NYC | Myths & Facts as a Tourist

I've wanted to visit New York City as far back as I can remember, but the want got real when I turned 17 and got big into Sex and the City, and then it amplified even more when Gossip Girl came on TV.

Fast forward to Christmas Day last year when Tarl surprised me with a trip, and negative thoughts started to creep in. Sure I was excited and beyond ecstatic to travel to the big apple, but everyone always says that New Yorkers are beyond rude. The city is filthy. It's not all it's cracked up to be, etc...it kinda bummed me out. What if I imagined this glorious city just to arrive and realize it's crap in reality. 

Well as an SC born and bred country bumpkin, I'm here to tell you the Myths & Facts as a true tourist travelling to Manhattan.

one...New Yorkers are not rude. Everyone working in the airport was nice and helpful. Our driver into the city was polite, asked questions, told us must-dos and told jokes on the way. He lived in Brooklyn. Our concierge who lived in Manhattan most of her life was a true joy, especially when asking questions. She never once got irritated (and trust me, we asked a lot of questions!) We took an Uber twice while we were there. Both drivers lived in Manhattan and both were super nice and hilarious. While looking at the Subway maps, random strangers would walk up, ask us where we were headed and told us just what train to get on and tell us about something where we were headed (hey, check out this restaurant while you're there type thing). I never once met anyone while we were there who was rude. Not once. Not saying there aren't rude people, as there are rude people in every state, but that whole "NY people are rude" isn't true! Myth.

two...getting a cab is not hard. Movie after movie. Show after show. We see countless actors struggle to get that NYC cab. My NYC bucket list had 'hail a cab' on it, so on Friday night while headed to dinner, I was ready to hail that cab. I lifted my hand and one quickly pulled up to the curb. I was kinda bummed but relieved at the same time. I had anticipated waving my hands around like a crazy person or yelling or whistling, but nope, not once. I hailed three cabs the following days and just like before, they pulled right up to the curb. We never waited over two minutes trying to get a cab. Myth.

three...the city isn't dirtier than any other. Yes, in certain spots of Manhattan there are trash bags piled up on the sidewalks and to be honest, it's right there on the corners of Times Square (tourist central). It may be just the places that we visited, but 90% of the city was pristine, gorgeous and well maintained. Greenwich Village was stunning. The financial district was well maintained too. The upper east side and the small parts of Central Park that we saw were just as they are on TV. I think NYC, like most cities, has it's good parts and bad parts. Most tourists won't visit the bad parts. Myth.

four...the weather is different. I've heard time and time again, that the weather, although the temperature may be the same on the thermometer as it is here, will feel different. This is no joke! When we landed at JFK, it seemed as if though all moisture from my face seeped out as soon as I stepped off the plane. My once oily skin was dry as a bone and I never carry moisturizer because I have naturally oily skin. My eyes were so red and dry by dinner that I wore my glasses while walking around Times Square. Mind you, I can wear my contacts here at home all day with no bother, but up there the air is much dryer. Our 75 degree weather is pure perfection. All that is required is a long sleeve tee and tall boots at best. New Yorks 75 degree weather can some times feel like 60. In the South we have humidity. In the summer (like right now) it's brutal. In the fall, the humidity starts getting lower, but it's just enough to require nothing more than some sleeves. New York has hardly any humidity, so their 75 degrees may feel a lot different then ours. Fact.

five...the city's not that big. Everyone told me that it wouldn't be as big as I thought it was. They were wrong. So wrong. It was even bigger than I had anticipated it to be. Bullshit. Myth!

six...this may be one that you haven't heard of, but while planning our trip out before we went I asked a lot of my FaceBook friends what they thought about the Empire State Building. All of them told me it was a must do, but to plan a day for it. They said the line wait would be hours as it wraps around the block and you'll spend at least half your day just waiting in line and travelling to the top. I'm not saying this isn't true, I'm just saying for mine and Tarl's experience it wasn't true. It took us 45 minutes, total. That is buying the tickets, waiting in line, travelling the two elevators to the top, hanging out up top, taking pictures, and then back down outside of the building. A total of 45 minutes. That's it. I'm not sure if it has a bad wait time in the mornings or at nights. When we went it was mid-day, but there was no long line, no waits. It was easy breezy. For us, this was a Myth.

seven...the hot dogs are great. I heard from several people, including my boss, that the cart hot dogs by the street vendors were a must do. Well, we did, and they were terrible. The hot dogs are no bueno! Myth!

eight...New York is expensive. Good gracious did I hear this while planning our trip. No explanation needed. It's just down right expensive! Fact.

nine...there is a Starbucks on every corner. Lucky for everyone, this is a Fact!

ten...once you visit NYC, you'll want to live there. Fact!