Moving to New York

About three months after I first posted on PinkSpark about being afraid of moving to a big city, but dying to try it...well, I'm here!

After a little over a week living in Hoboken, and working in NYC and NJ, I can tell a few things if you're planning on moving to the area...

1. If you're moving to New Jersey...do NOT go to Paramus on Sundays to shop at IKEA, Nordstrom, Macy's, anywhere! EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays in Paramus so try not to spend 45 minutes driving out to the shopping/decorating mecca and come back empty handed like I did. In fact, if you can avoid going further into NJ at all I would suggest it. The traffic is nuts, the Walmarts look like they staging flash mobs on Saturdays and nothing looks like it should. Just stay around the city. Trust me! Go to Jersey City or Secaucus but no further. If you must IKEA, IKEA in Brooklyn!

2. If all the singles live in NYC, then all the couples live in Hoboken. Seriously. Hoboken's median age is 30 and I think I saw 30 forehead kisses while at the ShopRite. Normally cute...today vomit. However, there is also a better ratio for chicks in Hoboken. 103 men to every 100 women. Not too bad when you're living around a city filled with young and cute girls.

3. Everyone drives a BMW. (Not exactly true, but it's like Cincinnati's Jettas). Just get used to it and don't be afraid to use a choice phrase or two directed at those people (see below). They tend to be the most annoying drivers.

4. Don't say "Dang it". Apparently that will only get you slapped on the head here. Say, Fuck it. Smiles all around.

5. BUY RAIN BOOTS. My first day of work it rained sideways and I came into the office with my bangs fluffed and curled all nasty and my clothes were wet and I looked generally disheveled and unprofessional. The least I could have done was wear rain boots to keep from looking like I pissed myself from the knee down.

That's all the pointers I have for the moment. They may seem stupid but I definitely wish I had known it earlier!

Honestly, the transition hasn't been bad at all! I really like NYC. I feel comfortable even when I'm utterly lost. I don't mind the extremely glam women or the eccentric weirdos, nor does the smell of delicious food cease to amaze me. It all kind of seems like a backdrop to a play. Everything is fun to look at and it makes your experience rich in sensory pleasure...or displeasure if you've walked next to a spot where someone peed the night before...

So far so good!