Going to the Airport
Used to mean: Asking a friend to drive you to the terminal, and casually walking through security thirty minutes before your flight.
Now it means: Choosing between an insanely expensive cab ride or a two-hour-long train or a bus ride spend spooning all of your luggage and apologizing to everyone for taking up so much space and continually hitting them with your baggage.
Apartment Hunting
Used to mean: Finding your affordable, dream apartment after a slow search, when you decide to sign the lease three months before the actual move-in date.
Now it means: A frantic, “Black-Friday”-esque adventure where you sell your soul to Craigslist, see apartments with only 30 seconds’ notice, and sign the lease to move next week, only to strip-mine your entire savings account and barely have enough to eat tomorrow.
Bagel
Used to mean: A bread-like snack or breakfast food.
Now it means: The mouth-watering goodness that is lox and capers. The food of the gods. Enough said.
Cheap
Used to mean: $1 coffee.
Now it means: $5 coffee once you add all those extra shots of espresso because, let’s be real, you can’t face the day without them.
Wicked
Used to mean: Evil, like a witch from a fairy tale.
Now it means: Amazing, wonderful, terrific.
Fall
Used to mean: The season in between summer and winter.
Now it means: The absolute best season and time of year. Nothing in the world is prettier or more romantic than a Fall in New York. NOTHING.
Fashion
Used to mean: Combining colors and patterns perfectly to create the optimal fashion aesthetic.
Now it means: You’re probably wearing J. Crew, or Vineyard Vines, or Polo, or something like that right now, right?
New York
Used to mean: That beautiful place where dreams come true.
Now it means: That beautiful place where dreams don’t always come true, but that’s ok. New Yorkers wouldn’t change it for anything.