When I landed an internship for a fashion magazine in New York City, I expected three things: fast walking, tall buildings and the devil wearing Prada.I imagined I would be just like Anne Hathaway wearing Chanel boots and hailing cabs with K.T. Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See” playing in the background. I often think of myself as Hathaway’s character, Andy Sachs, running errands for Miranda Priestly but the Big Apple just isn’t as glamorous as it is on the big screen.New York City is dirty. It smells bad. There are rats, and homeless men make sexual suggestions. But I absolutely love it all.Being in Manhattan is like being in several places at once. There’s Chinatown, Little Italy, Little Korea and that mini Disneyland plopped right down in the middle of 42nd and Broadway called Times Square.But after walking out of my dorm room day after day, seeing the Empire State Building and the lights of Times Square becomes so routine, and I realize, it’s the little things from home I miss. For example, the dollar menu.According to a lady in McDonald’s, I would have to travel to New Jersey to enjoy the affordability of a dollar menu.Also, in New Jersey, I could find a Wal-Mart. I’m considering a day trip to tide myself over until I’m home again.You won’t find free parking lots here either. Parking in Manhattan can cost you on average $60 daily.Most people take pictures of the normal tourist sites — the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge — but I have pictures of the one free parking lot in Manhattan. It’s a grocery store right on the edge of the island. Discovering a free parking lot shouldn’t have been the highlight of my day, but that’s when I realized I missed the South.—–Contact Leslie Presnall at [email protected]