The life of an Intern living in NYC

The life of an Intern living in NYC

New York city is alive, always buzzing. And there is literally always something going on. From the usual bar/club scene to concerts to ‘nerd jeopardy’, comedy nights, story-telling competitions, and even yoga and table tennis championships (what does that even mean?). It’s a fun place, and I’m starting to believe it really is a city unlike any other (although I haven’t spent much time in London or Paris…) and it just might live up to its reputation as the “greatest city in the world.” Of course, it’s also reputed to be one of the most expensive cities in the world, so for an unpaid intern, that makes life a bit more…eccentric. We avoid the $12 bottles of Bud Light, the $40 covers to clubs, and instead seek out ‘Ladies Nights’, open bars, and free comedy shows with free pizza (yes, that really happens). The city knows most of its inhabitants can’t afford to live that way, so there are special times when things are affordable. For example, once a month the Guggenheim Museum has an evening where it is “pay what you wish” instead of the normal $22; people literally paid a dollar to enjoy the Guggenheim. Other museums do this as well and it’s fantastic!

Then there is the subway, it seems pretty inexpensive, but the fare actually went up to $2.50 cents this week (March 2013) making it at the very minimum $5.00 a day ($100/month) and basically costing the same, if not more, than what I spent on gas in San Diego. Annoying, especially since the subway is almost always PACKED. I miss my car. But I don’t know what driving/owning a car in NYC would be like; probably terrible as I see the parking garage rates everyday (exorbitant is an understatement- $7.61+tax for THIRTY minutes!) and the fact that during rush hour there are police/traffic controllers directing traffic due to the amount of cars. That might be far more infuriating than the convenient, 24-hour public transportation.

The city sends me on a rollercoaster of emotions and sensations on a daily basis, which is a good thing since the lack of sunshine in my life these days is rather depressing (it keeps me feeling alive, I guess). Most noticeable (and irksome) are the dramatic changes in temperature (it could very well just be me though, with my crazily inconsistent body temperature). Outside, it will be 34 degrees and windy, making the 2-3 layers, heavy coat, warm scarf, and hasty walk inescapable; but inside the restaurant/office/subway/apartment the temperature is a toasty 70 and all of a sudden I can feel each layer weighing down on me. My brisk 5-block/3-avenue walk home in the evenings inevitably results in a frenzied shedding of layers the minute I walk through my front door and ending in a sigh of relief as I plop onto the couch. Layering up in the mornings is also always a daunting task, as I check the weather and wish and hope that it will be a ‘warm’ 50 degrees (can you believe I think FIFTY degrees is warm now?!). But of course, it is still winter, and I have yet to not be disappointed by the weather report.

The subways, as you can tell from above, also cause many mixed feelings. It’s convenient and cheap-ish, but so packed and hot. Then there are the people on the subway that make you laugh, make you feel uncomfortable, or make you feel downright depressed. The worst is the pregnant lady with a baby in her arms going around begging while her husband follows her playing the accordion; so heart breaking it almost makes me mad that they are so acutely using our emotions. Then you have the rapper or singer who is not always good, but sometimes clever and light hearted. There is also the old man who tells jokes, saying, “I am not a beggar, I am a comedian” and bets people a dollar that he can make them laugh. They always laugh. In a 15-minute subway ride you can feel cold, annoyed, too warm, heartbroken, uncomfortable, and laugh sincerely. Talk about an eventful ride. Such is New York City.