People across the globe have spent some time enjoying all the Big Apple has to offer, from theater to shopping to its spectacular skyline. New Yorkers can seem like a different breed of people as they stride in front of tourists and cross avenues without a light (yes, they can do that) to grab they cab that you were going to take (and yes, they can do that too.) A New York city lifestyle often becomes a polarizing issue between people who love it and people who hate it. If you have stars in your eyes about life in the city, allow me to tell you 10 things New Yorkers probably haven't told you about living in the city.

1. The city hurts your brain. Just ask The Boston Globe, and Boston isn't even a big city by comparison.
2. Obviously, the rats in the subway are gross. You might not know that the pigeons you fed have just as many disgusting diseases.
3. It is possible to stand in line on a cold day for something as simple as pizza. It is possible to stand in line for anything.
4. City natives do not talk to strangers,  but will be human and polite if approached with intelligent questions. (Directions to Times Square may or may not qualify.)
5. Citydwellers pay more taxes than the rest of America for the privilege of inhabiting the blessed isle, see Taxes.Right. for more on that front.
6. New Yorkers are now being charged a "eat in" tax at McDonalds. An extreme example of space being at a premium and taxes being everywhere.
7. New Yorkers are forbidden from eating trans fats.
8. A pack of cigarettes in New York city is approximately $9, and you aren't allowed to smoke in the place you'd be most likely to, a bar.
9. Some days everyone you see will be better dressed than you. Conversely, you might end up on a train with people who borrowed their clothes from Gothic Martians. However, instead of congratulating yourself, you will wish you had a black knit hat with poufballs and an embriodered skull.
10. The city might never sleep, but most people do for 8 hours a night. Contemplating how many ways there are to amuse yourself on a weekend will prove so tiring that you stay at home.

Conclusion: City living may be as wonderful as your friend/cousin/ex says it is, but it is not nearly as glamorous as the TV show Sex in the City. Running in heels hurts just as much here, and requires skill in dodging people and grates. Life isn't harder because of homeless people on the subway or the smaller apartments, although the cost of living certainly has an effect. Merely living in the such a large, thriving metropolis requires effort on a daily basis, from carrying your groceries home to carrying your laundry to the laundromat to carrying your bags on the subway. City living is wonderful, but it's not easy.