I fell in love with New York City before Sex and the City and Gossip Girl were even on my radar! I have always been drawn to its inherent energy and pulse. New York is more filmic than real, there’s a magic here unlike any other city I have been to. Here are the things I have learnt about hustling and girlbossing it in the City.
A Sunday morning here is as good as a Saturday night
Whether it was the morning after a rooftop blowout or evening spent at the Knicks, staying in reading the New York Times, watching vintage classics with copious amounts of coffee became my Sunday morning ritual. Romanticising New York is fairly easy, you’re always ever a subway ride away from a new atmosphere, a different culture and greater mood.
You’ll leave New York a different person and if you’re lucky it stays with you
The city changes you, irreversibly. It will shape you, challenge you, pull you, guide you, laugh at you then leave you wanting more. Everyone has a story and there is inspiration everywhere. Cabs, wifi, talkers, baristas, food deliveries and dry-cleaning are all faster and there isn’t time to pause, question your order or exchange small-talk, that’s the beauty of NYC though, I left reinvigorated and with a clear cut vision. It isn’t easy, you need to be thick-skinned and resilient but the lessons are invaluable and if you can capture that, nowhere else will be quite as good (at least in your twenties).
Everything seems possible here
I blame it on genetics but my devotion to sleep is really just a choice- at least it was. I began waking at 5am every morning just to have the chance to experience Manhattan that little bit longer. Your dreams become aims and goals become daily tasks, no day or night was the same and my most memorable, somewhat unbelievable experiences came from a hello. There wasn’t a second agenda, I genuinely found that there is a silent pact between all those making it happen in New York; city life is tough, rent is extravagant and a croissant can easily cost $7 so you need a helping hand once in a while.
If you’re walking fast you’re a New Yorker, if you’re walking slow you’re a tourist
No explanation necessary.
Girls have each other’s back
I have been fortunate enough to travel all over the world and I have found it challenging to feel that “empowered women empower women” to be true. I can’t thank the ambitious and talented women I met in New York enough, not only did they welcome me but helped me to realise every goal I had since stepping off the flight. These women I refer to were smart, fierce and witty. There is a notion that New York women are rude and impolite, yet I can only praise them, lunch dates led to introductions and at dinners, self promotion was encouraged. They weren’t outspoken or contentious but assertive and enterprising, even after a few too many cocktails.
Every religion, view and opinion is accepted, bad shoes though – they’re not tolerated
Trusty Prada boots, God bless you.