Here's a great article on NYTimes.com (where else ;): Newcomers Adjust, Eventually, to New York
I think the City has a mind of it's own. You can't have it on your terms. Exactly when you think that you are in control and have it all figured out, things can go wrong. If the City does not feel like amusing you, it won't! And no matter how much you fight, it won't budge. Money Quote from the article:
There also usually comes a time, early on, when newcomers must accept that the city is a power greater than they are.
And yet, this is the only city where while lazing at my friend's at 11:30PM my friend says: Let's get something to eat - I'm hungry. We walk down and there's a great place open right around the corner. (No, not a McDonald or some other chain, this is a proper good restaurant). We go, sit there for a while thinking what to order when Rita says: Don't they have fries? It was a classy Italian place, so the answer was unfortunately, no, they didn't.
We three look at each other and say, hmmm - so let's go get good fries! We hop into a cab, takes us 5 mins to get to Lucien which has some of the best fries in NYC (we always ask them to be made well done) and hang out there till 1AM. And when we come out, we still have options to go places, to have fun. The avenue looks like it's daytime. So many people on the street at 1AM!
Tell me any other city where you can do this. Not SF, nor London, nor Mumbai. The reason to love New York is that although it's a whimsical city with a mind of it's own, it has everything to offer and much more. If you play by it's rules, you'll have the most fun of anywhere else.
Another quote from the article:
Every day you encounter situations where you have to step out of your safety zone, and it’s really kind of a self-discovery experience
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