I am in love with the phrase “intern”. It makes me feel so fresh and young and full of so much potential. The world is simply at my fingertips; the future is incredibly unknown but in that good way. I also feel so young Carrie from The Carrie Diaries (but maybe that’s because my internship involves writing and the big apple itself, NYC).

Internships in NYC sound super glamorous (and they sort of are) but commuting certainly is not. Here are some tips from a NYC native who has always arrived early to her internship, missed many buses, been hit on at various bus stops, had strangers fall asleep on her shoulders & lived to tell the tale. Ahem.

1.Lower the volume of your music.

You’re in the city now and you need all of your senses heightened. If your music is blasting in your ears, you’re not going to hear that taxi driver beeping when he decides to suddenly turn as your feet hit the street. Taxi drivers don’t give a shit if the good part of Uptown Funk is about to come on and you don’t wanna miss it. You will also not hear people yelling for you to look out, etc. etc. Granted, the city is loud and hearing your music would be easiest at a high volume. Safety is a priority. I’m personally a fan of having my earbuds in with no volume. You’re listening but no one thinks you are—you hear some fascinating stuff. Is that invasive? Oh well.

2. Wear comfortable shoes (or bring them).

NYC internships are often fashionable ones. Or professional ones. If you’re interning at a fashion magazine or law firm I’m not expecting you to strut in with your worn out Converse, but I’m telling you that walking fifteen blocks two and from the bus stop or subway in your five inch pumps is going to make you pray for a faster death. Bring your heels in your purse and wear sneakers. Before you get to the office or said location, put your fancy shoes on. Perks: your fancy shoes are clean and your feet won’t be dying for as long. If this is not possible for you for some reason please, for the sake of your feet, get some padded shoe inserts or something. OR depending on the dress code, you can wear cute white Converse or Vans with a fun dress.

3. If you feel threatened or uncomfortable, do something.

Sounds like common sense, but hear me out. Let’s set the scene: I’m waiting for my bus at 4:00 in the afternoon. The street is pretty crowded and a tour guide comes up to me. He precedes to, on his downtime, tell me how beautiful I am. “Thank you,” I give the minimum amount of attention and pretend to look really busy while praying for my bus. His friend comes over. Also calls my beautiful. They both keep staring at me. One of them asks my nationality. He asks my age. He keeps moving closer. I nod, barely answer and, with no sign of the bus, take out my phone and call a friend. If you’re on the phone, people generally leave you alone (at least verbally, that can’t be said about eyeballs). Also, you can always duck into a store or take a loop around the block if you want to physically get out of a situation. Of course, being complimented is splendid but if you start to feel uncomfortable, make a phone call or just go somewhere else.

4. Make public transportation your bitch.

If your internship begins at 10 AM and you want to get the 9 AM bus that takes exactly 45 minutes plus a 10 minute walk, don’t. Buses can be late. Buses can be delayed or cancelled, there will be traffic. Always have backup transportation plans. If your bus doesn’t show, make sure you can get the next one or the one after and still be on time. (Read: Leave earlier than you think you need to). If the one subway you take happens to get delayed by an hour, make sure you know if you can take a different subway or two to get where you need to be. Traffic and delays and God-knows-what happens.

Always leave earlier than you think and have a backup plan (even if your backup plan is just using Google Maps and praying for miracles). Also, always make sure your Metro Card has money on it. Metro Cards are the golden ticket to the city.

5.You will walk. Don’t let this ruin your fabulous look.

Stuff your bag with essentials. What happens when you walk a lot (especially in the summer?). Do you sweat? Bring oil blotting sheets for your face and a travel size deodorant. Do your shoes often hurt you? Bring some band-aids just in case. Does your hair frizz as a result of sweat? Bring a hair clip or a hair tie for an emergency top knot or ponytail. A mirror and a brush are also smart ideas to toss in your bag. A perfume roller-ball, too! Don’t forget some tunes, too, have you seen my morning commute playlist? You’re gonna love it.

Also *mom voice*, wear sunscreen. Skin cancer isn’t a fashion accessory.

Do you have any tips for commuting in NYC?

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