There is a feeling that comes to you the very moment you land in this amazing city. It fascinates you and takes your breath away. You feel almighty, as if you could conquer everything and everyone around you. But when you start living here you stop dreaming about conquering New York and you dare to actually do it and learn how.
Some facts to start with: New York City has 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. All the 5 boroughs are connected and easily reachable. The transportation system of the city is crazily comfortable when you learn to read it. The most popular districts are: Tribeca, Financial District, Soho, Greenwich village, West village, Midtown, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Museum Mile, Williamsburg and Long Island City. This city even has its own island in the middle with a cable road! And when coming here be prepared to delete all the previous prices from your head and try to hold onto your “what?” and “wow”, when you see your dinner bill.
Ready? Let’s go! As part of my BBA in International Hotel Management at Les Roches Marbella, I started my Manager In Training (MIT) program at Le Parker Meridien New York in July 2015 and now I am in the very middle of it. During these months I have grown like never before because this city teaches you the best way possible – fast. It’s like learning how to swim the fastest way: you just jump into the cold ocean and try to survive. Everything was different at the beginning, starting with the mentality of the people here, their work ethic, behavioral patterns and the results that they expect from you. It takes time, but eventually you get used to the constant noise on the street and the movement of the city, which, I need to mention, is crazy fast. You learn to multitask! I used to wonder how these people can always be in such a rush. However, looking at myself eight months later and I no longer have stupid questions like these. 😉 Now I can eat, be on the phone and swipe my metro card at the very same time.
It takes a lot of your energy to be a part of New York City, especially living in Manhattan where it costs you both energy and money (and when I say money, I mean M-O-N-E-Y). I live in a cute small apartment in Yorkville, one of the most famous and prestigious districts of the city, located on the Upper East Side. If you decide to come to New York and you don’t have a place to live, my advice is to have as much patience as you can have and be ready to hear that what sounds really expensive is offered by them as “really good deals”. And when they tell you that you can put any crazy amount in your head and it still won’t be enough! And yeah, it’s the truth.
The best part of living here is the motion and energy. If you feel weak and demotivated the only thing you need to do is get out of your house and go for a walk, have a run in Central Park, or have a nice cozy evening in one of the cute spots on Bleecker street. Your mood will instantly change and you will have this almighty feeling I was telling you about at the very beginning. This is the place, where you can be whoever you want and still fit in. This is the place where the words “work hard, play hard” are not just a part of a famous song, but are your daily reality. This is a city where anything you want can become true and where you can search and find the best you in yourself. This is the city where lights and speed will take your breath away to the point that you will become a part of it and move forward with the city’s heartbeat. New York City is the place where dreams are made.
