--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: New York wasn't everything I thought it…" description: "\"New York wasn't everything I thought it would be. It did not welcome me with open arms. The first year, I was held up at gunpoint. Raped on the roof of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/004/madonna-ciccone-401_apartment_new-york-wasn-t-everything-i-thought-it_1431727.png" --- # New York wasn't everything I thought it would be. It did… ![“New York wasn't everything I thought it would be. It did not welcome me with open arms. The first year, I was held up at gunpoint. Raped on the roof of a building I was dragged up to with a knife in my back, and had my apartment broken into three times. I don't know why; I had nothing of value…” quote by Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/004/madonna-ciccone-401_apartment_new-york-wasn-t-everything-i-thought-it_1431727.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/004/madonna-ciccone-401_apartment_new-york-wasn-t-everything-i-thought-it_1431727.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/004/madonna-ciccone-401_apartment_new-york-wasn-t-everything-i-thought-it_1431727.png) > “New York wasn't everything I thought it would be. It did not welcome me with open arms. The first year, I was held up at gunpoint. Raped on the roof of a building I was dragged up to with a knife in my back, and had my apartment broken into three times. I don't know why; I had nothing of value after they took my radio the first time.” [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. New York proved hostile and dangerous, shattering expectations of safety and welcome. **In simple terms:** City can be unsafe and unwelcoming. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant and seek supportive communities. Themes urban life danger disillusionment Mood cautious somber Type personal reflective When to use this quote - relocation - nighttime travel - housing decisions Key Concepts trauma survival trust Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to protect yourself in unfamiliar places? - How do you rebuild trust after trauma? A Different Perspective Personal safety varies; not all cities are alike. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apartment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apartment/) [Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Held Gunpoint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-gunpoint-2409149/) [Knives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knives/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Open arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-arms/) [Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio/) [Raped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raped/) [Raped Roof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raped-roof-5099499/) [Roof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roof/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Three times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-times/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Took Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-radio-4737510/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Welcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welcome/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [If you took any of my radio shows and you took the music out of them, they wouldn't be remotely the same thing. 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I was a little worried at first; you know, everybody knows about my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassadee-pope/i-feel-like-nashville-has-really-embraced-me-with-open-arms-i-was-a/) [Cassadee Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassadee-pope/) > [Cast not yourself away from Evil. Instead, embrace it with open arms, control it and overcome it within your inner self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cast-not-yourself-away-from-evil-instead-embrace-it-with-open-arms/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you had forgotten, it would quickly come back to you. Aloneness was like riding a bike. At gunpoint. 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I may have thrown myself off a building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-m-very-grateful-that-i-had-work-to-do-i-may-have-thrown-myself-off/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [The beast is the modern world that we live in! The material world. The physical world. The world of illusion that we think is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/the-beast-is-the-modern-world-that-we-live-in-the-material-world-the/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [With all the chaos, pain and suffering in the world, the fact that my adoption of a child from who was living in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/with-all-the-chaos-pain-and-suffering-in-the-world-the-fact-that-my/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Being blond is definitely a different state of mind. 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He visited it before we moved the furniture in, he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/for-instance-adolf-hitler-would-never-have-spent-the-night-at-the/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) [Browse all 884 Apartment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apartment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "New York wasn't everything I thought it would be. It did not welcome me with open arms. The first year, I was held up at gunpoint. Raped on the roof of a building I was dragged up to with a knife in my back, and had my apartment broken into three times. 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