Personal experience: what I miss in New York after years of living in Florida

Born and raised in Florida, Lauren Edmonds moved to New York after graduating from college. In his column for Insider she told how this city surprises (both in a good and a bad way) immigrants from the southern states of America. Here is her story in the first person.

I am a Florida native who moved hundreds of miles to New York. All my favorite childhood movies were filmed in New York. So it's no surprise that I ended up moving here as an adult. After graduating from Florida State University in 2018, I booked a plane ticket and ended up in Bushwick, an area located in northern Brooklyn.

Although I have always dreamed of living in New York, sometimes I miss home and remember what I miss.

Christmas in Brooklyn is magical, but I miss the palm tree decorations and warm Florida Christmas weather.

People probably fantasize about snow, winter activities like sledding, and freezing temperatures when they think about Christmas. It's rarely cold in Orlando. And the closest thing we have to sledding is tubing.

I never liked the cold. And she really appreciated that winters in Orlando didn't require a complete wardrobe change. I have memories of wearing flip-flops in mid-December.

Another aspect I miss is the garlanded palms, which I always thought were very fashionable for Florida.

Brooklyn has Southern-style restaurants and barbecues, but they don't always have my favorite foods.

Some of the best food I've ever had was in Brooklyn. From Japanese to Ecuadorian cuisine. I have never lived in a city where I have access to so many types of food.

But even so, there are a few foods I can hardly find in Brooklyn, including boiled peanuts. In my opinion, there is no better snack than spicy boiled peanuts as they can be eaten alone or added to dishes like crab stir fry. I've been trying to find jars of boiled peanuts in Brooklyn, but I usually have to order them from Amazon.

In Orlando, boiled peanuts can be found at local grocery stores or roadside shops.

I didn't realize how much I value space until I moved to Brooklyn.

As of July 2021, more than 2,6 million people lived in Brooklyn, according to the US Census. Orlando had just over 309 people that same year. I consider myself a city girl, but even I get claustrophobic sometimes because of the amount of people who live in close proximity to each other in New York.

I love my charming and small apartment. But I would be glad not to hear my neighbor flushing the toilet at 3am or arguing from two floors up. In Orlando, the street I lived on had one-story houses located at a great distance from each other. And each had a backyard that provided privacy.

In Brooklyn, I climb onto the roof of my apartment building when I need to be alone.

Living near the amusement parks in Orlando has always offered a lot of fun adventures.

Although I didn't visit often, amusement parks like Disney World and Universal Studios offered year-round entertainment that I miss in Brooklyn. I lived about 20 minutes from both parks. And despite the high ticket prices, they were quite affordable as I didn't have to cross a state line or pay for a hotel.

One of my favorite memories was participating in Universal's Mardi Gras Parade as a teenager. On another occasion, a friend and I attended a school Halloween horror party together, which only a local could do.

But there are no amusement parks of this magnitude in Brooklyn. However, I have never been to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, which is about 90 minutes from Brooklyn. So I'm looking forward to getting to know the theme park.

Orlando has a vibrant nightlife that won't empty my bank account.

Going out for a drink in Orlando is usually cheaper than in Brooklyn. Financial advice website FinanceBuzz reported in April 2022 that margaritas in Florida cost about three dollars less than those in New York.

It's not a huge price difference, but the cost adds up when you factor in the number of drinks purchased, transportation, bar snacks, and more.

I miss even what many consider terrible

While New York City has the Statue of Liberty, Florida has the Majesty Building, affectionately referred to by locals as the “I-4 thorn in the eye.” This is a local legend, as most Central Florida residents spot the ominous glass building as they drive down I-4.

The building is well known because its construction has been going on since 2001. Religious independent television station WACX owns an 18-story building and uses a pay-as-you-go method, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The official WACX website noted that the funding included viewer donations and philanthropic grants, among other resources.

But one thing I definitely don't miss living in Brooklyn is hurricane season.

There are many benefits to living in Orlando, but the annual hurricane season overshadows the experience. It usually takes place every year from June 1st to November 30th.

As a child, I was always jealous of Northeastern students because the TV showed snowy days when they could skip school and play outside. In Florida, a hurricane day means storing water and bunkering a house, while heavy rain destroys everything in sight.

I vividly remember Hurricane Charley ripping through Central Florida in August 2004, when I was in elementary school. When we returned from the hurricane, our neighborhood was littered with fallen oak trees, downed power lines, broken glass, and rubble.

Florida residents face hurricanes every year. And that's probably why we're making headlines about some residents' jaded worldview and viral memes.