A recent memoir reflects on the early months of adjusting to life in New York City after relocating for graduate studies in creative writing. The author describes an initial reluctance to use the subway, avoiding it entirely for the first half-year despite living in Manhattan. The piece explores the challenges and cultural shifts of navigating a new urban environment without relying on the city’s most common form of transportation. Readers may find insight into the psychological and practical hurdles of adapting to a major metropolis.
T he year was 2012 and I had just moved to New York City to pursue a master of fine arts in creative writing. For the first six months of my new life in Manhattan, I did not take the subway.
