Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Top Ten

I'm feeling a bit sad about the move tonight, so to cheer myself up:

Top 10 things I will not miss about NYC

10. Spending 8 hours a week on a crowded subway car. Twin timed her commute to her new job in NC and it's 4 minutes. 4 MINUTES!
9. Trash on the streets, on the sidewalks, in stairwells, in subway stations, EVERYWHERE. It's just depressing.
8. New York/Long Island accents. I'm sorry, I just don't like them. They sound so brash and arrogant, ya know?
7. February and the icy wind that hurts so much it feels like your sinuses have frozen. And snow that sits around for weeks and turns brown and icy and hard to walk on.
6. Cost of living. It's just sad when you have to travel an hour away from your work to find affordable housing. The rent on our apartment in NC (nicer and with an extra bedroom) is less than half what we pay here in Brooklyn. *whimper*
5. Traffic noise. Car alarms. Sirens. People yelling. The hum of millions of people living in too close proximity.
4. Poor people. Homeless people. Sad, crazy people you pass on the street and think, wow that person really needs some help. But you can't so you just feel sad.
3. Enormous, insomniac landlord who works in his office (DIRECTLY above my bedroom) at 3 AM. STOMP, STOMP, CLUNK. CCREEEEEEAAK. THAWUMP! After the move, I'm going to stage a ritual smashing of my white-noise machine. Like that scene in Office Space with the fax machine. It's gonna be awesome.
2. Concrete! Everywhere! Black, gray ugliness. Other cities may sometimes be described as pretty but never New York. Because it's just not. There are some attractive neighborhoods, but overall---blah. I need some green.
1. The fifty five spawns of Satan rambunctious children who live next door and try to kill each other play on the stoop.

Now I feel better. :)

8 comments:

dancechica said...

You know, even after this list I kind of wish I could trade places with you: I go live in NYC and work in book publishing, giving up my fabulously boring school life, and you come here! :-P

Seriously, I wish you much luck with your move! A lot of people I know here have either talked of moving to NC, or have moved for either a cheaper cost-of-living, a slower pace or both. Change is good, though it can be scary too. Good luck to you (and Twin)! :-D

Mailyn said...

1. The fifty five spawns of Satan rambunctious children who live next door and try to kill each other play on the stoop.

LMAO!!!! I am with DC. I've always HATED small towns or small cities. Or too much grass anywhere near me. LOL. But good luck in NC! If it's what makes you happy then that's all that counts in the end. ^__^

Anonymous said...

New York/Long Island accents. I'm sorry, I just don't like them. They sound so brash and arrogant, ya know? I have this same problem, primarily when Yankee fans from NY/NJ flood into town for baseball games. :sigh: I walked to the ballpark last week behind a pack of guys from Long Island...and I could hear their entire conversation from half a block away. (Jeter's slumping, good thing A-Rod's on a roll, but why can't they hit well at the same time?)

Baltimore is a small city and I live near green...but every time my mom visits, she asks how I can live in close proximity to so many people and without a yard of my own (my back yard is a 12x60 concrete slab). Everytime I visit her, I lust for a yard and more space...but then I'd have to live further from my job. Never mind.

Tara Marie said...

Jennie you are definitely not meant to live in a "big" city :)
My family has been in the suburbs or bedroom communities for 30+ years and yet I still miss Brooklyn, and loved our old neighborhood. Of course, it's much different now, but I have wonderful memories from childhood.

Museums, Zoos, Parks, Libraries, the Theater... there must be something you'll miss?

My small town has 2 stop lights, 5 churches, 3 gas stations and 1 fast food place (Dunkin' Donuts--does that count as fast food?) and less than 4000 people total. A little city chaos would be a nice change.

Jennie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jennie said...

DC--Thanks! Living in the city is exciting sometimes, but mostly I'm just not a city person. There are some things I appreciate about it and will miss a lot. :)

Mailyn--Exactly! I can see why some people do love the city so much---I just don't. I'm looking forward to a small town again.

JMC--Yeah, that accent just grates on my nerves. Sometimes it's amusing, but mostly eh. And living in the city--it's a tradeoff, because you want to live where you have interesting work but at the same time be where you'll enjoy your time off. You should put a little garden into your concrete slab of a backyard. ;)

Tara Marie--I know! I know! You've convinced me--I'll do a Top Ten of things I'll miss about the city. Because there is plenty I'll miss, but I'm just not a city person. Your small town sounds just about right to me. :) But I will love to come back and visit here occasionally!

CindyS said...

That's the great thing now - you can always visit! I'm not a city person because of all the things you mentioned. I went to a dorm in unniverisity and was completely weirded out by the level of noise at all hours during the night. I kept thinking, 'how does anyone get any work done here?' and I'm a night person!

So has twin already moved? I'll post a picture of my yard soon because Bob is building a shed - I was all upset because I thought it would take up too much room in our yard. Well, really it's too funny because we have a wall of old trees at the back of the property and the entire shed will fit in the tree line. Perfect!

And I'm glad you are enjoying your Harry Potter immersion ;)

CindyS

Devon said...

Hey! Whaddaya mean you don't like the accents? We tawk just like everybody else :) There are lots of transplanted NYers in NC, just warning you. Seems like the place to go.

I hear ya on the cost of living.

When you're more settled I want to ask you about Brooklyn. My little sis is thinking about going there. She can't find another place in Manhattan that suits her needs. Like to be able to eat after paying her rent.