Just wondering (;
I lived there for some years, in Brooklyn. The biggest day-to-day annoyances that I remember are doing laundry (most people don t have a washing machine in their apartment) and grocery shopping. Investing a few bucks (40?) in a collapsible four-wheeled wagon can help--if your local laundry is a ten minute walk away, you won t feel self conscious about using this funny contraption. Also if you don t live next door to a grocery store that you like, it s a pain transporting groceries. Having roommates, as many do, is something I m glad I don t deal with any more not living in the city. As far as money goes, it depends a bit on where you live and what s around you and how smart you are about frequenting those places. There are good cheap places to eat around, so cheap I was in for a little shock when I left the city. It s also a good idea to carry a water bottle with you, and fill it up through out the day to save a little cash. As far as bills go, you don t pay for heat unless you can control the thermostat yourself, otherwise it s included in the rent along with hot water. Besides a little noise (some of which is what makes it so great, such as hearing an unannounced parade from your window, happening out on the street) it s a great place to live. Oh, yeah, and then there are the rats. And roaches. I was indifferent to rats until I was chased by some that were hanging out by the trash on a trash night. One apartment searching tip would be to know the areas where rats congregate in the area you re looking. Except in the subway, where you can see them any time of day, they re only out at night.
If you re from a small town, living in New York City will be a huge change. For example, there s a good chance that it ll be noisier than you re used to which will mean you ll have to get used to the surround sound when you re trying to sleep because they don t call it The City that Never Sleeps for nothing. It ll also be much busier (more crowded) than where you re originally from so you ll have to learn to walk on the right side of the sidewalk to avoid walking into people who are walking in the opposite direction. Pollution is also another factor that may be less obvious where you re from.