6 Ways Your NYC Life Differs From What You Saw On ‘Friends’

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Nothing has ever looked more fun or appealing than the lives of any one of the six characters on Friends. Perhaps that explains why, when you finally leave mom and dad’s nest and move to the Big Apple, a wave of disappointment typically rushes over you as you realize your life was not that of Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandlers or even Ross’s. No matter how much you try.
Here are 6 ways your life in New York City differs from what you saw on Friends:

1. There’s no coffee shop that empty.

No matter what time of day it is, good luck finding a coffee shop anywhere in NYC that has enough space for you and your iPad mini, never mind a comfy velvet couch for you and your whole crew. Did they need to reserve that on OpenTable?

2. Your friends never come over.

When you and your friends all moved into the city after picking up some not-so-glamorous jobs, you were gung-ho on happy hours. Every day! But it turns out you’re exhausted and don’t have any energy to schlep across town to see your BFF because Seamless and Netflix on your own couch is so much more appealing. Phoebe was a Saint.

3. And when your friends do come over, it’s annoying.

If you do happen to live in the same building as your close friends, it’s not as awesome as Chandler made it out to be as he came busting through the door. Actually, it’s the opposite. You never look as put together as Rachel or Monica, so when your friend does come over unannounced, they find your work clothes in a pile by the bathroom floor and you already in sweats. And glasses. They always catch you in a pair of big, old glasses.

4. You could only wish your friend had his own Taxi.

It tends to be hit or miss, but then suddenly it’s raining and you need to get somewhere and you’re trying to flag down a NYC taxi, and this is always, unequivocally, a miss. Of course now we have advanced apps that will send a car to your doorstep at the cost of an arm and a leg, but having a friend that actually owns a taxi? My friends don’t even own bikes.

5. Whats a two-bedroom apartment?

After searching high and low for a two bedroom apartment that you and your BFF/future roommate could afford on a young professional’s income, you realize Monica and Rachel got the deal of the century. Your job is slightly more lucrative than a barista’s but your “two bedroom apartment” is a studio with a curtain separating your roommate’s bed from your futon. Come to think of it, you’ve actually never been in a friend’s apartment that had more than one bedroom. And by that I mean a legit second bedroom.

6. Your ATM transactions suck.

You’ve absolutely never even came close to running into a Victoria’s Secret model in an ATM vestibule, never mind getting stuck or sharing gum with one. BUT you have had to step over a sleeping homeless man who managed to crash there the night before. And he was lovely.