Growing up in New Jersey, I had thought New York City was the greatest place on Earth. It was the only major American city that my parents had ever taken me to, so, besides a brief school trip in eighth grade to Philadelphia, it was the only one I had ever gone to. I had always said I wanted to go to NYU up until the point I actually toured it, when the large school, the lack of a campus, and the semi-snobbish nature of the current students that were giving the tour immediately turned me off. Still, I thought I could at least see myself living in New York at some point- it’s the city at the center of the world, right?

After working there this past summer, I’m not so sure.

First off, living in New York is expensive as hell. Besides the cost of rent, the cost of coffee and any type of pre-made food you may want is insane. The sheer price of everything made me uncomfortable this summer, as I saw that New York was a city of the super-rich and the super-poor; it seemed like the middle class had been phased out. This has been happening in all cities across America, of course, but as I was working in a super-gentrified neighborhood of New York this past summer- the Lower East Side- it was particularly apparent.

Second off, New York smells. It is dirty and polluted and my west coast appropriated self had a difficult time getting accustomed to it. In the summer, the humidity makes everything literally smell like vomit. Or pee, which the puddles on the sidewalk may as well be.

Third off, New Yorkers are mean, in a really unnecessary way. It was again difficult to go back to a place where no one says hi to each other, and where everyone’s ready to attack you.

Yet, living in New York would undeniably have its advantages. For one, it’s close to home. As much as I complain about wanting to get out of my hometown when I’m there, I always find myself missing it when I go away for long periods of time. It would just be nice to be able to return for a weekend, and to feel the sense of stability associated with it. I have been listening to Bruce Springsteen way too often, something I do when I’m missing New Jersey and it’s Italian food.

Aside from it being close to home, it is the center of the literary world. Visiting author and Scripps alum Nora Zelevansky emphasized on her return to campus how one has to be in New York if they want to “make it big” in the writing business; that is, if they want to write for one of the big magazines. I would be honored if anyone, anywhere, paid me like, $5 to write something. Yet, if I want to make a serious career out of doing so, I should really consider living in New York. The extent to which I want to pursue that type of career next summer totally depends on where I want to live. Right now, I just have to wait and see.