It's pretty accurate to say that you're excited for summer. You're ready to wear cute sandals and lightweight crewnecks instead of puffy winter coats and heavy boots. You're looking forward to being able to do more things outside, like eating breakfast on your balcony and having photo shoots in the botanical gardens. But, you also live in NYC, so you're not as excited as you could be. To you, summer means sticky subways, long lines at the ice cream trucks, and crowds of people in Central Park. You know that there are struggles millennials face living in NYC in the summer that can be so real. Read 'em and say, "Same."
First, though, let's mention a few reasons why living in the city is like a dream come true. For one, it quite literally was your dream growing up to be based in The Big Apple. You may have wanted to be an editor for a well-known magazine, or a buyer for a fashion house that you know and love. You wanted to wake up to the sounds of taxi cabs rushing by your window, and be walking distance from Times Square.
The younger version of you would be proud to see how far you've come, even if your relationship with NYC now is a love-hate kind of thing. They'd be excited to know that you've had some of the best pizza ever and ran into a celebrity once, and laugh about these five struggles you face in the summer.
First things first: The subway stations are always so hot and sticky in NYC in the summer. You walk down the concrete steps and feel a rush of warm air hit you right in the face. You think to yourself, "Maybe I'll walk there instead," until you realize that the sidewalks are probably burning up from the sun. Um, help!
Truth is, you'd almost rather deal with having dirty feet than sit on a bright orange seat that feels like a melted popsicle. You may even rather get blisters on your heels than grab onto a pole that's oddly wet.
Sometimes, you do end up walking, but other times, you just stick it out and hope for the best. There are some cars that have strong air conditioners. This is where your good karma will kick in.
You love your little apartment in the city, even if it is small and expensive. You love the picture frame you put over the peephole, just like Monica and Rachel's from Friends, and how close you are to coffee shops, restaurants, and great pizza places. What can be a struggle in the summer, though, is cooking — and not just because of the lack of counter space.
You see, turning the oven on makes your aparment pretty hot and humid. It's makes your air conditioner look weak, and every part of your body sweat a lot. So, you tend to order takeout on the regular, or wait in long lines at the cafés with outdoor seating, just to avoid the situation.
Winter is coming, right? Well, kind of. In a few months, you won't have to worry about getting your groceries home before they get warm, and can try out the recipes you keep findng on Pinterest.
Not to be dramatic, but in the summertime, everybody on the planet is hanging out in Central Park. People who are visiting for the weekend have blankets laid out, with pizza boxes sitting on top. College students who are staying in the city for summer internships, are doing work while soaking up the sun.
Finding your own spot to relax is really a struggle. Every single patch of grass is being disrupted by an ultimate frisbee game, or a bunch of joggers who are chatting up a storm. You put in your headphones, but that doesn't seem to help, either.
Eventually, you decide to go to the roof of your apartment building and hang out with your besties instead. The entire cab ride home, you cross your fingers that your neighbors won't already be there. (I'm rooting for you!)
Getting a breath of fresh air in the city in the summer is, well, difficult. The hot steam coming from the subway grates always gets in the way, and the garbage trucks drive by with their own smells. (Don't even get me started on the skyscrapers that block the sunshine, or the fact that there's not a beach in sight.)
That's probably one of the biggest struggles you face: wanting to go to the beach, and having to take a train or long car ride somewhere else. You have to deal with the crowds, waiting for ferrys to Long Island, or the highway traffic going toward the Connecticut shore.
In that moment, you may roll your eyes and think, "Should I move?" It would definitely make experiencing the waves and white sand easier, but the pizza might not be as good. It's up to you!
Everything in the city seems to be expensive. Transportation, rent, and takeout might dominate your bills. You write out checks and swipe your credit cards, and can practically feel your bank account cringe a little bit.
In the summertime, grabbing an iced coffee on your walk to work on the daily is almost essential. As an added bonus, this drink melts in your hand, and fast. Can I get an, "Ugh?"
It "sweats" all over your notebooks for school or the sundress that you bought last week, and you find yourself searching for spare napkins. You complain to whoever you're with, saying that living in the city is such a struggle. It really can be, but it's a love-hate relationship — you know?
