When will i be one too?

The city that never sleeps.
Gotham.

street performers

The melting pot.

There are hundreds of nicknames given to this city, and yet the one name given to its people, is “New Yorkers”. The city creates a lifestyle of its’ own: people here have a rhythm – a hustle and flow that will leave you behind in a heartbeat, there’s a style – not to follow trends but to exemplify your individuality, and there’s a diversity that is unmatched anywhere else in the US.

 So, my question is…  what makes you a New Yorker? I remember asking an older New Yorker once, who said that you’re a New Yorker when you start paying NYC taxes, but can it be that simple? Do I just move here, and BAM! “Dude, I’m in!”… Now, I can complain about the tourists that never know where they are going and laugh at people that think 5^th Ave is the only place to shop.

city hall park

Not so fast! Other New Yorkers say you haveta live here for longer than 10 years, or know the difference between lombardis and grimaldis .. or for those extremists – you need to be born here, SON! But the one thing I have noticed of all the convos I’ve had with ‘true New Yorkers’ is how much they love this city..

                Perhaps all those other definitions is just a way to gauge how much you love the city.. enough to try all the pizza joints to know whats your fave and to know that any other city’s pizza – just won’t do. Enough to know that a fashion trend is just a trend – it’s how YOU work it on the streets of NYC that makes it fabulous, and enough to know that living in a tiny space and paying half your paycheck in rent is still worth it just to live in this city. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable saying “I’m a New Yorker”- I probably won’t have a “New Yawk” accent, or intelligently argue why I love east village more than west village, but the longer I’m here, the more I love the city, and the more “New Yorker” I will be.