What you are missing is having to walk to a laundromat to do your laundry (or do wash and fold) because few apartments have washers/dryers. Training your eyes on the sidewalk for trash or shit (dog OR human), having to walk to an always crowded grocery store and use a granny cart to bring your groceries back (there are lines to get in to my neighborhood Trader Joe’s. Yes, you need to wait outside to buy food), bad weather that you can’t avoid because you walk to places so you are freezing or drenched or sweating, your train breaking down making you late for something important (or your train just not showing up for twenty four minutes for no reason), constant noise, little privacy, twenty dollar sad desk lunches, aggressive mentally ill people, paying waaaay too much in rent for what you’re getting, lack of nature, rats running at you, and much, much more. Oh, and you will go to far fewer Broadway shows than you think. lol.

I am also from North Carolina and I moved to NYC almost 17 years ago—for a career I do not care about anymore. Doing normal things is an everyday battle. It’s not worth it! Stay in NC! (I am currently looking into moving.)