Marissa Conrad

I first moved to New York City when I was 20, a Midwestern transplant here to work for a big, shiny magazine in a big, shiny skyscraper. I don’t remember every detail of that summer, but I do remember doing this: click-clacking down 14th Street in my bright-green heels with flowers on the toes, smiling at everyone who walked by and greeting the construction workers I passed with a cheerful “Good morning!” I remember telling strangers in my office building to “have a good one” as they exited the elevator. I asked baristas how their day was going, with genuine interest. I was basically Kimmy Schmidt. Cut to 10 years later, when I muttered to a grandma—an actual grandma!—to fuck off for blocking the sidewalk. Then there was that time I lost my shit and kicked a display when an Apple store employee informed me that my Mac couldn’t be saved. This wasn’t me having a bad day. This was—is—a New Yorker on an average Wednesday. To tweak a line from Avenue Q, everyone here is a little bit rage-y. How did this happen to me of all people, a sweet girl from a flyover state? I have some ideas: For one thing, there are a lot of folks here. New York City has the highest population density in the U.S., with more than 27,000 people per square mile, according to stats from the NYC Department of City Planning. (In Manhattan, that figure balloons to nearly 72,000.) My wrath toward the elderly is a consequence of that. It fits neatly into what Leon James, a University of Hawaii psychology professor

Sometimes you wanna go out—and we're the first to say that New York has some of the best parties in the world—and sometimes you wanna stay home with a gigantic bag of chips watching SVU. But often, you want the joy of eating at one of the best New York restaurants without the hassle of leaving your apartment. As luck would have it, you can now do exactly that, with these high-end (but reasonably priced) options that are a cut above your regular delivery services. So here they are: perfect options for dinner delivery, drinks to your door and actual chefs prepping a meal in your kitchen. Bring 'em on!

We’ll do pretty much anything to see our city from up high (as this video from the making of our rooftop cover shows), especially if it means going to rooftop bars. In fact, we’ll even go to some not-quite-as-good rooftop bars if it means we get some great aerial photos of the city. Bars like these ones… RECOMMENDED: Find more things to do on NYC rooftops Bar 54 The two most dreaded words in New York are also the key to the city’s most scenic rooftop: Times Square. Specifically, the Times Square Hyatt, where the 54th-floor bar reigns as the highest watering hole in Manhattan. The views are as insane as the cartoon characters you'll push your way through to get there, which also may explain the insane cocktail prices: $23 for a hot buttered rum?! Get your skyline selfie and abandon ship before you go broke. The View This is New York City's only rotating restaurant, which would have been awesome in, say, 1992. It's also in a Marriott (Hey, baby—what do you say after this we grab a nightcap at the Best Western?). But the view is unbeatable: a 360-degree look at our city from 48 stories. The Penthouse at the Hotel on Rivington Prepare to work for your roof drinking: To get to this tri-level penthouse, take an elevator to the 20th floor, head down a hallway, through a bar, up a staircase, through another bar area and up another, steeper staircase. Once you’re there, the space will likely be crowded and thick with cigarette smoke, but your payoff: a panoramic view of Manhattan just

Even if you follow the ten commandments of apartment hunting in NYC, finding affordable apartments in this town can be next to impossible, which is why so many New Yorkers have roommates. But even finding the right roomie can be a struggle, so check out the sites below to help ensure you don’t accidentally move in with a murderer (we’ve all worried about it, right?) MatchPadThis seven-month-old startup tweaks the technology of a dating site, using important could-I-ever-live-with-her? data like shared rent caps, professed cleanliness and tolerance of living room ragers to match you with a roster of should-be ideal roommates. Strike up convos within the app, or at weekly mixers at NYC bars. Free. RoomidexStep one: Eliminate creeps, which this app (theoretically) does by connecting you with only friends of Facebook friends also on the housemate hunt. Step two: Figure out which non-creep also meets your roomie requirements, aided by a matching system that tallies everything from desired move-in date to affinity for drinking alone. Let’s drink alone, together! Free. Speed RoommatingErase the image of shuffling one seat to the right every time a buzzer dings. At Speed Roommating’s twice-a-month bar nights, run by SpareRoom.com, mingle at your leisure over booze and many, many smartphone photos of apartments. A white nametag means room to offer, while pink signifies seeking room, making it easy to meet dozens of potential matches in the time it would take to trek and see one dud. F

Everyone loves seeing a movie, but if you're after more than just a straight up screening—say, an accompanying musical performance, trivia or a special feast—these are the events for you.   The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Bow Tie Chelsea CinemasOgle Rocky’s gold briefs onscreen—and off—as a props-wielding cast shadows the iconic film. Be prepared to sing along! Bow Tie Chelsea; Fri, Sat at midnight. $14.50. Film Feasts at Nitehawk Cinema Brewers and local chefs serve six courses during scenes that inspired them, such as the White Russian–spiked stout created for a screening of The Big Lebowski. Up next: cult classic Wet Hot American Summer. Bug juice, anyone? Nitehawk Cinema, Williamsburg; July 16. Stuff your face at Habana Outpost Cap off a Sunday bender with a Cuban sandwich and a chill flick on the outdoor patio of this Fort Greene spot. In the past, it has projected Top Gun, West Side Story, The Princess Bride and The Bodyguard. Habana Outpost, Fort Greene; Sun 8pm; free. May schedule TBA. Monday Movie Nights at Huckleberry BarFree popcorn and two-for-one drinks, plus Gouda-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon and braised short-rib sandwiches? Yes please! The next movie on deck: Big Trouble in Little China on Monday 27. Huckleberry Bar, Williamsburg; Mon 9pm; free. SummerScreen in McCarren Park Sets from local bands accompany sunset movie screenings, with food and drink vendors like Pizza Moto, Coolhaus and Sixpoint Brewery. To celebrate its 10th year, the series is airing its