1. The disgust when one big wet drop of something lands on your shoulder, and all you can do is pray it's from an air conditioner.
2. The temptation of that perfect piece of street furniture, but the fear of juuuuust not being sure why it's out there.
3. The very temporary sadness you feel for tourists who can't swipe their MetroCards correctly (as you slide seamlessly through the turnstile).
4. The confusion of seeing someone actually waiting for the light to change before they cross the street.
5. The absolute terror of finding a new place to live.
6. The pride you feel when you figure out the perfect place to wait on the subway platform.
7. The shock when you're just going about your business, but some dude is walking around with a bunch of giant snakes, or a fucking cat on his head.
8. The panic every time you find out your new fling and your ex used to be roommates/ bandmates/ coworkers and are actually still kind of friends, because of course they are.
9. The stifled excitement when you see a celebrity and you want to scream, but you have to act cool instead.
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"Mr. Carte— I mean, who are you?"
10. The awkwardness when a cockroach scuttles by the sidewalk cafe you're sitting at, and you just can't tell what that means.
11. The burn when a street vendor tries to charge you the out-of-towner price.
12. The recognition that even if you leave for work extra early, there will be a subway service change you didn't know about, a sick passenger, and a rail condition that all make you late.
13. The puzzlement you feel when you see tour buses with people taking photos of... what, exactly?
14. The influx of good energy you get from showtime dancers, even when you try to resist it.
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Just me? Oh, alright.
15. The smugness you feel while strolling past the line at Katz's or Magnolia Bakery to your even better secret sandwich/cupcake spot.
16. The annoyance when you get a big whiff of garbage in the summer...
17. ... or a boot full of curbside slush in the winter.
18. The epiphany of no longer fearing pigeons and rats, but accepting them instead as, er, entertainment.
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19. The hurt and exhaustion you feel when people are bad.
20. But also, the inspiration when people are really, really good.
Heroic straphangers help woman who got burned after she fell onto Bronx subway tracks https://t.co/qrFq818mw9
21. The earnest wonder when you leave the city for the weekend and at first it's really nice and you can't believe you can actually see stars...
22. ... but then the regret because it's also eerily quiet and you can't get whatever food you want at any time and I'm sorry, you call this pizza?
23. The magic of finding a bodega that will henceforth become your bodega...
24. ... and the stomach drop when you see it has closed, because the city is always changing.
25. The happiness you feel when you look at all the different kinds of people around you...
26. ... and the same feeling when you visit an amazing museum, or see an incredible show, or a busker scores your commute perfectly.
27. And ultimately, the understanding that even if the city makes you nuts sometimes, how incredibly lucky you are.
