New York to Stockholm: From Night to Day

My last four days in America were spent in New York City, where I then flew to Stockholm on a red eye flight. The difference between these two cultures was more surprising than I anticipated.

New York City is a place that requires very little description. All one has to do is say the name and hundreds of images and opinions are probably already spinning throughout your mind regardless of having visited or not.

This was my second trip to New York. I have several amazing friends who have been living there for quite some time now. During my last visit I spent almost the entire trip on the lower East Side of Manhattan- this time almost all in Brooklyn.

I spent four days on the go- not even having a second to think about how I just officially moved out of the West Coast and in three days would be moving out of the Country. Maybe I subconsciously chose New York as my last stop for this reason- I wouldn’t have a minute of silence or peace to reflect, i.e. freak out, about the year long journey I was embarking on.

Whatever the reason- it was as crazy as I remembered and as fun as I remembered. Eating, drinking, talking, walking and surprisingly sweating (climate change is a thing guys) all day, every day.

I drank $7 matcha lattes and had $1 slices of pizza. I accidentally went to Queens when I was supposed to be in Park Slope. I saw Louis C.K. at the apple store, and later got yelled at by a gangster looking guy with brass knuckles at the Subway in Bushwhick. New York- as contradictory as always. 

When I boarded my 8 p.m. flight to Stockholm, I settled in for a very disrupted night of sleep, next to two Swedish men who knew absolutely no English and also had very little manners. I woke up every ten minutes to their loud voices, coughing and poking me to use the bathroom. Mental note: never choose an aisle seat during a red eye flight.

Despite this, the eight hour flight flew by and I had arrived at Arlanda airport, half past nine. Reality didn’t hit while going through customs, nor after I tried to figure out the Swedish signs to baggage claim, and not even after trying to find the bus. Reality definitely began to hit in Stockholm Centralstation. The signs are not in English, the station is absolutely massive and comprised of several different buildings so you might find yourself accidentally leaving the station instead of finding the train (I did). 

Military time, currency, reading Swedish, all in the biggest train station of Sweden sounds pretty stressful- but after navigating the New York subway system for four days I was shocked at how relaxed I was in comparison. Everything felt so clean, people weren’t shoving you out of the way, and it was strangely very quiet. There were people everywhere around you, just like New York, but the energy was completely different. How was it possible to live in a city this big and have public transportation be so well organized and maintained?

I found myself in Stockholm a total of three times during my two week Sweden trip. Each time I saw a new side of the city and it’s people and each time formed a slightly different opinion.

New York City is arguably the most well known city in the United States, as is Stockholm in Sweden. Yet they are completely different cultures. Below are the top differences I noticed:

1. Cleanliness: New York is dirty and smelly and filled with cars honking and packed metro stations. Stockholm is crowded yes, but people aren’t honking at each other, and the metro is a completely different experience. The seats face each other in pairs of four like on a train versus a New York subway with rows of seats on opposite sides. Also, walking the streets of Stockholm smells entirely different than walking the streets of New York. 
2. Friendliness: I love that when I get in an uber in New York, or go to a bar, the people don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation. They love to talk about New York and well, themselves, and it creates a sense of community. You always hear about New Yorkers not being friendly, but I’ve found them to be very chatty. In Stockholm, people keep to themselves. I found myself becoming very aware and self conscious of looking at people and smiling or drawing any attention to myself at all. 
3. Attitude: You can see just about any type of person walking about New York- it’s a melting pot of styles and personalities. People in New York feel much more intimidating when you’re walking around than the people in Stockholm. Stockholm definitely had different styles, but the “look at me” attitude and the general way of carrying yourself was extremely different. Stockholm might be a big city and more diverse than other parts of Sweden, but the blending in mentality and way of holding yourself definitely translates there as well. 
4. Architecture: This is a fairly obvious difference- Europe and America differs greatly in their architecture. It’s just fascinating to see the contrast of old and new buildings and styles. You have very new, modern buildings, big and grey and ikea looking and then you have the cobblestone streets and beautiful old architecture. Then there is New York- such a variety from sky scrapers to brownstones to European influenced bodegas to mini marts. The way you feel walking around in these two environments is like night and day. When you’re walking around Stockholm you almost know what to expect at each turn, vs. I have no idea what type of thing is around the corner in New York. 
5. Nightlife: One thing both New York and Stockholm have in common is their night life scene- they know how to party. However, the environment is completely different. I personally find clubbing in Stockholm to be way more enjoyable than clubbing in New York, but I find the bar scene in NY to be more my style. Most bars close in Stockholm by two, forcing everyone to go to the clubs which are open past five. I felt like people really cut lose and interacted more in these environments than they do in New York- people were more approachable and fun. In New York, it feels much more separated even at four am.