New Yorkish Things

Certain things make me feel like a New Yorker, a true inhabitant of the Big Apple. Here's a short list:

Ordering Chinese, Italian, Cantonese, Asian Fusion, sushi, Vietnamese, and/or Greek food whenever we want AND getting it delivered by a guy who risked his life cycling it through Manhattan.

Taking multiple modes of public transportation to get… anywhere. I take the subway and the bus a total of five times a day. Ben takes the subway and the Long Island Railroad four times a day –just to clock in and out before dinner.

Yelling at cabbies when they assume we’re tourists and drive through Times Square.

Shaking my fist at cabbies when they cross three lanes of traffic to avoid driving us to the airport. We learned, and now hide our suitcases behind parked cars until they pull over.

Going to the grocery store multiple times a week. We only buy what we can carry, so no Super Wal-Mart moments of leaving with four carts and a full trunk.

Walking to the hardware store for nails, the grocery for food, the stationary store for cards, the bank for money,and Duane Reade for everything else – there is no one-stop shopping without Wal-Mart.

Writing checks for an exorbitant amount of money each month to live in a space the size of my old walk-in closet.

Ever-growing cockroaches. They, not Bloomberg, run the city.

Eating desserts and sweets all the time from bakeries that dot every block. Each showcase tantalizing treats in the windows that just beg to be eaten.

Knowing only a handful of people in the city, but randomly running into them on the subway or in Midtown. What are the odds?

Having the neighboring buildings so close I ALMOST feel like I know my neighbors.

Realizing that I never need half of what we have. With (very) limited space, we only buy what we need. Every item has a place and every place is very small. Adding more “stuff” only upsets the balance. Now, I only buy what I love.