
This doesn't happen all that often (usually only once a year), but it’s pretty much every New Yorker's worst nightmare, considering most apartments already cost both arms, one leg, and the promise of your firstborn child.
Why does this happen to our already absurdly expensive apartments? Who knows, but when it does happen, it definitely makes you feel some sort of hate towards this city. It may even make you think about moving. Kind of.
And then you quit your whining and realize, "This is New York City... only the strong survive, right?"
2. When someone from a different city tells you how much their rent costs
If you’ve made the grievous, idiotic mistake of asking one of your friends who lives in a different city how much they pay for rent, then you know about this feeling of a dagger to your chest.
That’s right, your friend lives in the absolute center of their city and pays half of what you pay. Or they live in a remote corner of their city and pay a small fraction of what you pay. Think about what you'd be able to do with all of that extra cash each month!
Maybe you could save up enough money to move to NYC. Except, you already live here, and your life rocks. Remembering this helps.
3. When you get on the subway and smell something horrendous
There are many subway encounters that can escalate from annoying to horrible pretty quickly. One is being shoved. A second one is getting yelled at. And another one is being constantly harassed and begged for money.
Perhaps the worst, though... the one that makes you really want to hate on New York City... is the moment you enter the subway and smell something absolutely horrendous.
You switch subway cars as fast as you can, but still. The damage is done. You momentarily contemplate moving... kinda.
And then you quit your whining and realize, "This is New York City... only the strong survive, right?"
4. When you can’t fall asleep because of all that street noise
After fifteen minutes, can that person please just shut their car alarm off already?!
But really, why do two taxis need to get into a honking war at six in the morning?
When people on the street are screaming, or really just talking, when garbage trucks beep and horns blare, it sort of makes you wish you lived somewhere out in the countryside, far, far away from other people.
Where you could sleep in peace.
And then you quit your whining and realize, "This is New York City... only the strong survive, right?"
5. When a random off the street wants to pick a fight with you
Some people on the sidewalk just need to relax. It's really not that serious. You're going to get to where you need to go, so there's no need to tackle New Yorkers left and right.
You know, you can find another outlet for your anger. Go to the gym. Punch a punching bag. Do something... anything else.
,6. When you get catcalled
This is getting super old. Do women really need to be objectified every time they wear heels or a dress?
Whenever I’m not in NYC, and I get to walk around without dudes leering at me or saying, “Hey baby,” it makes me feel kinda over NYC.
We're better than that kind of behavior, aren't we, New Yorkers?
7. When the subway doors close on you
Sprinting for a subway can be pretty harrowing, especially if it means the difference between being late and... not being late.
Finally, you get there and the doors close in your face. At that moment, you contemplate moving... maybe.
And then you quit your whining and realize, "This is New York City... only the strong survive, right?"
8. When you find out you’ve been ripped off
When some guy pleads with you that he just needs five dollars, just five dollars, so he can make it back home on the bus, you basically feel like a cold-hearted soul if you don’t give him something.
So, you give him a few bucks. And then, the next day, you see the same guy, on the same corner, telling someone else he needs just five dollars. And you realize he ripped you off.
And the disgust that swells in your stomach at that moment makes you feel pretty antagonistic towards this city.
9. When you have to take the bus because your subway isn’t running
And the bus is so... SLOW.
I can’t have another weekend with the 6 not running, nor can I have another morning commute where you just decide to stall my line because there’s a “sick passenger.”
Hey MTA: I think it’s great you have this intricate, expensive subway system developed to get me all sorts of places, but I think you can do better. Enough with the delayed, cancelled, and postponed lines. I know you’re not actually making any progress, and so do you.
So let’s be friends and actually run on schedule this weekend, shall we?
If you enjoyed this article, check out 6 Struggles All New Yorkers Gotta Overcome in Order to Succeed in NYC!