By Michelle CannizzoSpecial to the Chronicle
My conversations with people outside of New York usually begin with something along the lines of, “Oh my God, going to school in New York City must be so fun. Is it like ‘Gossip Girl’? Is it like ‘Sex and the City’?” My response is always the same: no.
No, I do not attend Broadway shows and dine at five-star restaurants every weekend. And no, I do not sit next to Jay-Z at award shows or sip cocktails with Paris Hilton in the city’s hottest clubs. The closest that I have come to living the life of a typical New York television character was going out to dinner in Manhattan on a holiday.
A true New Yorker would probably give a similar answer. They are a part of reality, not your T.V. guide. When surrounded by everything that a person may deem exciting in life, that excitement gets lost, and every activity becomes just another item to be placed in the “been there, done that” category.
It is extremely rare for a person to have the funds, connections and just plain energy to be able to live the life of the sensationalized New Yorker. You can take me for example. I’m a young college student filled with energy; yet, my body and wallet are still hurting after a trip into Manhattan with some girlfriends last weekend. If my body and wallet are burdened by the effects of a single night out, how are New Yorkers supposed to function properly after multiple nights out?
To Hofstra students, city trips are especially daunting. Our campus is filled with mostly broke, ramen-noodle-eating, used-textbook-renting college students. We do not have the money to take the LIRR ($16), buy drinks ($20 each), buy dinner ($20+), and then take the LIRR home ($16).
Hofstra can help its students lead a more cultural and enjoyable college experience by alerting its students of free events in the city and by providing guidance in the form of navigation guidance, main points of attraction and general tips from students.
It’s not that going into New York City should be taken off of your to-do list. It is an amazing city filled with some of the craziest street dancers you will ever see and the best $1 pizza you will ever taste. But I, for one, will not be going back anytime soon.