Here’s a weird one: There are 12,000 bodegas in New York. That’s one bodega for every 700 people. You are never more than a block away from a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. Fact.
Also, the city has 26,000 acres of park. Central Park is just 843 acres. So you could fit 31 Central Parks inside the city’s green space. But you won’t find a deer. You’ll find raccoons that weigh as much as a toddler.
And the water? New York City’s water supply comes from a huge system of reservoirs. It’s so big that the water travels 125 miles to get to your tap. It’s so clean you can drink it without filtering. But it tastes like ancient rocks and 19th-century engineering.
How Big Is New York? - LifeOutOfTheBox
The Population Is a Circus
New York has 8.4 million people. That’s more than 39 states. But it’s not just the number—it’s the density. Manhattan has 72,000 people per square mile. Compare that to Los Angeles (8,000). You can’t breathe in Manhattan. You chew the air.
And those people are noisy. The city’s average noise level is 90 decibels. That’s as loud as a lawnmower. But it’s a charming lawnmower. One that honks at you.
You’ll hear sirens every 30 seconds. You’ll hear a guy yelling about his cat’s astrology sign. You’ll hear a guy selling knishes from a cart. It’s a symphony of glorious insanity.
