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people will hate me for this but as a new yorker i love going to jersey. it’s always a fun little adventure and nj transit tickets aren’t that expensive. there’s a bunch of good ethnic food that doesn’t cost $15 for an appetizer + people respect you more cause you’re from new york. but you can’t just go to the new york parts of jersey like hoboken, i’m talking new brunswick/metropark/edison CENTRAL JERSEY, that’s where the real shit is
Jan 25, 2024
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Greatest place- gave us Harold and Kumar, Clerks, The Sopranos, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Willis, Obv the flick Garden State, Kyle from South Park, etc. Im technicallyy moving to NYC but more importantly, I am living in New Jersey for a month before. And I am taking my happy ass to Wawa daily
It has everything I could ever desire and I don’t feel the need to defend it further
Nov 3, 2023
i moved from philly to jersey recently (which doesn‘t sound big because they’re close (but trust me)) and i‘m in a really weird maybe very melodramatic state of mourn. i love where i’m from and who it’s made me and the GIFT of perspective i’ve received from growing there
Feb 13, 2025
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here’s my misc thoughts lol i’m no expert but this is from my POV as someone who’s lived here full time a bit and grew up visiting all the time. firstly, you’re def right that it is expensive — nearly impossible to relocate to if you don’t have a job secured and aren’t rich. even moreso if you have never visited or have only done one super tourist-y visit--it’s not just Times Square and Statue of Liberty (love her tho) rainbows and butterflies vibes lol.
like i seriously do not recommend moving here if you haven’t been to other boroughs, and neighborhoods outside of Midtown, SoHo, FiDi, UES etc. i’ve never been to england so can’t speak to it bit you might find it helpful to look online for comparisons to cities you’ve spent more time in - london and other cities in europe perhaps. consider if NYC would be that much more exciting or “better” for you?
also there’s a huge issue of influencers and people who wanna live here impulsively for fun that has driven up rent and driven out lifetime residents, esp working class folks and people of color. (lots of writing out there on the difference between moving to any city vs gentrifying one, and what one can do to not be complicit in the latter). and, my family is from here and i have always loved the city; i did get a job here after graduation but i really wouldn’t have moved here if i hadn’t.
so definitely come here intentionally, and arrive with a willingness to engage with your community! sometimes new residents who aren’t as acquainted with the “real” new york and can’t afford apts in the more gentrified or historically wealthy areas (most of manhattan, some parts of brooklyn) have a misconception of the city, so they end up feeling awkward or “unsafe” where they live, and thus don’t give back to their neighborhood. it’s veryyy weird that some people move here only to go to work, eat out and party on the weekends. (not saying this is you ofc! but just a general note).
the irony is that NYers get a bad rep for the mind your own business culture and realness--and yeah NYers aren’t “nice”, but people are kind. folks care about and actively help out their neighbors. i saw this in my own fam growing up! and as sinatra himself once said: “if i can make it here, i’ll make it anywhere.” it is a tough place to “make it” for people without roots. but i’d never deny that new york, for many of us, lives up to its reputation as the so-called greatest city in the world ;)
Aug 30, 2024
Top Recs from @mdoinurmom
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if you think you’re the smartest person in your friend group you’re weird and annoying. the best friendships come out of mutual awe and respectability. be friends with people who make you want to know more things.
Jan 29, 2024
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i will never be in a situationship in the same way i will never be in the land of oz--it's just not real. i think using the word doesn't let you self-reflect in a way that is truly helpful. i was telling my friend about the awkwardness of seeing an exhook up in a relationship bc i thought we had mutual feelings and she said "oh your exsituationship" and i thought (for the first time) no, we had clear boundaries i just got my hopes up. my point is that instead of using situationship as a catch-all for not quite dating or wtv failed prospect, take it as a moment to reflect on what exactly went wrong. idk if this is profound or not
Jan 30, 2025
i’m averaging 14,000 steps a day for the past year, why? i walk everywhere. at one point i was averaging 16,000 (this is my flex). you get to explore a city and now when people ask me for directions i can actually tell them bc i’ve gotten really good at knowing where i am. if it takes less than an hour for me to walk from a to b, i will walk. if i have enough time i’ll walk 2+ hours just to see someone. just put on a good playlist/pod and go go go!!
Jan 29, 2024