There’s a reason people romanticize New York. Maybe it’s the skyline, the grid, the chaos. Maybe it’s the fact that you can walk out of your apartment at any given hour and be met with a city that never really winds down. Or maybe it’s the people — the ones that make this place what it is, who navigate its streets like a perfectly choreographed dance, unfazed by the honking taxis, the steam rising from subway grates. New York has a character. It’s loud, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore.

The only way to truly see New York is on foot. Soho, with its cast-iron facades and espresso-fueled creatives. The West Village, where cobblestones and brownstones make you forget this is one of the busiest places on earth. The Lower East Side, still a little rough around the edges, still undeniably cool. Every block has a different energy.

New Yorkers will hold the door for you, but they’ll also tell you to move faster if you’re blocking the sidewalk. There’s an art to small talk in this city — it’s quick, sharp, sometimes absurdly insightful. And while there’s an unspoken rule to avoid eye contact on the subway, that same stranger might give you the best restaurant recommendation you’ve ever received. 

Coffee first, always. Maybe from a hole-in-the-wall spot where the barista remembers your order before you even say it. For lunch, a slice of pizza that’s so big you have to fold it in half to eat it. Dinner is whatever you can get a reservation for, if you’re lucky, or a last-minute find that turns out to be the best meal of your life.

When walking around the streets, layers are your best friend, because the weather has a personality disorder. Flannels, Vests, Wool Coats and Wool Sweaters will do the job. Anyone can be overdressed or underdressed — confidence is the only dress code that matters.

Fast, loud, relentless, exhilarating. The kind of place that makes you feel small in the best possible way, and that reminds you that anything can happen. New York is full of contradictions, but somehow, it all makes sense.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not perfect. It doesn’t try to be. It just is. And that’s what makes it the greatest city in the world.