What I've Learned in New York: My Experiences

Three terms come to mind when thinking about New York: enthusiasm, ambition, (good) noise. The city is loud and expensive and exhausting. For some people this can be an amazingly inspiring mixture. For me the famous "New York State of Mind" was the realization that you can draw a lot of energy from pressure.

Freedom and opportunity. I didn't know anyone when I came here. Everything was new and for the first time I had the feeling that my life was all mine alone. Although it is a lot about individualism, I first had to learn all the codes and customs in social interaction: how to talk to each other, how to speak with customers, among colleagues and even among friends.

At the end of the day people everywhere are very similar when you get to know them better. The cliché is that American friendliness is superficial. But I rather have superficial friendliness than superficial prickliness. A "How are you, honey" from the waitress in the deli is not a sign of deep friendship. It is simply nice.

The lack of compromise. It feels like everyone wants to get to the top, and is prepared to make sacrifices. You quickly get used to it (to a certain degree), and only then do you realize what's inside you. The competition is fierce, but I had the feeling right from the start that I was taken 100 percent seriously.

Here are three (almost) free things that I recommend to friends: sitting in Madison Square Park in the morning, with a coffee and a toasted sesame bagel with scallion cream cheese. Take the ferry to Staten Island (and then straight back again). Play basketball early on a weekday in Brooklyn Bridge Park on the piers – you're guaranteed a hoop for yourself and the backdrop of the downtown skyscrapers illuminated by the morning sun is unbeatable.

Illustrator Christoph Niemann completed several internships in New York during his studies. He moved there immediately after graduating in 1997.