1. Hearing the Mister Softee jingle brings you both pain and joy.
2. A crowded beach is priceless since there is ZERO driving involved.
3. No matter how sketchy the person is, buying an Italian ice is always worth it.
4. You might live in a concrete jungle, but nature does exist here.
5. Sitting outside for hours at restaurants because bottomless mimosas are a gift from heaven.
6. Walking through the open fire hydrant because why not?
7. Riding the Wonder Wheel or the Cyclone at Coney Island, even though you'll feel like SUCH a tourist.
8. Walking through street fairs, where you can pick up a shish kabob, a new dress, and still talk about how awful crowds are.
9. Escaping to Governors Island for the day, which pretty much feels like you're leaving the state.
10. Going to one of the city pools, which have longer lines than the cronut line but so worth it.
11. Daytripping to the Hudson Valley is your reminder that not everything smells like garbage.
12. Manhattanhenge: the one and ONLY time it's acceptable for everyone in NYC to stop in the middle of the street.
13. Food flea markets like Smorgasburg or LIC Flea, where a hot dog will cost you $5 but you'll eat it facing the skyline.
14. You can take fun summer fashion risks but no one will notice because it's New York.
15. Free concerts that'll remind you there's always a price for everything: sweat.
16. Free things to do that you didn't think were possible in NYC, like kayaking and stargazing.
17. Free outdoor movie screenings, complete with mosquitoes and a couple making out next to you.
18. Two baseball teams means double the amount of times you can watch a game and drink beer.
19. Rooftop bars, that match the number of floors they have to how much you'll have to pay for a beer.
20. Stepping onto an air conditioned subway car is like stepping into heaven.
21. Walking or biking the Brooklyn Bridge and realizing this is how people end up with heat stroke.
22. And nothing beats a summer night walk along the gorgeous New York skyline and knowing that despite its faults, there's a reason you're still here.
