My Top 5 Misconceptions about New Yorkers

I have lived in New York City for almost three years now. Moving here from the Midwest, I had a lot of ideas about what New Yorkers were like. They were basically all wrong. Now, these misconceptions aren’t new and brilliant ideas. You’re not going to read this and think, “Oh, thank God we have Kacey here to tell us all this new information.” No. Many people have these misconceptions. But, I want to give you my insight into how New York functions.

1. New Yorkers are mean. Actually, they’re pretty nice most of the time. New Yorkers really just want their voices to be heard. Ask them a question as simple as, “How are you?” Most will take that question and run. You will have trouble getting them to stop talking.
   On that note, I totally get why people think New Yorkers are mean. Since moving here, I have become the meanest person I know. But, lets be real for a second. If I am exhausted traveling to work at 7am in the morning, and you are an annoying tourist refusing to get out of my way as I am trying to get off the subway, I’m going to push you. Sorry. It is going to happen.
   New Yorkers aren’t mean. They’re tired and grumpy. A smile goes a long way. Life is rough, man. Just give a stranger a smile.

2. New Yorkers are exactly as seen in the movies. Firstly, people don’t really live on Manhattan. These are the places people generally live: Brooklyn, Queens, Jersey, Harlem, and the Bronx. If you live on Manhattan you have a one bedroom that you cram seven people into. That whole pent house apartment in Midtown thing doesn’t really happen. And if you know someone who does have a nice apartment on Manhattan you need to befriend them. Immediately.
   Secondly, women don’t wear heels all the time. Maybe this is just what I noticed in movies but let me tell you, it doesn’t happen. New York women wear flats out of the house and then put heels on when arriving at the desired location. If you see a girl on the subway and she is wearing heels, I can almost guarantee she is regretting that decision.
   Why are New Yorkers in movies always going to fancy dinner parties? The fanciest parties I ever go to are grabbing a beer at the closest pub. Thanks, movie producers, for giving me unrealistic dreams about drinking champagne on a rooftop overlooking Manhattan.
   I’m sure there are other things that happen in movies that are based in New York that just don’t happen in real life. It’s probably safe to assume that if it happened in the movie, the likelihood of it happening in real life is slim to none.

3. New Yorkers are dangerous. Moving to NYC, I was always very careful of keeping my belongings in sight. You know, just like the MTA announcement guy tells you. I would keep my phone tucked safely in my pocket only to be taken out when absolutely needed. I checked that my wallet was still in my purse an obnoxious amount of times a day. But seriously, New York isn’t that dangerous anymore. Of course, anything can happen. Of course, some neighborhoods are better than others. Of course, there are bad people in NYC. But lets be honest, there are bad people everywhere. It just comes down to being smart and aware. You would be hard pressed to get on a subway today and not see at least five people with iPhones or iPads all out in the open.

4. New Yorkers only care about work. Don’t get me wrong, New Yorkers care about their jobs a lot. But, a majority of the time their jobs aren’t the only thing they care about. It’s hard not to care about your job when living in NYC simply because it is so expensive to live here. You have to have and keep some sort of job to survive.
   To a similar point, people move to New York City to find their dream jobs. It isn’t for the faint hearted or for those without a plan of action. NYC is where you make it or die trying.
   New Yorkers work their asses off to get ahead. But, that doesn’t mean that work is the most important thing to them. Friends, family, community, and personal hobbies all play a large role in the lives of New Yorkers. More than anything, most of us just want a break from work.

5. New Yorkers wouldn’t want to be my friend. This one is super lame. But, its a real fear I had. I had this idea in my mind that all New Yorkers were exclusive and unless you grew up here, you weren’t cool enough. This was a ridiculous thing for me to think. For one thing, most of the “New Yorkers” I meet aren’t actually from New York at all. Get this, I am working on a production right now called Watson: The Musical. One of the actors and I grew up about 5 miles apart from each other and didn’t meet until we moved to the city. Crazy right? The director of this show lived an hour North of us. NYC is so great because it is filled with people from all over the world. You’ve just got to find the right New Yorker. Someone in this city will want to be your friend.