10 Things You Notice About Life When You Move Out Of New York City

Growing up in New York City, you get used to a certain lifestyle: A fast pace, no time for small talk, no patience whatsoever. But when you leave the city for a breath of fresh air, you leave all of that behind. I moved upstate two weeks ago and have noticed some stark differences.

1. Your errands will take exponentially more time.

2. This is because people drive slower, so it takes you more time to get to where you’re going.

3. It’s also due in part to the fact that customer service works slower.

4. Which is a result of the fact that customer service representatives almost always start a conversation with you beyond a “Hello” or rhetorical “How are you?”

5. You’ll be judged for using your car horn. Do not honk, ever.

6. On that note, road rage does not exist upstate. Almost everyone lets you go in front of them.

7. Resist all urge to succumb to the upstate accent. “Erin” and “Aaron” are different names that should not be pronounced the same.

8. Get used to sinkholes and wild animals causing traffic.

9. You can still say you’re from “the city.” They know it means New York City.

10. Revel in the “wow” reaction you get when you say where you’re from. You know better than anyone that NYC is impressive, and it’ll always be your home.