17 Questions We Had About The Differences Between Mexico City And Manhattan
¡Hi there! We are Fer, Tori and Gretchen. Tori and Gretchen work in the BuzzFeed NY office and Fer works in the BuzzFeed Mexico office.
There's a lot of shows and movies out there in the streaming world right now to watch about both New York and Mexico City — but as we all know, you can't believe everything you see on the screen!
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So, we had a cute little movie night and came up with a bunch of questions for each other about what life in our cities is really like versus what's in film.
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Here are all of those questions, answered!
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Are people in New York always in a hurry? Are Mexican abuelas always that sassy? Keep reading and find out!
1.As a Mexican, I think I speak for all of us when I ask: Do New Yorkers eat as many street hot dogs as it seems?
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Tori: Well, yes and no. Street food carts are definitely a thing, but hot dogs aren't for everyone, a lot of people also like the soft pretzels cart, the kebab cart, etc. If anything, everybody's eating more pizza than other things — but those who love hot dogs, really love hot dogs.
2.Ok, we need to know — what is it like living in Mexico City? Is it busy and crowded like Manhattan?
Fer: Yeah! It's pretty much the same as you perceive New York in the movies: crazy, crowded and busy— but instead of hot dogs and pretzels we have street tacos in our food carts, haha.
3.It seems like there is always construction in New York City, is that true?
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Gretchen: Living here, it definitely feels that way. In any big city something always needs fixing, but New York is notorious for ridiculous amounts of sidewalk scaffolding.
4.From the movies we watched, it seems like families in Mexico City, or maybe all of Mexico, are really female-led. Is that true?
Fer: Yes, In Mexico the women tend to make important decisions family-wise; in some homes it's more common than others that women tend to manage the household's money and family events. You've seen Disney's Coco? The part about the strong female figure leading the family is actually very accurate.
5.This I had to ask too: Are people in New York as rude as in the movies?
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Tori: Not really! Sure, people are busy and no one wants to be bothered, but most of the time New Yorkers are pretty chill and definitely not overly mean or scary or anything.
Gretchen: That is, unless provoked!
Tori: Yea, just mind your own business and you'll be fine.
6.How would you describe the fashion in Mexico City?
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Fer: I think in Mexico City people dress more glamorous than in other Mexican cities, but definitely not as glamorous as it seems like it can get in New York City. This might be because of the weather — it does get cold here, but not so cold that you'd need to wear a huge fur coat and lots of accessories!
7.Speaking about outfits, do all New Yorkers dress as extra as they seem to do in the movies?
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Gretchen: Most New Yorkers have only two main outfits: the don't talk to me outfit you wear when you are coming from the gym or heading to the store, and the PLEASE TAKE A PICTURE OF MY LOOK outfit. So yes, this is kind of true.
Tori: If you're hanging around the Fashion Institute then real-life Manhattan will look a lot more like Manhattan on TV — but there is a distinct NYC style for each borough.
8.What about beauty standards? It seems that people are maybe a little more accepting and diverse in Mexico, from what we've watched. Does that hold up?
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Fer: As with everywhere else, Mexico had this problem about only casting people with European features for TV shows and movies. Nowadays, I think that we are showing more new and different types of faces in media that actually portray how diverse and beautiful our culture and people are.
9.What is the reality of dating in New York? It seems like people are more focused with their careers over there, instead of settling down — getting married just doesn't seem like a goal for New Yorkers...
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Tori: That really depends on the person. Manhattan is definitely a more career focused city, but most people are at least open to casually dating and if that leads to something more then, great! It's safe to say that not many people are going to give up their career for love though — New York weddings are extra expensive, so you need a job, haha.
10.How about in Mexico? Is marriage a big end goal even for young people?
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Fer: Actually yes, a lot of millennials are still looking forward to getting married — and many do that as soon as they finish college, but this is more common in the other states of the country and not in the city. If you want to be single longer, or focus on your career then you'd probably move to Mexico City where nobody cares.
11.Are New Yorkers actually always in a rush? And is the traffic as bad as it seems on TV?
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Tori: Traffic really does suck! I feel like most people either walk or take the subway instead of drive, though. As far as rushing, this is kind of true. It's either you have somewhere to be or you don't — so you see a lot of rushers or people that have the time to strut and "romanticize their life".
12.Are the buildings pretty and colourful? NYC has a brown and gray aesthetic to it, except for street art and stuff like that. What about Mexico City?
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Fer: Well, not all of our buildings are pretty, haha, but yes, overall it is a very colorful city and I think that is one of the biggest differences between Mexico City and New York City. There's even a time of year where the trees are pink colored! It's really gorgeous.
13.Is New York somewhat like what's shown on "Gossip Girl", like, the whole "Upper East Side" life?
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Gretchen: The thing about New York is that you can find whatever you're looking for. The Upper East Side lifestyle definitely exists, but you have to both be able to afford it and want to flaunt it. For most of us here, life's less flashy and much more of a grind. I don't remember ever seeing Selena or Blair take the subway, haha.
14.Mexico City seems like an exciting place to live in, like something cool to see or do everyday, is that true?
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Fer: Yes, you never run out of things to do. There are mezcal tasting tours downtown, Lucha Libre, speakeasy mixology bars and even chalupa parties here. Everything you can think of to have fun and more is available in Mexico City!
15.Is living in New York as glamorous as it seems?
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Gretchen: Making it in New York is not as easy as it seems on TV. Most people start out on limited salaries living in tiny apartments, and making ends meet is not always easy. But if you can do it, it's worth it! New Yorkers know how to work hard, so it's kind of a work hard, play hard mentality.
Tori: Whenever you get a day off though, I can see how we might look a little glamorous to people not from here. There's also always something to do in this city, and because of the way Manhattan looks you can easily accidentally look like you're living the influencer life, just by going out to brunch.
16.Do you see a lot of wealthy people in Mexico City, kinda just showing off? It's occasional in NYC, but it's those people that most shows end up being based off of.
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Fer: I think it is more impressive when someone is rich in the other states of Mexico — the city is known for its diversity so it's kind of normal to see all kinds of people here. Although, it is very true that you can only see celebrities and major influencers in Mexico City because we're at the center of showbiz here.
17.Last one — when can we all visit each other?!
Fer: Whenever! As soon as possible! We can go partying!
Tori: As soon as it's good for everyone, please visit!
