10 Things I hate about New York City

I hate...

1. that decent babysitters start at $20 hr and charge $5/hr more if you have more than 2 kids.
2. that everything costs money. There are no free activities whatsoever.
3. that groceries are twice as expensive.
4. that there are no typical American fast food chains. Taco Bell is at least a 30 minute commute. And then it costs twice as much there, too.
5. that I can't have a car (a.k.a. freedom to get the hell out into America once in a while).
6. that seeing rats and cockroaches is a common occurrence.
7. that there are no elevators in 95% of the subway stations.
8. that family and friends are so far away.
9. that we spend all our vacations working our @$$es off to see family, and spend about $2,000 in travel expense just to do it.
10. that everything below 14th street is impossible to navigate because the street plan is FUBAR. And that's where all the good touristy stuff to see is.

10 Things I Hate about My Apartment

I hate...

1. the leak in my bathroom that started dripping on my head while I was in the shower this morning - which is a rare occurrence in itself.
2. the four flights of stairs I have to climb/haul toddlers up to get to it.
3. the $800 stroller & stroller gear parked in my bedroom, completely blocking my closet and not being used, because the landlord is a $%@# who decided we can't park strollers in the lobby.
4. paying 5 times as much in rent as I would for an equivalently crappy apartment in Indiana.
5. the 2 hour round trip commute to the kids' school I have to make every day.
6. doing the dishes by hand 2-3 times a day because there is no dishwasher and because there's no counter space.
7. the constant noise - traffic, loud music from rude neighbors, children screaming in other apartments and mothers screaming back at them, often very abusively.
8. the 24 inch wide hallway that makes it impossible for two people (especially a pregnant person) to pass.
9. the broken toilet seat that moves whenever you're too far one direction or another.
10. the general tiny-ness, pretty much everywhere except the living room.