Metrics, Money & Manhattan

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I’ve been in New York City since three days after I graduated college in 2019. No break. No in-between soul-searching trip to Southeast Asia. Just straight into the deep end of rent, ambition, and overpriced oat lattes. Four apartments in four neighborhoods. Three different jobs. From negative dollars in my bank account (not figuratively, I mean literal overdraft fees) to… well, slightly more than that. (Still not enough, though, so if you could go ahead and sign up for Saras, that’d be helpful.)

But every once in a while, I find myself thinking: Should I leave?

Maybe I should live somewhere slower. Somewhere with backyards. Where errands don’t involve fighting for my life at Trader Joe’s on a Sunday. Where having a dishwasher isn’t considered luxury. Where I don’t get hit with a renter’s tax AND a city tax AND a “just because” tax every time I check my bank account.

And yet…

Let’s just call it what it is: New York is unbeatable. There is no place like it. I know this because every time I visit another city, I get bored in 36 hours.

This place is art, culture, music, sports, chaos, and opportunity all smashed together in a tiny, overpriced rectangle. Every single night, if you want it, you can:

• See a Broadway show.
• Eat the best meal of your life.
• Accidentally end up at a bar that charges $26 for a cocktail (should be illegal).
• Spend $9 on a coffee and justify it.
• Get invited to a weird underground event that might be a scam but might also change your life.

And the people—holy shit, the people. Everyone here is doing something. Building something. Trying to be the best at something. You will never find another place where so many unreasonably talented people live on top of each other like this. It’s inspiring while simultaneously overwhelming.

NYC Can Suck

Let’s be real. It’s not all romantic rooftop moments with a skyline view. It’s also:

• Getting on the wrong train and ending up in Queens when you were just trying to go two stops in Manhattan.
• Hearing someone scream in the distance and deciding you just… don’t need to know.
• The smell. (No elaboration necessary.)
• Paying $3,000 a month for an apartment that looks like a storage unit.
• Having to haul your laundry through the streets like a peasant because you don’t have in-unit.
• Human feces. Just, in general. Everywhere.

And yet… we stay. Why?

“Only in New York” Moments

Like that time I played pickup basketball with Adam Sandler and Timothée Chalamet.

Yup. That’s me in my LinkedIn cover photo. No, they are not my friends. Yes, I forced myself into the game. And yes, it was one of the coolest moments ever.

Now, I didn’t exactly bring my A-game that day. Because I was guarding Timmy. Who, I suddenly realized, was in the middle of filming Wonka. And all I could think about was how catastrophic my life would be if I accidentally injured Willy Wonka.

I mean, imagine the headlines: "Unknown NYC Man Ends Timothée Chalamet’s Career with Reckless Elbow in Local Basketball Game."

So yeah, I did not play aggressive defense. I played the "let’s not commit a crime against a beloved movie star" defense. Which, in hindsight, might have cost me some respect on the court. But you know what? Worth it.

Because that’s New York. One second, you’re walking home from work, the next, you’re running pick-and-rolls with Sandler and Timmy C.

And that’s why I’m still here.

Because despite the rent, the rats, the existential dread, and the $17 smoothies, there is simply nowhere else like it.

And if I ever do leave? You better believe I’ll spend the rest of my life romanticizing every single minute of it.