Today marks my first full month in Binghamton after moving here from north of Boston and it has honestly been pretty awesome.

Living on my own, exploring a new city and state, and not living at home is pretty great. Did I mention not living at home? Not living at home!

Anyways, people like to say New York and Massachusetts are bitter rivals with a heated past that has sparked debate on the baseball diamond, in the kitchen and even roadways from Long Island to Cape Cod.

But Binghamton has been kind to this 22-year-old Bay State transplant and, believe it or not, life here has been a stark contrast to what I know back home in the North Shore of Mass.

And after 30 full days in the Southern Tier, here are the five things about Binghamton that have stood out to me the most.

  • 1

    The People Are Way Nicer Than Bostonians

    Now don’t get too excited when you read this. Don’t get me wrong, I love Boston, I really do, but Bostonians are a very acquired taste. Whether it’s people purposely running into you on the sidewalk or doing anything on God’s green earth to defend their lord and savoir Tom Brady, it can feel as if people are going out of their way to make your day miserable. But in Binghamton (and New York in general) people are a thousand times nicer. Everyone is always polite, people are in a chipper mood, I even had a local business owner pay for my lunch because I frequent there so much and he appreciated me bringing new clientele (AKA two of my friends) one afternoon for lunch. It’s a nice change of pace for sure.

  • 2

    Everything is 24 Hours

    When I found out that there was a 24 hour supermarket AND a 24 hour Walmart five minutes from my apartment I nearly keeled over. Not to mention that there are at least a dozen places around here that are open 24 hours to grab something to eat, which is a big deal considering that the Wendy’s in my town closed at 1 a.m. Even the bars are open until three in the morning and that, I believe, is a beautiful thing.

  • 3

    Don’t Even Try Driving Up the Hill Near Boces When It’s Snowing

    I live right on top of the hill near Boces and when my first taste of a Binghamton snowstorm came about two weeks ago, my car and I were not even slightly prepared for its wrath. I’ll keep it short and sweet: don’t be a dummy and try driving up that hill. You will fail trying to get up it multiple times and you WILL crash into a snowbank. Shout out to the three random gentlemen who helped push me out as I pathetically dug my tires out of the snow with my bare hands and shoved my floor mats under the wheels. It was a pathetic sight to see for sure.

  • 4

    I’m Pretty Sure Every Fast Food Chain Is Within a Five Mile Radius of the City

    Now, before anyone even tries to come at me, I KNOW you do not have a Chick-Fil-A yet. I agree that this is a tragedy BUT I promise, we will get through it. But damn there is literally every fast food chain known to man in this city and as they say variety is the spice of life. I see you, Binghamton.

  • 5

    No One Uses Their Blinker

    I know the last thing any New Yorker wants to hear from a Bostonian is driving advice but here I go… USE. YOUR. DANG. BLINKER! It’s the knob thing near the steering wheel, I know you know what I’m talking about, and it lets me know what direction you’re turning when I’m driving behind you so that we can avoid a fender bender. It’s a wonderful resource that I would hope to see people take advantage of because all of this veering and cutting off is giving me a panic attack and I cannot take it. With that being said, I still love it here.

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