New York City has a reputation for a number of things — and being one of the most eye-opening places in the world is definitely one of them. NYC is the mecca for crazies, and any person who has lived here for long enough has learned his fair share of lessons.

NYC is a crash course in life, and any proper New Yorker has become jaded over the course of their tenure in the city. That being said, this city is one of (if not the) greatest cities in the world and has taught me some of the most important, valuable and beautiful things this world has to offer. Simply put: there’s no place like it.

1. We take houses for granted.

I never appreciated the airiness of the house I grew up in until I moved to Manhattan. I always lucked out with my apartments, but some apartments that I visited were basically glorified closets. Your living environment affects you more than you think. If you can afford to spend that extra dollar for a bigger place, then do so. Or consider moving to Brooklyn.

2. You can’t live with just anyone.

I look at my living experience in New York as a practice marriage. Living with other people is more difficult than most people first believe. Even when you think that you know someone very well before you shack up together, you will most certainly be surprised what you still manage to learn about them once they move in. You may very well find yourself living with someone that feels like a complete stranger. I have several friends who swear they had roommates that stole jewelry and/or cash from them. Your future spouse hopefully wont’ be robbing you blind, but that won’t mean that living with them will be a breeze either.

3. Most people won’t think twice about taking advantage of you.

I’d like to believe that most people are good people at their cores. However, many people have skewed ideas of what is ethically permissible and what is not. Life teaches us all the same lessons, but we interpret them differently. What it comes down to is that everyone is looking out for themselves first. If someone feels that they can benefit from you and can somehow justify doing so, then they will.

4. Money makes your life better.

Money doesn’t buy happiness…but it’ll provide the down payment. You need money in order to get the basics that you need to survive, like food, water, clothing, a place to sleep… But the basics simply aren’t enough. We want to experience all that life has to offer. We want to live in nice apartments, go to dinner at nice places and to travel the world. Out of all the cities in the world, I believe New York requires the most spending money to experience it fully.

5. You’re not alone.

Whenever you are feeling lonely, you can simply look out your window and see dozens of people walking around and living their lives. If you wanted to, you could go over and introduce yourself to any one of them.

6. You are alone.

New York can be an intimidating place. Even though there are plenty of people to meet and mingle with, approaching them isn’t always easy. Lots of people in NYC are on the defensive and aren’t open to chatting with strangers. This seems to slowly be changing, as the streets are literally becoming safer, but nevertheless everyone is living their own lives and won’t always be willing to share theirs with you. Even those you consider to be your friends are likely to drift off on their own or with different groups from time to time, leaving you on your lonesome. If it’s true for New York, then it’s true for life.

7. Weekends are for suckers.

If you are going to party in the City then it’s best avoid the weekends — unless you are going to Williamsburg. In Manhattan, the weekend crowd is dominantly bridge and tunnel — you’ll get a bunch of teeny bobbers and frat boys. The real debauchery goes down Sunday-Wednesday. Rest on Thursday and then find somewhere decent outside the island for Friday and Saturday.

8. Gay guys know how to party.

There ain’t no party like a sausage party. Seriously, the most fun I ever had going out was with my group of gay boys. They always know the best parties with the best music and will undoubtedly have a bottle or two to share. Also, being the only straight guy in a club full of gay men and a dozen or so straight women are pretty good odds — as long as you can keep the boys off you. I literally have had women come up to me to tell me they wished I were straight. Then when I told them it was their lucky day, they’d ask me to prove it. Need I say more?

9. Only an idiot will pay to get into a club or pay for a bottle.

Promoters, promoters, promoters — they’re everywhere. If you want to get in for 100% and drink for free, then get to know some. As long as you can bring at least one sexy woman, then you’ll have no problems.

10. If people think you have money, they’ll ask you for it.

I’ve seen guys go up to bouncers at clubs wearing suits — you know, the finance types. What does the bouncer do 3 out of 4 times? Tell them they need to get a table and buy some bottles. Almost every time. When people think you have money, then they will try to take advantage of you. They figure that it’s all right because you can afford it.