As a Texan moving to New York City for the first time, I was anxious about keeping up. Everyone makes a big deal about the speed of life in Manhattan. Movies overemphasize car horns for atmospheric background noise, lest you forget that impatience is the quintessential character of New York.

   A taxi driver leans out of his window to sneer at a gawking intern: Get a move on, kid! It’s New York! Cue the camera montage, quick cuts between avenues. Curb to building, sidewalks are full of workers shuffling to and from the office. I liked my space, and I knew I would miss the warm, do-you-know-them friendliness of southerners when they deal with strangers, but I was also ready to say goodbye to all that if it meant spending a summer in the hallowed halls of a New York publication.

   Luckily, the New York bustle ended up being more of an ebb and flow than a constant sensory barrage. When I rose each the morning for a workout, the streets were sleepy. By 8 am, the crowds were on the go. And when I arrived at Inc., scooting through the lobby turnstiles at 7 World Trade, the energy ebbed again. The offices of our parent company, Mansueto Ventures (which also owns Fast Company), were still dormant. Coffee, pitches to editors, more coffee, and the day’s writing assignments were the usual warm-up. And as the sun rose higher and the streets outside our windows slowed, the day really started to kick off at Inc. 

   My co-intern Melissa and I would review Inc.’s web traffic report, chat about ideas for articles, and share links. At noon, we grabbed lunch (usually at our desk) and swapped teams to work on fact checking. Editors rushed in and out of the research library to go over points of concern with Marli, one of our mentors and Inc's Research Director.