(Even if it’s for a short amount of time.)

And I’m going to emphasize I when I say live I do not mean visit. Visiting is not the same because you are on vacation, you are exempt from every day responsibilities and going out to eat every night is not how most people live on a budget. There’s a huge difference in being a tourist versus living somewhere, and that’s applicable for any city/town/area in the world. As someone who is fairly well traveled (4/7 continents and counting!) I can honestly say New York is an experience that I have yet to find anywhere else. Even London, England! Last year, I wrote a letter to Florida. This time, I thought I would do an ode to my temporary city.

Everything You Could Possibly Want In One City

I’ve heard this city described as many things: Greatest City in the World, Center of the Universe, it’s even consistently mistaken as the capital of the United States of America. And it’s not hard to see why. Literally everything you could imagine exists or passes through this city. Want to speak a language with fluent speakers? Dying for authentic cuisine? That band that you like that isn’t a major headliner? A celebrity that you would kill for a selfie with? They are or have been or will be in New York City at some point in time. It is unusual when something isn’t available in New York. Or has less than five options. (Apparently there’s only one iMax movie theater in Manhattan. How weird is that?)

 You’ll Get All The References In Books And Media

I don’t know if you noticed, but it seems like every other book/movie/news story is set in the Big Apple. They’ll name streets, businesses, landmarks, reference places like Central Park, NYU, Brooklyn. It is something special to be able to immediately have a more concrete mental picture of the scene, especially those unsaid. Now I’ll be reading a book and it will have a scene that takes place just down the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now I know that they’ll be close if not right next to Central Park, there will be a LOT of tourists, food vans selling street food and soda, and not the quietest place ever. I know where the Google HQ is, I know what lines lead where, and which are the sketchier parts of the city and what parts breed hipsters like rabbits. No other city in our generation has attracted so many people. It’s a mecca for almost everything.

It Inspires Creativity In All Aspects Of Life

Going to work? Prepared to be inspired. Out on the town? Prepared to be inspired. Walking around the corner to restock on toilet paper? Prepare to be inspired. And I’m not just talking about in an artistic sense, though there’s plenty of that, too. First of all, it takes creativity to condense your life into an average New York apartment. I have learned that I do not need 75% of the things I owned while I was in college. I have been surviving with three chairs, a table, and a bed as my only furniture and aside from a comfy chair, I really have not missed much. Second of all, you are surrounded by the best of the best in every business. There is a teacher for whatever you want to learn in this city (with varying degrees of price).

It’s Beautiful

There is a reason why a lot of artists pick New York for the setting of heir stories, movies, art, etc. It has the ability to be so breathtakingly gorgeous. Pictured to the left is Central Park with all the cherry blossoms in bloom and it is even more stunning in person. I don’t have any personal pictures, but autumn is gorgeous with its red and gold with foggy mornings, and during the holidays the city looks like a fairyland.

Oh, The People You Will Meet

New York City has the reputation of being unfriendly, even harsh, towards other people. But it’s like any where else in the world. You have your jerks, you have the people that do meet the stereotype. Overwhelmingly, however, New York has been this fountain of amazing people I am so lucky to have in my life now. All of them are stunning, creative, and inspiring and I wish I could list all of them, but I would inevitably forget someone. Just… assume it’s everyone that has made me smile in this city.

And Last But Not Least

You get to impress everyone a little bit by saying that you live(d at one point) in New York City.