The New York City Dream
As I blast “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra in my headphones, I imagine myself living in New York City. I stroll through Central Park, eat a bagel every morning, live in my high-rise apartment, have a fairytale romance and all of my problems cease to exist. Growing up, I quickly learned how to make my dreams come true. Through films, television, music, and magazines, it all pointed in one direction–New York City. New York is the place to be if you want to make a new life. Social media makes it seem that living in New York City is glamorous; eating out every night, going to exclusive night clubs and living in a two-story apartment. People come from all around the world to live in NYC. Living in a city where everyone is driven and following their dreams is inspiring. Possibilities seem endless if I lived in The Big Apple.
New York City is the most populated city in America, with over 8 million residents. New York has been portrayed as a place to make your dreams come true. Many films and television shows take place in NYC. My favorites are “Sex and the City,” “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” and “When Harry Met Sally.” With over 8 million residents in the city, the chances of seeing the same person twice are almost impossible. One of my favorite NYC-based films is “Serendipity.” This movie follows a chance encounter between two individuals who fall in love at first sight. The female lead believes in serendipity, defined as “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.” In the movie, years pass by and the two characters go about their lives. In the end, they magically return to each other. Movies like this romanticize the magical love someone receives in NYC. In reality, this is pretty much impossible. According to the United States Census, nearly 3 million people in NYC are single.
Social media is one of the most prominent players in romanticizing your life. Influencers will use their platform to promote day-in-the-life videos. Most of these NYC influencers are showing the glamorous and dreamy sides of New York City living. One NYC TikToker, @calebwsimpson, approaches people in the streets, asks how much they pay for their apartment, and then films a tour. These apartments range in price but mostly are upwards of thousands of dollars per month. As I scrolled through his TikTok account, most people interviewed were influencers with thousands of followers. Their apartments were huge, with walk-in closets and heated floors. Realistically, most people would be unable to afford the high rent in NYC. If you want to live in The Big Apple, there's a price to pay.
Despite negative factors and people’s opinions, people still love living in NYC. I don’t care if I’m living in a shoe box apartment and eating two-dollar pizza every night if I am living in the place that is right for me. As Taylor Swift says, “Welcome to New York, it's been waiting for you.”