Interviewing a New York Native

This past week I decided to include a post that didn't just have my point of view regarding NYC. To tackle this, I was able to get an interview with Kirsten Dolan, a business owner that lived in New York City for over 30 years. She recently moved to Florida for work purposes, but had a lot of good insight into New York that she could share with me.

When did you first move to NYC and why?

I first moved to NYC directly out of college for a job offer.

What were your first impressions of the city?

I was pretty amazed with New York as a whole, I grew up in a rural setting, so the city excited me. It took some time to get used to the lifestyle changes, but I really enjoyed what NYC had to offer.

What were your favorite aspects to living in NYC?

I would have to say the way I could pretty much walk to anywhere I needed to go. I no longer needed to take a car ride to pick something up at the pharmacy or go grocery shopping- speaking of that I really loved the shopping, my bank account would disagree... but anyway. Being able to commute to work or outside functions from my downtown apartment was a luxury I wasn't used to, and heavily relied on once I moved to NYC.

And your least favorite?

Probably the cleanliness, or lack thereof. I'm a bit of a clean freak or germaphobe, so having garbage bags piled up on the sidewalks really wasn't something I enjoyed. Also I definitely could have lived without seeing the occasional rat run down the sidewalk or subway track. I was able to learn to tolerate it though, but I don't miss those things one bit.

Do you have any advice to someone visiting NYC or moving here for the first time?

I would say to remember that it may take time to adjust to new environment. NYC has a completely different pace than those of other cities, the people here move way faster. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to adjust quickly, or else you'll just get overwhelmed. Also, as over rated as they may seem to some people, check out the "touristy" spots. The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Grand Central... they're all things that a person should see if they get the chance. But going off of that, you don't have to do it all in one day, take your time so you can really enjoy it and cross if off your bucket list.

Kirsten had some really great points about NYC, that many of us can relate with. I think she also gave great advice to those who visit or move to NYC for the first time- so keep what she said in mind!