There are a lot of things about NYC that are great. For example, a Subway that (mostly) runs on time 24/7, endless opportunities to eat whatever food you desire, no matter how obscure, and the chance you might see someone famous. On top of that, being in NYC is great simply because it’s the greatest city in the world.
We can’t define great unless some things are not, in fact, not great. Like anything, there are a lot of aspects that suck about NYC. It can take over an hour to go 12 miles. I live in Brooklyn, and a few of my friends live in Morningside Heights. We might as well live in different states it takes so long to visit each other.
Or the annoying inability to get from Brooklyn to Queens without two trains, a bus, and a transfer in Manhattan. It sucks to carry groceries up a four-story walk up, search for parking at 3 am, or get kicked in the face by a pole dancer performing the same tired routine on the subway. All of these things suck.
They suck even more in the month of January.
NYC sucks in January.
The month expounds anything terrible about living here and makes it ten times worse. Anything good about the city becomes blah. But what’s wrong with January? Why have I got it out for this month? Isn’t it just another month of the year?
No. It’s not. First off, January is a letdown month. Unless you were born during it, there’s not much going for it. After the frenzy of three months packed with holidays and, for some people, extended time off, getting back into our established, capitalistic habits is a drag. NYC goes from being a winter wonderland of holiday lights, markets, and building excitement, to the same old same old, but make it grey.
NYC is already grey, to begin with. Except for the few eccentric buildings with pops of color, the city is primarily a monotone wash of grey, black, and white. Even people dress in colorless fashion, blending into the sea of monotony. The lack of natural color of flowers, trees, and cute sundresses only makes the city drabber, cloaking the vibrancy felt in other seasons. The weather doesn’t help much, as the sky is almost always a mixed slab of grey.
January’s weather is hit-and-miss. Sometimes it’s a blizzard. Other times, like this year, which is weirdly warm and wet, it’s foggy and rainy. I like January better when it’s freezing and snowy in the city. It feels like the month is justified that way. The more snow, the more fun. A childlike glee arises when I wake up to a snowstorm and watch it pile up outside my window.
I enjoy it as the city comes to a standstill and a peaceful slumber descends. January is my favorite month when the roads are still unplowed, and everything grows quiet. Unfortunately, that’s only sometimes the case. More often than not, it’s just freezing rain, which soaks through the not winter boots I’m wearing, drenches my hair and makes me look like a drowned rat.
There is the fact that I always end up spending a lot of money in January. The money I put on my credit cards during Christmas hits and the payments all become due. I’m reminded of how much I spent on random gifts for people.
Restaurants, bars, and coffee shops lure me inside, away from the cold weather, with promises of exquisite but boring latte art, wildly overpriced cocktails, and the tedious small talk of new acquaintances. The holidays and New Year’s deals that companies advertised aggressively the month earlier dry up fast than I did on New Year’s Day.
On top of all of this is the constant reminders, Instagram ads, and countless other forums of peer pressure to “become healthy.” I’m reminded that I spent December enjoying life, which meant eating cookies. I dread January because I am bombarded with guilt for being a human who likes to eat. I’m in need to “burn off the holidays.”
No, I will not buy the newest and shiniest diet and weight loss ointments offered at Whole Foods. I’d rather buy the mixed CD peddled in Times Square. Or, better yet, a whole box of overpriced chocolate from the kids on the subway. I know the money isn’t going to their basketball teams unless all of NYC public schools cannot afford uniforms, which, said out loud, is a possibility. No, I’ll buy the box and then spend the evening preventing my cat from eating it and costing me a very expensive visit to urgent pet care.
What this disgruntled, poor Brooklynite is getting at is that January is a rough month in NYC. Now, would I tell people to visit during this month? Absolutely. Because, for everything that January has going against the city, there is still more good than bad.
For once, the city smells good. The frozen ground locks down random whiffs of urine, garbage, and unidentifiable smells. There might not be flowers in January, but it smells like there could be. Another positive is that there are fewer tourists, and it’s honestly easier to get around. Wear a big coat and finally visit the Statue of Liberty. A thousand people struggling to get the exact same picture they could download for free on the internet won’t surround you. You can stroll through one of the parks and enjoy the ground when it’s not covered with hundreds of blankets and not very well-hidden cans of White Claw.
Most importantly, January is an excuse to hunker down and not feel pressured or guilty for staying inside and resting. Most of the year offers endless opportunities to go out, over socialize or spend money, even when all we want to do is binge-watch Too Hot to Handle and try out new Instagram filters. January is the month to recharge and prepare for the coming excitement. Let January be your reason to stay home and if anyone gives you a hard time, just point them to this article.
