Vibrant and restless is how I felt when living in NYC. It is by far one of the most inspiring but also most chaotic and hectic places that can be found on this planet. For a reason NYC is called: the city that never sleeps. What I liked about it, is that there are endless opportunities and stimulations around the clock. No matter if you wanna eat something specific at midnight or go to a party on a weekday, you´ll find it. However I had a hard time sleeping, because there is so much energy in the air, that made me restless.
Diversity is found in every area of life; starting from all the different cultures that come together in this melting pot, bringing their traditional food and customs to the city, but also the fashion, cultural and art scene are inspiring to the eye and the mind. As I was still modelling at that time, I loved checking out the thrift shops for rare fashion finds and window shopping in the high end boutiques in Manhattan. There is something for everyone and each price range.
Being lonely together is one of the shadows that I could see in NYC. Everyone is working hard to afford the extremely expensive lifestyle and therefore the social life get left behind on the way. Although it is hard to find a place with no people in this metropolis, people seem to feel very isolated and lonely and mental health issues are common.
As one of the most expensive places on earth to live, the quality of life is quite poor as I found, compared to many other cities. People live in tiny apartments or share with others, in order to afford the rent. Alternatively some people decide to move further out of the city to have better conditions, but commute large distances to work or into the city.
Food and drinks are equally expensive, however if you know your way around, you can find shops with affordable prices and safe a lot of money. As there are so many cultures living in NYC, you can find every possible food in all price and quality ranges.
When I lived in NYC, I was more on a budget, so I´ll share more low cost places with you.
Coffee:
Little Canal
Devocion
Buddies
Gotham
Patent
Culture Espresso
Wandering Barman
Sey Coffee
Groceries:
Mr Plum (cheapest veggies and fruits)
Trader Joes (Aldi in US)
Chinatown Supermarket Manhattan
Mc Carren Farmers Market
Shops:
L Train Vintage
Salvation Army Thrift
Things to do:
Nowadays (Club)
High Line Walk
Chelsea Galleries
MoMa PS1
Prospect Park
CloudM Rooftop Bar
International Center of Photography
