When you’re half-adult, half-child, internships are the time for pretending to be a successful professional. The pencil skirts, the meticulous hairstyle, the spreadsheets filled with internal controls – it’s a slice of life after University. And although 9 to 5 (or in my case, 8:30 to 6) seems daunting, living in NYC and Atlanta for the summer isn’t just about the work.
Nightlife, cuisine, culture, outdoor adventures – the list is endless, and while each city is different, both are mini universes of millions of humans. Here are some differences Stephanie and I noted while working in these two metropolises. I’m an audit intern with Deloitte in Atlanta while Stephanie is a communications intern in NYC!
Office Culture
Atlanta
Although auditors mirror the dress of their clients, Atlanta is a Southern, laidback city, and most offices are business casual. Throw on a dress with ballet flats, and you blend in with the other puffy-eyed commuters. Office culture in general is easy-going; deadlines need to be met and interrogations by your Partner still happen, but people are personable and understanding.
At its current growth rate, Atlanta has the potential and wealth of a city like NYC but still retains a distinct Southern culture. A Senior auditor grills you on Board minutes one minute and buys you Zaxbys the next. Mistakes are generally positive and a learning experiencing, not something to be tabooed. And people revere their lunch breaks here, especially when the company pays for them.
NYC
Waiting at the subway station gives a good glimpse at the full spectrum of professionals. Suited and polished worker bees catch the 7 AM subway, scorning the “artsy fartsy” people who catch the subway at 9:45 AM because 12-hour days just aren’t their thing.
Regardless of the career path you’re on, New York has a mixed bag of hustlers — everyone is working hard at what they do, even though everyone is doing different things. Smart casual is the new business casual, so jeans and trendy tops are the normal garb for a NYC employee. Expect to hit up a weekly happy hour with your colleagues and maybe even your boss — my office, for example, has a bar downstairs that is brought to life every week for Thirsty Thursday.
The Food Scene
Atlanta
Speaking of lunch break…. the food scene in Atlanta is prolific. As an audit intern, I get free lunches at least twice a week since “business” is being discussed (obviously). My favorite restaurants include Tin Lizzy’s Cantina, Hankook Taqueria, Seasons 52, Brickstore Pub, and Mary Mac’s Tea Room.
Not to mention the SH*T TON of breweries in and around the city…SweetWater Brewery has its headquarters in here as well as Red Hare Brewing, Three Taverns, and Pontoon Brewing. Our final intern event is at New Realm Brewing, and I can’t wait.
NYC
Depending on your internship, you may or may not have free food catered regularly. Unfortunately for most people in creative careers, it’s unlikely that you’ll get more than a free lunch at your intern orientation. Luckily in the Big Apple, food outside of the office (aka your incentive to work more hours) is pretty great.
Featured all over Food Network and similar food channels, NYC cuisine is the cream of the crop. But it came as a surprise to me that most restaurants are narrow, crowded spaces. Instagram may portray these hot spots differently, but restaurants are just like everywhere else in the city — crowded.
Cost of Living
Atlanta
Real estate in Atlanta is pricy (think Buckhead or Marietta), but it’s nothing compared to prices in The Big Apple. Georgia is an inexpensive state to live and work in, especially since professionals’ wages are high and the cost of living is generally low. For example, gas costs around $2.60 a gallon in Dunwoody (a suburb outside Atlanta) while it’s much higher in NYC.
Even our food is also cheaper – at Kroger (a cheaper version of Publix), a healthy mix of fruits, vegetables, and meats for three people costs $70/week. It’s the perfect place for an audit intern; I get paid a great wage (disproportionate to my knowledge, tbh), but the taxes and other costs are minimal.
NYC
New York is one of the few places where “breaking even” in an entry-level position is actually pretty damn glamorous. The city is bustling wherever you go, so the entertainment of being inside the city is embedded in the cost of living.
Food is fortunately easier to budget around. Every other storefront you pass is a restaurant or bar, so the options are endless. When you’re on a tight budget, you can crank out Yelp and filter it by the cheapest meals. I guarantee a bad meal in the city is a good meal anywhere else. Grocery shopping is a bear, but if you’re feeling up to toting 5-7 flimsy bags on the subway, it’s safe to say you’ll be spending about $50-60 a week on a single person’s groceries.
Nightlife
Atlanta
Justin Bieber has raved at Tongue&Groove and The Gold Room has an honorable spot on Yelp, but nightlife in Atlanta isn’t that huge. Breweries and happy hours at bars and restaurants are bigger because professionals are 30+, married (often with children), and too exhausted from working.
Breweries are popular because kids and dogs are encouraged, and it’s more laidback than a full-makeup night with heels and Tinder dates. People here are young but driven, and Atlanta is so spread out that an Uber from Dunwoody to Midtown costs $50.
NYC
Calling it the city that never sleeps is an understatement — the city doesn’t even know what sleep is. Regardless of if you go to a quaint tavern or a trendy, poppin’ rooftop, you’ll find yourself in a fresh mix of culture, conversation, and if you’re lucky (or unlucky), loads of distasteful dancing.
The key phrase that resonates with young professionals here is: happy hour. A cold beer after work won’t erase the stress — you need a bougie cocktail in your hand by 7 and a skyline view to top it off. Rooftops are trendy and addictive, remember that. Even if you try to defy the mainstream picks, you’re destined to end up at a rooftop at some point.
Transportation
Atlanta
Atlanta’s premier public transportation system is Marta. It’s a winning combination of efficiency and sketchy, but it gets me to 191 Peachtree Street. Marta features above and below ground rail, and a roundtrip costs $5 (which is a measly price to pay to avoid the Atlanta traffic).
When it comes to commuting to work, I have to leave around 6:45/7 a.m. to avoid the Georgia 400 traffic…if not, it’s a sweet 1.5 hours of podcasts and crawling Lexus’.
NYC
Unless you live within 10 blocks from your office, chances are the subway will be your daily commute. From a first glance it’s underwhelming and even a little unsanitary, but when you realize everyone and their brother uses it daily, it becomes one of your New York staples.
If you’re working in the city, the best bet is to buy the monthly pass for $120 — it gives unlimited rides for the entirety of the month. It doesn’t take a tour guide to spell out the “dos & don’ts” — avoid empty cars during rush hour, let everyone exit the subway before boarding, the “mice” are actually rats, etc. Even so, it’s a great learning experience and it carries a historical charm with it that you can’t find elsewhere.
The Great Outdoors
Atlanta
If The Walking Dead is any indication, Georgia has the greatest of outdoors. My Saturdays are booked with Stone Mountain, Piedmont Park, or Shooting the Hooch. Piedmont Park also has free outdoor concerts during the summer (I can’t wait for Magic City Hippies in July), while Stone Mountain has laser shows on the weekend.
The cities surrounding Atlanta are also scenic: Senoia, Savannah, and Helen are top notch (although there aren’t any “walkers” hanging about).
NYC
Despite its nomenclature as the “concrete jungle,” New York has pushed for more nature in recent years. In fact, in the early 2000s, the city launched an initiative to surpass the count of 1 million trees.
Central Park is a no-brainer — it truly offers a relaxing reprieve for any type of New Yorker. Other areas, like Bryant Park, Battery Park, or even stretches along the riverside, are nice ways to detox from the daily screen time we get in the office.
The Results: NYC vs Atlanta
We didn’t need an intricate tally system to figure this one out — both cities have their pros and cons. Intern life isn’t the same as committing to a full-fledged move, but we’ve been fortunate to get a sneak peak of city life. The best advice we can think of: enjoy every minute of it. A city internship is like adult summer camp — the world is your oyster!
Besides Central Park, the nature scene in New York is lacking, so it’s fair to say that Atlanta takes the cake there. Meanwhile, New York wins on best nightlife as it is virtually unbeatable with an array of clubs and sleepless bartenders. All the other categories are pretty person-dependent in terms of preferences. Having an internship in either of these great cities is an experience of a lifetime. There’s lots to be learned, sites to see, and of course, food to eat.