6 Midwest Things That Have Given Me Away In NYC

As a recent NYC transplant, I've done my best to be as ~New York~ as possible. Lipstick, happy hour margs, jaywalking... you name it. But I just can't seem to shake my Midwestern tendencies that turn me from believable Manhattanite to endearing poser in a matter of seconds.

6. Smiling at strangers

Passing someone on the sidewalk? Smile. Sitting across from someone on the subway? Smile. HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND FEEL LIKE SOMEONE MIGHT CALL YOU OUT AT ANY MOMENT? SMILE. Honestly, smiling is just as much of a defense mechanism for me as it is a gesture of friendly solidarity. And it's ratted me out on more occasion than one here in the City.

It's not that people aren't friendly, per se. It's just that they aren't overtly smile-y like the good ole Midwest.

5. "Pop"

Honest to God, I always thought this was a joke. I thought that everyone knew "pop"/"soda"/"coke" were interchangeable, just that different areas of the country had different noun-age preferences. Safe to say after four weeks in NYC, I was dead wrong.

While ordering fancy tacos from an (barely) up-scale version of Taco Bell, I asked the woman at the register for "two chicken tacos and a pop, please."

She looked at me like I was certifiably insane.

"I'm sorry, what do you want??"

Needless to say, I gave her a brief history of my life and moved on with the evening.

4. Continually using my palm as a geographical symbol

Truly nothing looks more bizarre than pointing to your hand in reference to the location of your hometown. What can I say? Old habits die hard.

3. "I'm sorry"

Things I have apologized for:

Someone stepping on MY foot on the subway/trying to squeeze my way out of an elevator/holding up the grocery check-out line while I fish my reusable bags out of my purse/Shutting down a guy trying to hit on me/not standing clear of the closing doors, please.

Dear God, how have I lasted this long?

2. Asking for a side of ranch

What does a girl have to do to get a side of ranch in this city?! I'm sorry, but you can't serve chicken tenders (even fancy ones) without ranch!!!! This should be a law.

1. Leggings

Before moving to the City, I read a book in which it stated that athletic-wear (read: leggings) automatically displace you as an "outsider" to the rest of the suave and fashionable New Yorkers. But after a couple of months, I have decided that I am just not about that life.