1. New Yorkers are not NEARLY as rude/obnoxious/annoying as they have been portrayed on TV and in film. Obviously, with so many people crammed together in such a small space, you inevitably will run into plenty of assholes, but no more than anywhere else.
2. It's not so bad being one of the only white people on a given block. I mean, I didn't think it would be, or else I wouldn't have spent 2 years in neighborhoods where I was distinctly a minority, but it was nice to see it confirmed. Heck, I didn't even speak the same language (Spanish) as most of the folks living nearby, but it didn't seem to ever bother anyone.
3. If a subway pulls up to the station, and the cars that pass by you are full but the one that stops in front of you is empty or nearly so, something is wrong with that car. Either the air conditioner isn't working, in which case it will be well above 90 degrees, or it smells terrible, for one reason or another. I learned this one the hard way several times.
4. Versatility and openness to trying new things are two of the most valuable traits a musician can possess. If I didn't know how to improvise, or hadn't had the guts to try busking, I definitely would have had to get a real job by now.
5. An AC is a necessary component to surviving a typical New York summer. Last summer was far cooler than normal, and I was not in New York the previous summer, so this one caught me quite unprepared.
6. Speaking of community, finding one is another necessary component to survival in a place where neighbors never say hello.
7. Provided you're not one of the wealthy types who has a nice midtown apartment with a doorman and can afford to take a cab everywhere, NYC will teach you how to tolerate pretty much anything. Everything one ever has to learn about survival (well, obviously not moose-skinning, but I think you get my meaning) can be learned here. I think the Onion summed it up best.
8. My perceptions of myself as an artist changed radically when there was suddenly this imperative to pay for basic things like rent and food. It's not that I no longer love my job. It's just that as the motivation changes, certain realities become apparent. For instance, I'm now far less tolerant of extra rehearsals being scheduled, or people asking for unpaid work, or people whom I'm getting paid to work with being less than fully professional. Or people not understanding that I am only doing such and such a gig because I'm getting paid, not necessarily because I care even a bit about the project itself (sometimes yes, sometimes no). I'm not so good at pretending to care.
9. I still am not sure how I feel about New York. It is a place where I have been able to get the sorts of musical experiences I never knew I needed, and to study with a brilliant teacher while I did it. It's also a place where it's hard to feel like one is making any progress, at least financially, and sometimes professionally as well. It's a place where people go to find their dreams, and where many have those dreams dashed. Can't live with it, can't live without it, as the saying goes.
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