The Love/Hate Relationship Every Post-Grad Experiences With New York City

NYC: can't live with it, can't live without it. It's a place we've wanted to live our whole lives, but when we finally got here, we were greeted by a rude awakening. Sh*t is expensive, but the food is amazing. It's packed with tourists, but has the greatest sights we've seen in the US.

We complain we want to move to somewhere with warmer weather during the winter months, but during the spring, there's nowhere else we'd rather be.

There's no more intricate relationship than that a person has with the city of New York. I mean, isn't that what "Sex and the City" was essentially based on?

Regardless if we hate it or love it at times, one thing remains: It's our home and we wouldn't want it any other way. Let's take a closer look at the love/hate relationship we have with the Big Apple, New York City.

1. Your college friends are here: Love

Chances are, most of your friends from college had the same idea you did: move to the big city. We were fortunate enough to have a little piece of our previous home with us as we settled into our new surroundings.

It's great to have friends here because we're all generally going through the exact same life changes, at least in the beginning.

2. Those friends live a taxi or subway ride away: Hate

You may be lucky enough to live in the same city as your closest friends, but chances are, you are living across town from them.

Everyone is making different salaries, so not everyone can afford to live in the same area. But hey, the subway isn't that bad.

3. You can run all your errands within walking distance: Love

There's likely a Duane Reade on your corner, a bodega across the street and a grocery store only a few blocks away.

That's the beauty of living in NYC; you can get to everything you could possibly need by foot. Sure, maybe we're lazy and don't want to walk nine times out of 10, but the option is always there.

4. The winter calls for hibernation: Hate

The city is a brutal place to live during the winter and everyone is more than aware of it. I mean, who wants to venture outside when they don't have to? The winter basically gives us a get-out-of-jail-free card to bail on going out every weekend.

5. The nightlife options are limitless: Love

You can literally go out to a different place on any given night and not repeat locations for years. There is a wide variety of places you can venture to: bars, pubs, clubs, rooftops... You name it, NYC has got it.

6. You don't need a car: Love/Hate

It's awesome not needing a car or having to pay for gas, but it can get frustrating when you just want to be somewhere and have to rely on other, often times unpredictable, means of transportation.

7. We pay ridiculous amounts of money to live in a shoebox: Hate

We pay to have the New York experience, not to have a dream apartment. You basically sacrifice every ounce of personal space, along with your paycheck, to be able to afford a tiny-ass apartment that you are forced to share with one or two other people.

It may suck the soul out of you, but honestly, would you rather live anywhere else?

8. The transportation system can basically get you anywhere: Love

You can literally get to any part of the city by bus or subway. Well, thank God because after paying our rent, it's not like we could even hope to afford parking a car here.

9. The summers make us want to leave: Hate

So, after we pay an arm and a leg to live here, by the time summer comes around, we want to get the F out. It's unbearably hot and there's no body of water for us to cool off in.

We want the beach and we want it now! Unfortunately for us, that just isn't an option. The solution for most New Yorkers is to flee to the Hamptons for summer weekends, which always seems like a great idea until you're sitting in Long Island traffic.

10. Tourists in Times Square: Hate

If you want to get molested by Elmo, then by all means, head to Times Square! But for every other normal person out there, this is the last place you want to go.

For some reason, it looks oh-so glamorous on television and in the movies, but in person, it is quite the opposite.

11. The restaurant options are endless: Love

The best food is in NYC. It doesn't matter what you're in the mood for, you can find it here. Sure, it may be pricey, but there are always less expensive options, and honestly, it's worth the cost.

12. Everything is so f*cking expensive: Hate

Who can afford a $16 drink? Yeah, that's right, no one! And if you say you can, well, you should be spending your money elsewhere. You can literally buy a bottle of Svedka for $16 -- why are we spending $16 on a vodka soda? Sh*t ain't right.

13. Each neighborhood feels like a different city in and of itself: Love

Soho, Hell's Kitchen, Meatpacking District, Chelsea, Murray Hill and more... All NYC neighborhoods have their own unique feeling, which makes them all amazing places to explore.

Well, except for Murray Hill, that is (just kidding... kind of). This is what makes NYC so f*cking cool; you can literally walk around aimlessly and still have the greatest day of your life.

14. Doormen are assh*les: Hate

I'm not talking about apartment doormen; I'm talking about the ones who stand outside the bars and think they run the f*cking world. They don't allow you in if you're wearing jeans or heels shorter than four inches. Like, WTF, do they carry rulers? #PowerTrip

15. Dollar slices of pizza: Love

Pizza is more than an acceptable meal in NYC considering we are all rent-poor. There is nothing as satisfying as being able to get a fulfilling meal for under $5, especially here.

16. How crowded the subway is during commuting hours: Hate

The subway is a perfectly acceptable form of transportation, except during the hours you actually need it. We all take it, but it's a miserable experience when a sweaty, smelly, old man steps in and presses his body up against you when there is clearly no room left in the subway cart.

People push and shove and refuse to move further into the train resulting in an overall sh*tty experience you can't wait to escape.

17. Out-of-town friends want to visit us: Love

We live in one of the biggest, best cities in the country -- who wouldn't want to come visit for a weekend?

We get to show our friends our favorite spots, introduce them to our new friends and basically show them this new life we're leading. Just don't let their comments about how small your apartment is get to you.

Top Photo Courtesy: Favim