Glittering lights, bustling traffic and crowded streets. To many this would seem overwhelming and undesirable, but to junior Estella Bahan this is something she has been dreaming about since she was little. 

Bahan is very passionate about living in either New York City or in Chicago, but strives to live in any big city, as long as it’s full of exciting new people and cultures that will give her an experience like no other.

“There are a lot of different things you could experience in a larger city — it’s really a giant melting pot of a bunch of cultures and experiences from other people,” Bahan said. “I feel like all the people create a very interesting culture and [there are] a lot of interesting opportunities for careers.” 

Bahan hopes to gain more understanding of herself by living in an urban environment, challenging herself to see if she is able to take everything a big city offers. 

“I feel like it’s a good lesson because you can either handle it or you can’t,” Bahan said. “I want to know which one of those people I am.”

She is concerned she wouldn’t be able to live in a big city her entire life due to the amount of stress it would cause. 

“I think I could for a few years,” Bahan said. “I’d probably move out of the city when I’m super old, withered [and] can’t commute.”

Although Bahan has the aspiration to live in a major city, she is concerned about the downsides it may bring. 

“The cost of living and commuting would probably be the biggest disadvantage — also higher crime rates, but that’s just because there’s more people,” Bahan said. 

Though there may be consequences to living in a major city, Bahan is mostly excited about living in a small studio apartment and living out her aesthetic and ideal lifestyle.

“I really like Victorian style architecture and interior design — I think it’s so cool, [and I ] like vibrant colors,” Bahan said. “I’m not a fan of minimalism at all — like, at all.” 

Bahan is striving to have a vintage aesthetic in her apartment, and hopefully have some plants in her home as well.

“[I] like lots of antique-looking furniture [and] rich colors.” Bahan said. “[I want] a couple plants here and there, [and] Victorian lampshades [that] are very detailed and ornate and they have like this ghostly energy to them that I really enjoy.” 

Though Bahan already enjoys the overall aspect of city life and the aesthetic that goes along with it, she is mostly excited to meet a variety of new people with different backgrounds.

 “I feel like with more people living in the city, there’s more chances for you to meet someone that you could really enjoy being friends with or climbing a career ladder, which is just another opportunity that comes with living in a major city,” Bahan said. “Also, there is a certain culture to bigger areas because there’s just so many people who bring their own stuff to the table, their own culture, their own celebrations, their own traditions.”

Bahan is excited for what the future might bring her and believes it’s a common dream among people to want to experience or explore something new in their lifetime.

“I feel like it’s a thing that everyone wants to do because there’s just more there,” Bahan said. “People think being in a city is an escape from a smaller area where they’re from, where not a lot happens, and I feel like there’s just a lot more of a draw there than to a small town.”