When I was in Peru some years ago I had the chance to meet two amazing Americans, Sarah and Michelle. Michelle is now living in New York and since I went there in March in order to visit the Big Apple I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to meet her again in order to ask her some questions about the city.
So here we go :
1. Is New York very different from other cities in the US ?
Yes, it is very different firstly because of its size, it’s huge here. I live here for more than a year now and I can still get lost. The skyscrapers are amazing and there is a lot of art and culture atmosphere that I love too.
2. According to you what are the positive and the negative aspects of living in NY?
The positive aspects :
– The free events you can find here, especially in the summertime like concerts, festivals, free activities (dance)
– The size, it’s big and there are so much things to do and you never get bored
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The negative aspects :
– It can be overwhelming sometimes and you also can have like « too many options » when you want to go out, see something…
– Sometimes when you meet new people you can feel a kind of pressure when they are asking « what do you do for a living? » since most of the time people want to check and compare your situation to theirs so sometimes it can be a little bit superficial
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3. What do you do for a living here?
I am currently working at the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art).
4. The prices seem to be quite high here, do the salary also allows people to live in NY without being affraid not being able to pay the bills?
I know that the minimum wage is higher here than in other cities but it’s also expensive to live here. Most of the time people share flats with others, for example I live with a person from London and Brazil. The taxes are also higher. Actually it depends if you work also part or full time. For instance when you are a bartender your wage is super low that’s why the tips you give are super important for them.
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5. What advices would you give to someone coming here to visit?
I would say to do research before coming here for example to check how to use the subway, what do you really want to see… Also I would recommend to always have the Google Maps app which is useful. To open your eyes to check all the different cultures, the different neighborhood, places…
6. What is your favorite place in NY?
I personally love the Prospect park in Brooklyn. There are concerts there in summer and I feel good going to this park. I like also the place where I am working, the MET because you often have different exhibitions and new things to discover there. Brooklyn Bridge and the neighborhood of Dumbo are also cool.
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7. What characteristics would you say that New Yorkers have?
Like I said before the New Yorkers can sometimes put on you some pressure and make you feel like you are less worthy but hopefully it’s not always the case. My boyfriend of example is from NY and he is patient and extremely nice. There is also this cliché that New Yorks can be mean but everytime I asked a question even to these people who were in a hurry they still helped me. They are just being themselves and not pretending to be someone else and that’s good.
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8. Would you like to spend all your life living here? (Michelle is actually from Miami)
Hum I don’t really think so. For now it’s good because I have a job and I feel lucky to be here, to live here but I have also the dream to be in Europe, maybe Spain. Sometimes I look at old people living here and I wonder how do they do 😀
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9. Why is New York considered to be a dream city?
When you are watching movies or listening to some songs you are like « whoa this is a dream city, where dreams can come true etc ». There is a huge image of success, entertainment in NY. And so much movies are filmed in this big city… There is no over place like NY. You often hear that someone who had nothing came here and become someone and got it all!
10. One last word?
Come and check by yourself this amazing place and decide by yourself what you like and don’t like here :).
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I wanted to thank this amazing human being to have aggreed to make this tiny interview.
Here is Michelle very nice instagram check it out : https://www.instagram.com/michelle.faviola/
Alice
