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Five things you need to know before moving to New York.

  • There are Irish people everywhere. Irish pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, etc, the list goes on. If you are planning on moving away, take some time to research your local area. Make sure to join the local Facebook groups so that you can keep up to date with what is going on. Most neighbourhoods have Irish communities. The GAA is also a great way to meet new friends and mingle with people from home. Give football or hurling a try even if you have never played. Most people are there for the comradery rather than the sport itself.
  • The food is phenomenal. You might think that you have a broad palette when it comes to food- New York will knock that right out of you. There are so many fabulous restaurants in NYC thanks to the array of cultures living there.  From quaint Turkish breakfasts spots to underground Vietnamese restaurants, you will not find yourself stuck. Be sure to check as many of them as you can, undoubtedly, you will try foods you have never even heard of.
  • Like most immigrants in a foreign country, you might find yourself homesick from time to time. There is almost a common understanding or a shared experience of this between the immigrants in New York. People support each other and help one another through the hard times.
  • You will work HARD. You will work yourself to the bone and wear yourself thin in NY. At times you will have more money than you know what to do with. Splash out and live the lavish NYC lifestyle from time to time but tray and save some money. Especially if you are planning on returning to Ireland, it will be the easiest money you ever save.
  • Learn how to be alone. Even if you move over with friends or make friends in NY, the chances are they will probably work an opposite schedule to you – such is the NY way. Don’t let that stop you from exploring the city. Go to mid- week basketball games or an impromptu Broadway show. Don’t wait for someone to go with you, you might not get a second chance!

Friends.

Whether you love it or you hate it Friends has played a major role in the lives of millennials.

I for one have spent copious amounts of hours watching and listening to friends. Listening you say? I have become so au fait with the show that I can leave the television playing in one room and with the volume up I can hear everything whilst simultaneously make dinner and see that episode play out in my head. It is almost as enjoyable as watching it. Friends, for me, has become a comfort and a safety blanket. It is the show that I watch when I am happy and sad it lifts my spirits even on the darkest days.

I have always thought it was a great feel good sit- com. However, recently I have come to appreciate it even more. The idea that six friends could meet up almost daily in their 20’s and 30’s is idealistic, to say the least. That is one of the saddest parts about leaving school and college. It is the sense comradery.

Friends allows us to imagine a world where we see our friends all the time. Where we hang out everyday after work and drink coffee. In reality, most of us don’t see out friends all that often. Many of my friends have emigrated and I haven’t seen them in person for years. We have to stay in touch via WhatsApp and Zoom calls. Some of my friends have children- so when the kids come the fun is undone- just kidding. All joking aside, as you get older the dynamic shifts in a friend group. Some go one way and others another. Some might emigrate, some never leave their hometown. Some have kids and some become career driven.  The group moves on and things change. Watching Friends lets us imagine a life where we all hang out as adults, just like we never left school.