25 Things I Learned About New York

(^^^ Skyline of New York City from Hoboken, New Jersey^^^)

So, this summer marks my FIRST time in New York City! It is also my first time super far from home and my first time on a plane! Yep, milestones! 

Just from being in this culture rich city for a week, I learned sooo many things! 

Without further ado, here's a list of 25 things I learned about New York:  

 1. There are food vendors EVERYWHERE! (we need to implement this in LA)

(Some of these "Halal Food" vendors are DELICIOUS! I visited this one nearly everyday since it was down the street from my dorm)

(Here are two "Halal Food" vendors directly down the street from each other. Competition!)

(This vendor looks a little ambitious, no?)

(Yep, they really like to sell EVERYTHING, don't they! I've got no complaints!) 

(This smoothie vendor looks good, but the drinks are pretty watered down, unfortunately :( )

(And there are even some of the same if not similar food vendors in New Jersey as well. WTH LA?! Step up your game!)

2.What you see in the movies and on TV about people hailing taxis is BULL SHIT! Nobody does that here. However, taxis are also EVERYWHERE!

(^^^There's just too many of them!^^^)

(Yep, they're freakin' EVERYWHERE!)

3.Speaking of taxis, the traffic is horribly congested. I would NOT want to drive here!

 4. There are One Way streets EVERYWHERE! (Seriously! Why TF is everything a Gawd Damn One Way Street!?)

5. Everything is pretty much walking distance, and if not, it’s a quick ride away on the subway.

6. New York City (at least) has its own Citi Bike system (owned by Citi Bank, I think, another thing we need to bring to LA) 

(You just pay for them via credit card. How convenient?!)

7. It is pretty humid in the summer, but the weather is not as bad as you think. (it’s just as hot as it is in Cali. Which sucks for these people that live here. They have to freeze in the winter and then fry in the summer? How do they LIVE?!) 

8. Many streets literally do smell like garbage. (which is gross) But many of the bums are surprisingly clean? (WTF!? This doesn’t make the least bit of sense!)

(^^^They literally just dump their bags on the curb. WTF?! How disgusting is that!?^^^)

9. Everyone jaywalks and no one gives a FUCK! (which I LOVE!)

10. There are tons of Mom and Pop shops. Which is AWESOME! (which we also need to incorporate into LA)

11.   There are brick buildings EVERYWHERE! (which would not fare well in California since we are prone to earthquakes)

12. The city is pretty dirty, in case I haven’t mentioned that already by commenting on its putrid trash smell.

13. There is construction going on EVERYWHERE! (which is annoying AF! And I thought UCLA was bad! :( )

14. There are Starbucks on every other corner. (which is very similar to CA) 

15. The parks basically always have live, free entertainment. (which is cool because the city is so rich in culture) 

16.  It’s VERY diverse! (Even more so than CA) 

17.  Apparently, mothers here like to hold onto their daughters arms. (I guess to protect them from getting snatched away? IDK)

18.   Also, women prefer to go bra-less here. (nipples EVERYWHERE! I know it’s hot, but DAMN!)

19.   I feel like the stores here are more “Black” friendly. (like H&M and K-Mart were advertising models with thick, curly hair, which is RARE in CA. Even a local food vendor said I had nice hair.) So I felt rather accepted. 

(Look at these manikins sporting a blonde version of my hair do. I dig!)

20. New Jersey is literally a 20 min train ride away! 

(I know because I went to Carlo's Bake Shop, the one shown in "Cake Boss." Freakin' AWESOME!)

(A hazelnut chocolate cream puff, chocolate covered strawberries, a walnut brownie and a chocolate covered Canoli. Nom nom nom! XD )

21.  There’s this pharmacy here called Duane Reade, and they are also everywhere!

22. There are also Dunkin' Donuts EVERYWHERE!

23.Some people here are really nice, and others are really rude. It depends on where you go.

24.Time Square is ridiculously crowded and once you go there once, you really don’t want to go back unless it’s for a worthwhile reason. (like to see a Broadway show!)

  

(It's a lot like Las Vegas. You know, bright lights eating up ALL of the electricity. Yep, that sounds about right.)

25.    I got to see fireflies for the first time! =D

(I know it's hard to tell, but those tiny little colorful orbs you see, those are fireflies. How magical!?)

Also, the food here is BOMB! 

(This Chicken Gyro from the "Halal Food" vendors has been a staple in my NY diet. Delish!)

(Chicken over rice with an Ice Cold Apple Snapple. Yummy!)

(Look at the cute little bags they serve it in! What a gem! ^_^) 

(^^^Shake Shack is like NYC's version of In 'n' Out, only classier!) 

(^^^Shack Burger, cheese fries, organic apple juice and frozen custard! Nom Nom Nom^^^)

(^^^NYC Hot dog. If you come here, you gotta have one!^^^)

Oh, and one last thing: New York is pretty much the city that give 0 fucks. And that's the thing I love about it most. <3

Thanks for reading. =)

Sociology in New York

This summer, me and a bunch of splendid people I haven't met yet will spend a summer in New York studying Sociology, the cultures of such a world renown state. Here is where I'll blog about it and capture all of the spectacular highlights. Can't wait!