Welcome to Sin City
The Global Vice Index ranks the Czech Republic as the top country in the world for alcohol and marijuana consumption per capita. It holds second place in ecstasy use, and sixth in amphetamines. Prostitution is legal. Bars specialize in absinthe. Even the age of sexual consent sits at a salacious 15 years old.
That’s why no normal university student can be expected to spend a semester in Prague hunched over textbooks and crying in the Czech Bobst. Vice isn’t a distraction here; it’s a way of life. Whatever your intentions when you get on the plane in New York, you will soon be seduced by the city’s decadent charm and unhurried, indulgent lifestyle.
Conventional guidebooks will get you through the usual fairy-tale attractions: The glimmering Vltava River that wraps gently under Charles Bridge; the smažený sýr carts on Wenceslas Square; Prague Castle at sunset. However, that only gets you so far. For the ultimate land of vice does not waste time in corrupting the innocent — and believe us, you will be an active participant in your own destruction. The trick is to do it all, and survive it.
In the course of researching an honest, no-holds barred student guide to survival in Sin City, we confess that many, many sins have been committed to help you through what is sure to be the raunchiest, most hedonistic time of your life. These include:
1. Enduring an entire semester of unabridged blackouts. Only now do we understand why fun is generally reserved for the weekend. Considering that Tuesday is one of the best nights in Prague, we should probably take time to thank our Wednesday morning teachers for having patience with our hangovers.
2. Suspending NYC standards in favor of cheap living. Our perception of what it means to be frugal has been shattered. We confess that we now think of everything in terms of pivo, i.e., “60 Kč for a sandwich? That’s two whole beers!”
3. Lamenting American vs. Czech cultural differences, yet smoothing everything out over a joint at Cross Club.
4. Jeopardizing the Osadní dorm license. It has been referred to as the Slytherin house, and we cannot dispute the name. The dorm stands alone in Prague 7, notoriously solidifying its reputation as the pre-game palace among NYU Prague. Apologies to our Osadní neighbors who dealt with puke in the courtyard, 5 a.m. sing-a-longs and countless potraviny runs.
5. Eating voracious amounts of cheese, bread and sausage. Always saving room for a second smažený sýr.
6. Acting like spoiled pseudo-Europeans who travel to Berlin and Budapest on the weekends. Adding a splash of Croatia after Spring Break. All the while, returning to one of the craziest cities in the world and somehow finding time to make a passable effort at other schoolwork.
In spite of the heavy damage, it was all worth it to provide our successors with guidance and inspiration to do exactly the same thing. Best of luck – you’ll need it.
That’s why no normal university student can be expected to spend a semester in Prague hunched over textbooks and crying in the Czech Bobst. Vice isn’t a distraction here; it’s a way of life. Whatever your intentions when you get on the plane in New York, you will soon be seduced by the city’s decadent charm and unhurried, indulgent lifestyle.
Conventional guidebooks will get you through the usual fairy-tale attractions: The glimmering Vltava River that wraps gently under Charles Bridge; the smažený sýr carts on Wenceslas Square; Prague Castle at sunset. However, that only gets you so far. For the ultimate land of vice does not waste time in corrupting the innocent — and believe us, you will be an active participant in your own destruction. The trick is to do it all, and survive it.
In the course of researching an honest, no-holds barred student guide to survival in Sin City, we confess that many, many sins have been committed to help you through what is sure to be the raunchiest, most hedonistic time of your life. These include:
1. Enduring an entire semester of unabridged blackouts. Only now do we understand why fun is generally reserved for the weekend. Considering that Tuesday is one of the best nights in Prague, we should probably take time to thank our Wednesday morning teachers for having patience with our hangovers.
2. Suspending NYC standards in favor of cheap living. Our perception of what it means to be frugal has been shattered. We confess that we now think of everything in terms of pivo, i.e., “60 Kč for a sandwich? That’s two whole beers!”
3. Lamenting American vs. Czech cultural differences, yet smoothing everything out over a joint at Cross Club.
4. Jeopardizing the Osadní dorm license. It has been referred to as the Slytherin house, and we cannot dispute the name. The dorm stands alone in Prague 7, notoriously solidifying its reputation as the pre-game palace among NYU Prague. Apologies to our Osadní neighbors who dealt with puke in the courtyard, 5 a.m. sing-a-longs and countless potraviny runs.
5. Eating voracious amounts of cheese, bread and sausage. Always saving room for a second smažený sýr.
6. Acting like spoiled pseudo-Europeans who travel to Berlin and Budapest on the weekends. Adding a splash of Croatia after Spring Break. All the while, returning to one of the craziest cities in the world and somehow finding time to make a passable effort at other schoolwork.
In spite of the heavy damage, it was all worth it to provide our successors with guidance and inspiration to do exactly the same thing. Best of luck – you’ll need it.