Connecticut and New York are just 2 hours from one another but during those 2 hours, everything changes drastically. My partner Anouk Govil and I both grew up in Connecticut and strangely, despite growing up on the same street, it wasn’t until we became students at the same university that we got together, but that is a story for another time. After graduation Anouk and I decided to move to New York to pursue our careers, and neither of us had been before. Life down here in New York is vastly different from Connecticut and here are the main differences that we have noticed so far.
Nature
My favorite thing about Connecticut is the natural landscape which we have throughout the state with lots of rolling green fields and a tranquil environment. To compare that with New York then, one of the biggest urban areas in the world, is simply not possible. Many people wax lyrical about Central Park and the acres upon acres of grass and tress but for someone like myself and Anouk, it is barely a gesture to nature in an otherwise greatly unnatural city. Of course you can get out of the city into New York state and see some nice landscapes like the Hamptons, but none of it compares with Connecticut.
The People
You wouldn’t think that people could change so much in just a 2 hour journey but they really do and the differences are huge. Firstly I would point to the mix of cultures and races in New York, both city and state, which isn’t something we have huge amounts of in Connecticut. Another huge difference which I have noticed between the people here in New York and those in Connecticut is that the people further north just seem to be a little bit happier and more welcoming. This is not to say that New Yorkers aren’t, but they have a very direct and abrasive demeanor which certainly makes them appear as though they aren’t. Whether this is down to the stresses of living in a hectic state like New York or not I am not sure, but there is certainly a very clear difference in terms of how people are with one another.
Intensity
There is a very real intensity here in new York and that extends to the state as well as the city. We all know about how mad the city can be and it is completely understandable given the number of people that there are and the type of businesses there are here, nobody has time for anything. In Connecticut things are far more laid back and whilst there is an urgency when it is required, more often than not we are very chilled out about getting stuff done. New York runs at breakneck speed and everyone appears to be in a hurry to get where they are going, this doesn’t really happen much back home.
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