By this point, you've probably seen New York City depicted hundreds of times in popular culture; TV shows, movies, books, you name it.
Friends would have you believe that your best friends just happen to live across from you in an equally beautiful, sprawling apartment space.
Sex and the City inflicts a certain expectation of the standards of living in NYC.
But just how many of these depictions are actually a truthful representation of New York?
More often than not, they're grossly inaccurate. But as a city dweller, you'll quickly learn how to separate fact from myth.
1. The blue deli cups
FACT
Those empty coffee cups littering the desk around which Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson solve murders aren't just a concept of the set designer's imagination - they actually really do exist in NYC (just not in every single bodega).
[anad]
So now in addition to your morning jolt, you can start your day feeling like Ice-T about to go interview a suspect. #swag
Editor's Note: We know for a fact that the breakfast cart dude on the corner of 37th and 7th Avenue has them almost all of the time. Sometimes he runs out, but most of the time, they're there.
2. The dream apartment
MYTH
In most movies and TV shows centered around a young, 20-something living in NYC (a practically UNHEARD of concept, right?), these characters are often seen stepping out of their beautiful brownstones in the Village before skipping off to start their day, hair blowing in the wind, doorman tipping their hat as they walk past.
Um, no.
In reality, those beautiful brownstones are only something you gaze as longingly as you trudge back to your 4th floor walk-up in Queens.
3. The angry cabbie
FACT
The stereotype of the aggressive New York driver is real, but in our defense, it's also necessary for survival.
[anad2]
There might be slightly less fist-shaking and blowout fights than a TV portrayal would have you believe, but when a bike messenger cuts of your cab nearly causing a collision, your cabbie is probably going to make their feelings known.
,4. The landmarks
MYTH
Because of the influence of pop culture, the words "New York City" automatically call to mind images of the The Empire State Building, Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty, etc.
And while these landmarks are obviously a very real part of the city, they rarely make appearances in the everyday life of your average New Yorker.
[anad]
Sure, maybe you have a stellar view of The Empire State Building from your office window, but it's not like you spend your weekend hanging out on the viewing deck, or sailing the Hudson snapping pictures of Lady Liberty.
In fact, you often actively avoid these places, because they'll inevitably be overrun with tourists.
5. The grind
FACT
New York is a city of dreamers, of go-getters, of hard workers. We all came here for a reason. We all want something.
So, the stereotype of the NYC rat race is definitely real. Maybe it's not always as dramatic as cinematic depictions, but everyone's on their own hustle, trying their damnedest to achieve whatever it is they came here to achieve.
6. The meet-cute
MYTH
Rom-coms instill highly unrealistic romantic expectations for NYC. They cause us to believe that we'll fall in love from across a coffee shop or on a park bench in Central Park.
[anad2]
But in reality, you're not Meg Ryan, there's no twinkly background music, and the guy winking at you is probably insane.
Check out 7 Worst Places to Propose in NYC (and Where to Pop the Question Instead).
[Feature Image Courtesy New York Daily News]