10 Things I Hate About...New York City

For those who live in NYC, or ever lived in NYC, this list might strike a chord or at least, rekindle some old, unpleasant memories. Yet, despite my complaints, I'm still magically drawn to this infinitely frenzied, claustrophobic urban mecca, and I have a hard time thinking about leaving it all in favor of a simpler life (is there any such a thing anymore anyway?); it's truly a love-hate relationship. As a young farm girl from Kansas once famously remarked, there's no place like home...

10) $12 beer night;

9) Crosstown traffic;

8) That my local diner charges $5.50 for a side order of turkey bacon;

7) Getting caught behind a smoking pedestrian;

6) The smell of rotting food and garbage on every corner;

5) Penn Station and Times Square;

4) People who get on subways/elevators before you get off;

3) Waking up at 7a.m. on a Sunday (or any day for that matter) to the sound of your street getting ripped apart for seemingly never-ending construction;

2) Two or more persons who occupy the entire width of the block while walking at an obnoxiously slow pace;

and of course,

1) Free-range coughers, sneezers and loud-talkers on public transportation. They are most definitely the worst of the bunch.

Did I leave any out?