Living in New York City was something I never really thought I would just “get used to.” This city is so enormous and full of life and people and action. Sometimes, as I’m walking down 5th Avenue to class or to a store in SoHo, or a restaurant in Chelsea, I find myself thinking that I am in a city full of opportunity and at any point my world could completely change.
New York City is one of the most important fashion capitals in the world. This is definitely something you experience the first time you walk through those tent doors into Fashion Week, or the first time you are dressing models for a designer, or the first time you get an internship. This city, as well as everywhere in the world, is surrounded by fashion, but in New York City it isn’t just something that you wear; here is it something that you do. And there are so many things to do all the time. There is always a restaurant open (albeit maybe only a pizza joint), there is always sightseeing to do that ISN’T touristy, and there is always Central Park. And I’ve become accustomed to being surrounded by a million people at all times and the horns from the cars and the smells of the hotdog and Halal vendors.
Sometimes, on the weekends, when I don’t have a binder of homework to do I will just start walking. I will start at the dorm on 97th Street and walk all the way to midtown. Sometimes I will meander through the park, or just walk up 3rd Avenue, or just switch avenues every few blocks. This is one way I got so familiar and comfortable with the city. Not only do you get good exercise, but you also see so many wonderful things that not a lot of other people really know about. My most important suggestion when coming to New York City is that you spend some time getting to know the different areas and experience things besides Times Square and the major tourist spots. Those places are awesome too, but New York City has so much more to offer than meets the eye.