This is the second installment of the Detroit Stories series. If you haven’t already done so, check out the background of Detroit Stories and the first installment, an interns take on Detroit.
This is a guest post by Erica Moss. Erica and I met through the social web and became friends. Her enthusiasm and passion are contagious. She’s also pretty damn smart and full of creativity.
Erica Moss is the social media and outreach coordinator for the online Masters in Nursing program at Georgetown University. She adores Mexican food, Taylor Swift, community building and Michigan football.
We couldn't have been more excited to see this New York City sign. We were blissfully ignorant as to how far away from the city we actually were.I didn’t grow up in the Detroit area. I grew up in a sleepy little suburb of Grand Rapids, I’d never been to a Tigers game and I knew very little about the Motor City. So when I moved to the 248 three years ago, there’s no way I could have known the impact it would have on me and the amazing people I’d come to call friends.
And then everything changed.
OK, so I’m being dramatic, but in July, my husband and I really did pack up all of our possessions (including one white English bulldog) and embark on the 12-hour drive to New York City. He had been accepted to Columbia Business School and would be pursuing his MBA for the next two years.
I was apprehensive to say the least. We had built a life in Royal Oak, and I wasn’t ready to leave that behind. I was perfectly content driving to work every day, calling my beverage of choice “pop” and living only a short car ride from my family.
New York City looks good on us, don't you think?We’ve been here for about a month-and-a-half now, and while it’s not the complete 180 I expected it to be, there are some distinct differences between Manhattan and Motown. A lot of them are food related—lay off me!
A few things I’ve learned so far:
It’s ALWAYS soda. As Michiganders, we’re aware what soda is, but we all call it pop, right? New Yorkers are quite the opposite. They simply don’t know what pop is, and if you ask for one, you get the deer-in-headlights look. And don’t make the mistake of requesting two refills of your “soda” at the restaurants that charge you full price for each one.
Almost every restaurant posts its menu out front. This is genius, and a product of the walkable nature of the city. It allows you to check out what they have to offer before committing to a table, and also prevents you from sitting down at a restaurant that charges you $20 for a burger (this is NYC, after all).
All of the McDonald’s locations are deplorable and slow. I know what you’re thinking: Why am I bothering with a fast-food chain when I have access to some of the greatest restaurants in the world? Well, sometimes a girl has to get her Chicken McNuggets fix, but I’ve learned to subdue it after several trips to different locations around the city. There’s trash everywhere, the tables are dirty and there is simply no urgency to fulfill your order in what any person would consider a reasonable amount of time. I asked a native New Yorker about this, and he validated my experiences, saying they actually used to be worse than they are now, but that the company has made steps to improve. We’ll see.
Every single pizzeria is “New York’s favorite pizza.” And they get away with it by putting quotation marks around the phrase. It’s comical.
You haven't had pizza until you've had it at Grimaldi's in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn.
You notice subtle differences in everyday phrases. When you order food from a fast-casual restaurant, they ask you if you want to “stay here” as opposed to what I’m used to: “for here or to go?” At retail shops, they say “on line” versus “in line,” such as “Next person on line, please!”
If you buy groceries, they always double bag everything. Once again, it’s a product of the fact that people walk everywhere. And since you’re going to have to haul your goodies home on foot, be sure you don’t buy your milk, apple juice, green tea and laundry detergent in the same trip.
None of the ATMs are outside. Almost all of them are housed inside their respective banks, and if it’s after-hours, you have to swipe a debit or credit card from that institution in order to get inside the bank and gain access to it. A good safety feature, I guess?
The Subway system isn’t nearly as scary as I thought it was. I really only have to worry about the 1, 2 and 3 trains, for the most part, and all you need to know is that the 1 is local and the 2 and 3 are express. And the public transportation option on my Google Maps app is a lifesaver — I couldn’t get around without it. Oh, and the Houston Street stop is pronounced “Howston,” not like the city in Texas.
If the DJ plays “Empire State of Mind” in da club, the people go nuts. Kind of like when the “born and raised in South Detroit” part comes on during “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
OK, that’s all I’ve got for now. It feels like I learn something new every day in this giant city, so if the fabulous Becks Davis is up for it, I might be dropping some more New York knowledge on you guys very soon.
Did any of my observations surprise you? Do you know something about the city that I don’t? Just want to give the Mosses (or Mona) some love? Feel free to light up the comments section.
Follow Erica Moss on Twitter.