new york city is extremely good at justifying your continued existence in new york city it's so hyper-stimulating that it lets people not notice how stagnant their lives are. like everyone who did the whole Move To New York thing seems unchanged between ages 25 and 40: - still pinching pennies over a slightly nicer tiny apartment - still single despite the supposedly much larger pool - only the risk-averse kinds of career progression that are socially legible from the get-go - looping thru the same oversocialization-infested 'lifestyle' around house parties, dating, drinking with other transplants because ultimately, Living In New York is the accomplishment. you don't need to go places in life when you're physically GOING TO A NEW PLACE every 12 hours. there’s always one more restaurant, party, neighborhood, person to date, thing to experience. everything from career to relationships to personal finance is ultimately a vessel that's meant to preserve your New York Lifestyle and not disrupting The Lifestyle is a pre-requisite for any big decision you make nowhere else can a completely uneventful life involve so much movement