Common Misconception: All New Yorkers are angry, rude people.
Whenever I tell someone I'm from South Florida, they mention how rude the people are there, and cite the transplanted New Yorkers as the source of negative energy. In movies, everyone always has that thick Jersey accent, rushing you in and out of a place, refusing to smile at anyone. So far, that's completely and totally untrue. Sure, people are in a hurry, and of course, there are rude people in New York City. But there are rude people EVERYWHERE you go. I haven't met a single person, much less every person so far, that has been unduly short with me. I am pleasantly surprised.
First Impression: People. Walk. Everywhere.
I've been taking the subway around to most places, which is completely normal when you're going to Brooklyn or the Bronx. But when I called my friend, Jungle M, in the Upper West Side to tell her I was on my way to her, she asked if I was walking or taking the train. It's 50 blocks, of course I was taking the train. She said she was planning on walking to Columbia's library later that day. So yesterday we trekked around Central Park, Columbus Circle, down close to Times Square and then back around to get to the train to me, no problem. That kind of walking I can handle. A 50 block stroll to pick up a friend? We'll see about that.
Common Misconception: It's a big scary city that's so easy to get lost in.
The day before my ungrad graduation, a few friends and I were tubing down a river near the Swamp. We missed our exit, and ended up staying on the river until we found some random strangers who could escort us back to our car - 4 hours, in river floating time, upstream. We had a lot of time to talk, mostly about Disney movies, but a little about getting lost and how I was ready for the big city. One of my friends pointed out that she'd so much rather get lost in the forest, like we basically were, than in the concrete jungle. I've been thinking a lot about this, and I have never felt lost or out of control in my surroundings in NYC. The streets are a grid, which is easy enough without GPS, but having a smart phone makes it next to impossible to get lost. The sketchy areas are easy to spot, and YES you know you're not supposed to walk through them alone, but sometimes you have to, and you just learn to deal with it. I picked up on that last summer, but that didn't dispel all my anxiety walking home from the subway, alone, at night, for the first time. But I knew my route, and once I got off the train onto Columbia's campus, there were people everywhere, bright street lights, and a million and one public safety officers. So dear friends who are worried I'm going to get mugged on a daily basis, calm down. Crime does happen in NYC, but based on 2008 FBI statistics, violent crime rates are quite comparable to where I spent my undergrad years.
First Impression: Ivy League school kids are just as diverse and nervous as public school kids. Ivy League parents do not all look like Upper East Side royalty.
Just some non-exclusive to New York City insight, since the freshmen have been wandering around the quad for orientation (and that area is the fastest way to the subway), so I've seen quite a few of them. Their parents look like my parents. They look like I looked four years ago. Hell, some of them look like I look now. I expected boys in blue blazers with American flag lapel pins being dropped off by their nannies, or girls that look like Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries, pre-makeover, bogged down with piles of books. I'm not really surprised by this, I just thought it was worth mentioning.
Common Misconception: All the women in NYC dress and look like supermodels.
Um, false. Okay, so there's a large number of young, fashionable women wearing sundresses and sandals that I cannot imagine walking around in for miles. But there are also people who look totally normal - T-shirts, jean shorts, sneakers, gym clothes. Also, not an abundance of rompers or leggings yet, so I'm okay as far as my pet peeve fashion items go. In short, I don't think I'll be needing a whole new wardrobe to fit in.
First Impression: It gets hot during the day. It gets cold at night.
There are climate changes here! It's going to rain on Friday, and ONLY on Friday! And then, after it rains, we're going to get a cold front! I wonder if the leaves will change color and my allergies will react to the pollen changes! Okay, so some of this stuff happened in the Swamp. But NEVER near the beaches back home. It's been 15 years since I've really had to deal with snow. Call me crazy, but I don't think my first winter in New York will be worse than my last summer in Florida.
Overall thoughts: I am excited. Nothing right now could make me NOT excited. Not even the list of textbooks I just looked at, and the thought that financial aid hasn't kicked in yet. I think I'm gunna like it here.
