DC v. NYC

The beauty of living in a city like D.C. is how easy it is to leave this city, and visit other awesome places on the East Coast. I know I already talked about how awesome transportation is here, so I won't bore you with those details. I decided, on a whim, to go to New York last week, and $40 and one Megabus ride later, I was in the Big Apple. Little did I realize that I hadn't been to NYC since I was like 13, and while I may be all independent and confident in D.C., I was not like that in NYC.

Luckily, my friend Tina goes to NYU and she graciously offered her place near Chinatown for me to stay at for the weekend. And not only did she let me stay with her, she showed me an awesome time. Going to NYU, she's met some pretty cool people, including someone who lives in the Trump Tower. Which is where she took me on Friday night. Needless to say, it was pretty cool.

I love New York, and I've always envisioned myself living there permanently. I love the idea of living with 12 million other people and the diversity in the city. But while I was walking in the Upper West Side (one of the most expensive areas in the world), I couldn't help but notice the smells and trash on the streets. On my left I had these amazing walk-ups that are probably worth millions, and right in front of them, were piles and piles of garbage from neighboring restaurants and stores. It's completely different from Washington D.C., where streets are pristine. Even the Metro is spotless, which I can't say for the NYC transit system. While I was waiting for the subway, I saw a rat in the tracks. I almost screamed. That about did it for me.

Spending time in D.C. by myself has taught me a lot about what I want in life and what my ultimate goals are. NYC is expensive as hell and I saw a much lower quality of life in the Big Apple. While it would be cool to live in the most famous city in the world, do I really want to start my day off with the lovely view of rat running through sewage?

Don't get me wrong - there's a lot of nice stuff in NYC, but you have to have the money for it. I guess you get a little spoiled when you grow up in a nice suburb and then go to school in Ann Arbor. Everything is always clean and nice. I don't really want to give that up just to say that I live in NYC. While I had a great time on my trip, I came to an important conclusion. New York is not the place for me. I could probably do law school there, but not much more. DC, on the other hand, feels like home. I'm in constant awe of the power and influence in this city. And a little part of me dies when I walk to work in the morning and I see the dome of the Capitol.

Shopping may be more fun in New York (check out www.uniqlo.com, it's H&M on crack and cheaper than Forever), but DC's the city for me. I never thought I'd say this, but I'll take a creepy, unemployed man hitting on me over a rat any day :P

I've been bad about updating the blog...sorry! I'll make sure to post more often! Thanks for reading!