It pays to be prepared in New York City.
A place filled with myriad smells, mysterious stains, and temperamental climates, you never know what you may encounter here from one day to the next.
And while you can find pretty much everything you could ever need at various shops and stores along your commute, you're on a tight budget, and daily trips to Duane Reade can really add up.
So in order to save a few pennies, as well as maintain your sanity, it's always a good idea for every New Yorker to carry these few essential items:
1. Umbrella
When it rains in the city, it's a hot mess.
Everyone's acting like it's the apocalypse, you can't catch a cab to save your life, and everywhere you turn there are puddles of questionable depth (questionable, that is, until you step into one you had previously perceived to be shallow and end up sloshing a pint of water directly into your shoe).
So, it's best to always be prepared for this hysteria. Trust us, even if it doesn't look like rain, take an umbrella.
[anad]
2. Phone charger
You've been running around since 8 a.m., you have to double and triple check the address of the restaurant where you're meeting your parents, and the group chat has been going insane all day.
These happenings, combined with what you're certain is Apple's purposeful deterioration of your generation of iPhone in order to coax you into buying the newest one, result in a serious drain on your phone's battery.
If you've got your charger with you, you can quickly duck into a Starbucks to charge up, and then inevitably spend $6 on a coffee because the baristas are hardcore glaring at you.
3. Headphones
Headphones are basically an appendage for New Yorkers. They're our companion on long commutes, defense against unwanted conversation, and an excellent way to drown out the sounds of the couple engaging in a full on screaming match on the train.
[anad2]
And there's nothing worse than realizing you've forgotten them as the subway doors are closing right in front of your face.
,4. Hand sanitizer
So. Many. Germs.
Between the subway seats, street grime, and whatever the hell is living in the glorified petri dish known as Penn Station, the average New Yorker comes into contact with some pretty gross stuff on a daily basis.
[anad]
Hand sanitizer is a Godsend, and an absolute must.
5. Advil
So, you're a little hungover from the night before, and the blaring sound of the train conductor's announcements is making your head throb so painfully you'd like to just die right there and get it over with.
And to top it off, the train is now stuck 42nd street with no signs of imminent movement.
But have no fear, for you are a smart, resourceful New Yorker, and you've got an emergency stash of Advil in your bag.
Boom. Problem solved.
6. Deodorant
Regardless of the temperature outside, the conditions below ground level in NYC remain akin to that of a swampland under Satan's reign.
[anad2]
It is not unusual to experience frigid gusts of wind and an unfortunate case of swamp a** all in the same day. Therefore, deodorant on the go is an essential.
Your fellow New Yorkers will thank you, too.
Check out Which NYC Stereotypes Are Actually True.
[Feature Image Courtesy One Drop]