Sometimes when you live in NYC for a long time, you forget what life is like outside this city. If you’ve left town for a few days or more, here are 25 realizations you’ve probably had about your foreign surroundings:
1. Public transit is either really shitty or non-existent.
2. People have to drive to places. Like, drive a car.
3. But somehow, you don’t have exhaust blowing in your face constantly.
4. There are trees. And grass and bushes and stuff. In more than just little patches.
5. And the water in the rivers is actually clear.
![[davebloggs07/Flickr]](https://secretnyc.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/clear-river.jpg)
7. People move at a very leisurely pace.
8. Central AC is a thing.
9. Republicans exist.
10. Daytime television is pretty addicting.
![[Caitlin Regan/Flickr]](https://secretnyc.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/watching-tv.jpg)
12. But then again there’s not really much to do anyway.
13. People go to IHOP at night for fun.
14. Your Facebook newsfeed never looked so interesting.
15. There sure are a lot of TGI Fridays.
16. Food is cheap!
17. Like you can buy lunch for only $5 cheap!
18. Grocery stores are huge and overwhelming.
19. Street food is hard to come by.
20. If you want a hotdog, you have to make it yourself.
21. But you don’t remember how to make a hotdog.
(This isn’t right)
22. People smile at you all the time for no reason.
23. You will be judged harshly for a Tuesday hangover.
24. There aren’t that many weird people.
25. You can’t wait to get back to New York.
![[KayYen/Flickr]](https://secretnyc.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nyc-in-pastels.jpg)