Saying Goodbye to My Year Living in NYC

This blog post is all about saying goodbye to my year living in NYC.

That’s it. It’s all over. My year and one month spent in the Big Apple has come to an end.

It’s pretty mad to me how quickly that year has gone.

I remember so clearly the day that I landed, writing my first few blog posts about all that I had gotten up to.

I even remember the lead-up to me securing a job and my visa, and trying to keep it all hush-hush.

Now it’s home time already!

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What I’ll Miss Most About My Year Living in NYC

Ugh, living in New York, that’s for sure.

But mostly, I’ll miss the New York vibe. Just walking around the West Village on a Saturday morning, headed for brunch and then a stroll around Soho or the Lower East with a coffee in hand.

I’ll miss Christmas in New York as there really is nowhere as magical. The temperature had just started to drop in the city over the last few days and I’m sad that I’ll be missing the fall season as walking around Central Park on a crisp, bright morning is one of my favourite things to do.

Also, who’d have thought I’d be complaining of 19 degrees being freezing?! Just wait until I get back to Ireland and I’m back in shorts when it hits 15 degrees.

I’ll miss being a New Yorker.

When Covid hit, there was definitely a shift in the city between March and June. We were the epicenter of America and trying to do our bit to bring the numbers down. Cuomo had become something of a hero to all of us interns and we’ll miss being New York tough.

I’ll miss seeing all four seasons of New York; the gorgeous fall mornings, the freezing cold winter, the cherry blossom of spring and the sweaty, mosquito season of summer.

I’ll miss it all.

Related Year Living in NYC blog post to read: My First Three Days in New York City

What I Won’t Miss About My Year Living in NYC

Surprisingly, there are a few things that I won’t miss about New York. The crazy people being one of them. Never in my life have I seen so many crazy people in one area.

It does add to the charm of the city, but I won’t miss people belting out songs to themselves on the subway, people dancing in the middle of the road, people running up to you in the street to shout at you for no reason and crossing the street when you spot a crazy that you recognize.

Yes, it’s got to the stage where we’re recognizing them.

Another thing I won’t miss about New York is the stench. God, the place reeks. There’s a constant smell of piss, rubbish, something that’s died or just pure stench around the entire place.

Especially Chelsea, but that might just be me.

It’s Been Real, and It’s Been Fun

And it’s been real fun.

It’s been one hell of a year, that’s for sure. The first six months were bliss and exciting, but the latter six months took somewhat of a turn with Covid-19.

It will be an unforgettable year in many ways as I started off as a single girl that never needed no man, to now a very settled girlfriend to a Welsh boy.

I’ve definitely changed, physically and mentally (there isn’t much food left in America, put it that way) and I’ve aged about ten years – hello grey hair – but I wouldn’t change the experience in any way.

I’m glad I moved when I did and stayed throughout Covid-19. I caught the virus myself, survived a two week quarantine with four flatmates and lived to tell the tale.

I’m so glad New York is finally getting back on it’s feet and soon will be reopening indoor dining, as gyms, malls and cinemas have just opened up. I’ve been enjoying many an outdoor dining experience in the city and keeping every restaurant and brunch place in business.

Being A Tourist and A New Yorker All at the Same Time

Having never been to New York before I landed the day that I moved, I had a long list of things to do in the city, including all of the typical touristy things.

Although I put a lot of things off at the start of the year, thinking I had a whole 12 months to go to the Top of the Rock, thankfully a lot of the museums and experiences started to open up again in my final month.

To say the final month was jam-packed would be an understatement. I managed to tick off the Edge, Top of the Rock, the Empire State Building, the Met Museum, the 9/11 Museum, the Museum of the City of New York and about every eatery that I had on my list as well as some rooftop bars.

I’ve eaten in that many restaurants recently that I’ll be adding many lists and guides to my blog in the coming weeks reviewing all of my favourites. The ultimate guide to brunches will be coming up shortly!

What’s Next After My Year Living in NYC

I’m surprising myself with how calm and content I am today. I was more upset about leaving last week, but I think because I’ve had a few weeks to accept that I’m going back to Ireland, I feel a little better.

I’m trying to look at everything as positively as I can and I’ve got a long list of things to do during my two-week quarantine and a lot of goals to complete. More about that on Monday, because who starts ticking off goals on a Friday??

After my two-week quarantine, I’ll be seeing friends and family (and still working 9-5 from my house) all the while looking for a new flat with my boyfriend (lol who’d have thought) for the next city that we plan to move to while all international borders/visas are shut.

I bet you can’t guess where I’m returning to?! Only my favourite city in the whole world!! (Maybe that’s why I’m not as upset to be leaving New York?)

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By Orlagh Shanks

Orlagh Shanks is the Editor of Orlagh Claire, an award-winning travel and lifestyle blog.
After working in the PR & Influencer Marketing industry, Orlagh quit her job to travel Asia for 12 months and moved to Sydney, Australia where she is now a full-time travel blogger and content creator sharing travel tips and recommendations for all 30 of the countries she’s visited so far.

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What I’ll Miss Most About My Year Living in NYC