50 Things That Only New York City Can Teach You

I'm a New Yorker, born and raised. After having traveled to a good amount of countries and cities around the world, I have to say that New York definitely tops the list.

It's not uncommon to have a love-hate relationship with the Big Apple – in fact, it's almost guaranteed. It's because, if nothing else, New York will teach you more about yourself and more about life than any other city in the world.

It is a city where you have to rely on your animalistic instincts just as much as your higher intellect in order to strive. Living a decade in New York City is the equivalent of living a lifetime anywhere else – a decade in New York will either make you or break you. Chances are that it'll do a bit of both.

Here are 50 things that the greatest city in the world will teach you – if you have the courage to allow it to do so:

1. Beautiful women seem to hide in the winter, but in the summer, they come out of the woodwork.

2. There are countless ways of telling people "No."

3. You're capable of living under really crappy conditions – you may not like it, but you can handle it.

4. The unique smell of garbage stewing in the sun.

5. The fact that most people don't dress in clothes that actually fit them.

6. That models look better in magazines.

7. There are rats larger than your cat.

8. People are willing to overpay for just about anything.

9. You can go to college for four years and still make less than a bartender.

10. No matter how awful your apartment is, your rent is guaranteed to increase.

11. There are some dirty, dirty people out there.

12. People will lie to you just to see if you'll believe them.

13. Friends are hard to come by.

14. It's possible to be surrounded by millions of people and still feel utterly alone.

15. It is possible to survive off pizza.

16. There are people who will hate you for the sake of hating you.

17. The majority of people in the world are idiots.

18. Being smart doesn't guarantee success – there are plenty of highly intelligent homeless people.

19. Nothing in life is actually free.

20. People only do you favors because they expect you to do the same.

21. Women are just as sex-hungry as men are.

22. Your liver can take an incredible beating.

23. Most people don't know what they want to do with their lives – and it's okay.

24. Finding someone to love is insanely difficult – even if you do meet new people every day.

25. We all have different ways of perceiving the world.

26. The grass isn't actually greener on the other side.

27. You can't survive too long without nature and the outdoors.

28. People are willing to kill you for less than you'd think.

29. Everyone is trying to beat you – even if no one is sure what the competition is.

30. America may be fat, but the problem doesn't stem from here.

31. Not everyone has a problem with taking a dump in public.

32. Human urine smells just as bad as cat piss – at least after being simmered in the sun.

33. You can only get a serving gig in NYC with NYC experience… so unless you were born a waiter, you'll never find a job.

34. Weekends are actually the worst time to party.

35. People will pay for cocktails that cost more than the bottle of liquor they were poured from.

36. If you look like you have money, people will try and take advantage of you.

37. People listen to respond, not to hear.

38. Your friend today can be your enemy tomorrow.

39. It's incredibly important to wear a condom.

40. Most people have horrible taste in music.

41. People like to cause problems in order to feel important.

42. Family is incredibly important – without that support, it's difficult to survive.

43. Everyone falls into a deep, dark hole at least once.

44. No matter how dark and deep that hole is, it's always possible to climb out of it.

45. Having tons of rebound sex doesn't dull the pain of a broken heart for long enough.

46. You need somebody to love you.

47. You need a partner in crime if you want to succeed in life.

48. Money is power.

49. Only the things you have to work hard for matter in life.

50. Happiness is a decision and it's a decision that you need to make every day of your life.

Photo via Tumblr

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