Chicken Pot Pie

So far Zack hasn't found a job yet. Not surprising, since law firms are just starting their hiring season, and he still won't know his bar results for 2 months, but a little annoying, since living well on one income in NYC takes some creativity.

Our absolute favorite restaurant - Baker Street Pub - makes a chicken pot pie we both constantly dream about, but we don't have the money to go out and eat it every night. If we did, we would, believe me, especially on these nice fall-ish days.

Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa, was at our office on Thursday. I watch her show whenever I can, both of her recipe books that I own are my go-tos whenever I'm needing some inspiration in the kitchen. I love how homey, delicious, and decadent her recipes are, and often they're healthy too! Unfortunately she wasn't there very long, and I didn't get to meet her, but I did start flipping through the dog-eared pages of my cookbooks when I got home, and found her signature chicken pot-pie recipe. I had most of a leftover roasted chicken in my fridge, waiting to be cooked into something. It was destiny.

I'm making it right now. I made a couple substitutions; non-fat milk instead of heavy cream, and my own shortening-free pie crust to make it healthier, and took out the peas, because GROSS! I tossed my leftover chicken pieces in olive oil, salt, and pepper on medium heat for 2 minutes, which worked amazingly. I also wasn't able to make enough chicken stock, so I used extra bouillon with water. It tastes phenomenal, but I love my chicken stock (made with a little white wine, carrots, sea salt, and chicken pieces), so I'll make sure I have more on hand next time.

Below is my method, but here's the link to the original version.  I pretty much went over it with my edits.

Ingredients

• 4-6 cups cubed chicken, cooked
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 cups water
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup non fat milk
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon raw sugar
• 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

Toss this chicken in the olive oil, salt and pepper for 2 minutes on medium heat until thoroughly seasoned.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and water and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and milk. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

TGIF-AFTTC

Thank God It's Friday - And For Things That Change

Zack's final weekend before the bar is about to begin. In just a few days, he'll be done, and we can begin exploring the city together! I can't wait to start checking out filmings (so many shows and movies are filmed here in NYC), and sampling more of this amazing place we're calling home.

But, for now, he is the bar exam's, not mine. So I'll focus on what is mine; thoughts about how we've changed in order to adapt to our new surroundings.

1 - I've learned to love umbrellas. I never liked umbrellas, they always look so gangly and awkward next to their graceful and feminine - albeit less practical - cousin, the parasol. But now, I love them. I even know how to use them. No, it's not as simple as it looks. Umbrellas have a mind of their own, with very perverse and stubborn personalities. They require delicate coaxing in order to open, constant supervision of their environment while open, and then they refuse to close when you are finally inside. My particular umbrella has a bad habit of just opening. Just because it felt like it. And I have an even worse habit of not fastening the snap that keeps it from exploding in office lobbies. No, that never happened to me, why would you ask that?

2 - I no longer respect cars. Not because they guzzle gas or take up space, no, nothing like that. I'm talking about the healthy fear of cars. Anyone who drives a car knows better than to get up close to one while it's zooming by on a thoroughfare. Well, I no longer drive, so I've forgotten all about this. It's normal now to walk halfway across the street, wait for a van to speed past just inches from me, and then continue on my merry - but soaked - way across the street.

3 - I've finally decided I don't like rain. I've always been a little torn on this subject in the past. Rain is fun to play in, and the dreary coziness it brings is so pleasant and calming. On the other hand, rain is very, very wet. Wet is not fun or cozy when you're walking in it on your way to work. It's just dreary.

It's raining today, can you tell?

Control and Self Control

Life has been overflowing lately, hence no posts for two weeks, so enjoy a little tidbit of the recent crazy.

I've always known that SoHo's shopping is 9 blocks too close to my office, so this week, I decided to see how close those 9 blocks were. Way too close. I can easily make the 5 minute walk to the good shopping and have 45 minutes to spend browsing the good stores. My Columbus-proportioned moment of discovery has the potential to be my most disastrous. I'm trying to forget about the temptation of Alice + Olivia dresses by exploring the nearby Parks; Washington and Union Squares are also just a short walk, and a little greenery in the middle of the day does wonders for my soul. I love the summer here, street musicians on the sidewalks, and sipping my Vitamin Water under the leaf shadows.

Zack and I have started making sure we walk through the city, at least in part, every now and again. I love how you can feel the energy of the city, it reverberates off the sidewalks and lighted nights and then gets inside you. Zack says it's just the subway, but we both know it's more than that. We're slowly discovering more and more of the city, with every week that goes by, but most of our exploring is on hold for now until the bar is over. Only 11 more days.

With our limited time, Zack and I invented our own conversational game; who saw the weirdest thing on the subway today. I usually win if I commute to work at rush hour, picking up loud-mouthed Jersey-ites at Grand Central and hipsters at Union Square, but if I go in early then his midtown tourists almost always take the cake. Our winners of late:

• An elderly woman who sang her own mashup of worship choruses, loudly and off key, before walking up and down the car saying "blessa my sistah, blessa my brothuh". 
• The man who opened the back door of the car to dump a bottle of prescription pills. Suspicious much?
• All of the people who walk into the train car and stand in front of the door, blocking the entrance for everyone else. I get that you like to lean on the door when you ride, but I also like getting home. Move out of my way. 
• The tourists who get annoyed whenever anyone brushes or bumps them. It's a crowded subway, what did you expect? Take a taxi if you're going to complain. 
• A man selling airplanes, discussing his commissions of $500,000 and $700,000, respectively, as well as his 10% stake in another 7.2 million dollar jet. I'm clearly in the wrong line of work. 
• Two men having an extremely sexist and inappropriate recap of their female interviewees for a position in their company. If I'd known where they worked I would have reported them. Disgusting.  
• A couple arguing over the best way to get where they're going, and then the wife makes a ridiculously inappropriate comment and they both crack up. Oh wait, that's us. And no, I'm not posting the comment on here. 

We've adjusted quite well to public transportation and not having a car. We love not worrying about car insurance, repairs, and gas, and enjoying the commute time that can be put towards things other than just getting somewhere. I love to read the paper on my train, Zack usually has a book on his iPad. It has it's moments though, like last weekend, when the conductor suddenly announced we were taking another route, which would have worked out well if he hadn't changed back to the original route once we got uptown, without announcing it. Whoops. We walked home from Columbus Circle that day. It's the feeling of not having control that irks you in that moment, more than walking in the heat and humidity, or the time lost. But it's the feeling of letting go, just enjoying the sun and the sidewalk, that makes you happy to be here.  

Bubbles

Today Zack and I went for a run in Central Park. At noon. On one of the hottest, most humid days so far. Yup, bad idea. We walked back, which meant we got to observe the street performers. I adore street performers, and I try to make sure there's always a dollar or a few quarters on me if I see something cool. I was running, so no dollars, unfortunately for the performers. But I digress. We noticed two guys blowing those huge bubbles, you know, the ones between two sticks, with a piece of rope? [Here's a cool video if you don't.] I started to take a picture, and one of the guys noticed me and asked if I wanted to take one inside the bubble. Psshhh, of course! It took a couple tries, but he eventually got the bubble to form around me. It was one of the neatest things, to see the world through a floating, soapy film. Everything looked so pretty, full of rainbows and sparkles and wonder. After the bubble popped, the world went back to being normal and un-Disney looking. But I still remember the sparkles. Sometimes we need to see the world through a bubble.

Taking Chances

This week has been filled with discoveries for me and much-needed encouragement for Zack.

I'll start with Zack. Last week was frustrating for him. He didn't do as well as he was hoping to on quizzes, and got behind on essays for bar prep. He also didn't sleep through the night at all, and got stressed and worn out like I've never seen before. Yours truly finally got fed up with the tossing and turning all night, and the cranky husband all day, had a few un-Proverbs 31 woman moments, and then went out and bought him Melatonin for this week. He has successfully slept through the night, and done better than needed on his checkpoints this week. I'm pretty sure he's awesome and that he's going to ace this thing, he's not so sure, but after some small victories this week he's coming around to my way of thinking.

My week started out just as poorly as Zack's. Monday morning my beloved iPhone fell. I picked it up without looking at it. It wasn't until I left for work that I saw the chunk of glass missing from the screen.  This presented a dilemma, since we were planning on letting our contract with AT&T expire in 2 months so we could switch to Sprint (unlimited fast data) and get the iPhone 5, due out in September. Well, now I had to find a phone, and renew a contract for 2 years, which meant paying the cancellation fee in 2 months (we can't stay with AT&T, no service in our apartment). Oh, and all on one tiny income in one of the most expensive places to live. I was feeling understandably down until I found out what a broken, used iPhone was worth. Within seconds of posting an ad on Craigslist, my phone blew up and it still hasn't calmed down. I sold my broken phone for enough to pay for an upgrade, and I had people offering me $50 more than that. I wouldn't have promised it to the first guy who met my asking price if I'd known what a hot commodity I held. After my relative success, I decided to do the same thing for Zack since we've already had to extend our contract, he gets his new phone tomorrow. My phone is still going off constantly. I finally just shut it off. It's amazing how crazy people on Craigslist are! I had someone offer me $60 less than what I was asking for Zack's phone, and when I texted back to say I had offers for my price, he upped his offer by $10. Really, dude?

Back to my original predicament, I ran to J. Crew (I don't just work there, I pretty much love everything there) after work today and picked up a gorgeous little iPhone case. No more taking chances! Well, with my phone. Because me walking anywhere in Manhattan in taking a big chance. I proved that by walking out of the J. Crew store and going the wrong way, and then not realizing my mistake until I was two avenues over from where I needed to be. Whoops. I realized my mistake next to an F train station. I've never taken the F train anywhere, even though it's the closest one to our apartment. I'm always a little nervous and excited about taking a new route on the Subway, fortunately this one worked out to my advantage. There are some areas and routes that are not frequented by tourists, and you know where these are because you'll inevitably see that one crazy kid walking between cars while they're moving. I was on one such route. I get beggars and performers going between the moving cars, but not those people who move from one car to another, just to sit down, heave a sigh, and open their paper. What sense does it make? Some New Yorkers are plain crazy and weird, as opposed to the midwestern-transplant New Yorkers, who are awesome.

The more I live here the more I am inspired to be more than just creative, to be artistic.  Walking through the West Village tonight and seeing all of the artists reminded me that I found my sketchbook and pencils while moving, and left them out intending to use them. Writing has helped me channel some of my renewed creative energy, but I'm excited to try other expressions. I really want to get back into painting again. Watch out, I'll be sporting a beret and dreads yet.

A Month and Then Some

It's been a month and then some since we've moved to New York, and it's crazy to think that much time has passed. In all honesty, living in the greatest city in the world has become mundane. It isn't that the awe-inspiring man-made canyons of glass and concrete have become less stunning, or that the rich histories are no longer meaningful. It's that you forget they're there.

On Friday, we went to become official New Yorkers, on paper. My drivers license from Virginia is being revoked since I'm not longer a resident, so there was some urgency. On Thursday, I worked late into the night (not really, after pulling late second and the occasional third shift in Virginia, 9pm is nothing to complain about) and earned myself a three day weekend. Friday morning I cleaned the apartment, which badly needed attention since both of us had been feeling under the weather, and then met Zack in Herald's Square. I don't go to the touristy areas of Mid-Town often, or ever if I can help it. I'm usually only in the Upper East Side where we live, or the East Village where I work. I've hit SoHo every now and again to shop, and the FiDi once or twice to run errands, but that's about it. Zack's bar prep class meets right across the street from Penn Station, only a couple blocks from the Empire State Building, and just a few more to Times Square. This was actually my first time in Herald's Square, a small islet of green in the middle of a thoroughfare, where you can dodge the crowds but not the noise. After enjoying our lunch in said small haven, we walked to the Manhattan Mall and stood in brief awe of the shrine that consumerism created. Zack had been to the DMV before when we sold our car, but I was working then, and he didn't really remember where it was. He knew it was on the 8th floor, so we checked out the elevators in the Mall. It's in our best interests to note here that our iPhones were both unusable. The first elevator wasn't working, we pushed the button, the door closed and it would shake, but not actually move. After three of these efforts I'm rather glad it didn't move. The next one would only go to the second floor, fat lot of good that did us. We circled the mall a few times before finding an information desk. The sweet lady at the information desk kindly told us we had the right floor but the wrong building, it was the building next to the Manhattan Mall. When we finally arrived, there were easily 150 people in line in front of us. We waited in line for almost two hours, before finding out that my paperwork was incomplete and I have to come back another day, oh joy, and then proceeded to wait another hour and half to get Zack's license after they took his picture. Three and a half hours were utterly wasted. We called it a "Kingdom of the crystal Skull day", as in, it never happened.

If Friday was a fourth-Indiana-Jones-movie-that we refuse-to-acknowledge kind of day, then Saturday was a Raiders of the Lost Ark day. We woke up early, made it out to beach at a decent time and we've discovered a much faster way to get to our favorite beach on the subway, it actually cut half an hour out of the travel time. We love the Rockaways, especially since it's a free beach, and on our unlimited subway cards, it doesn't cost us anything extra to go. It's a surfing beach with decent waves, so we always get to watch surfers do their thing, but this weekend was a big surfing festival. The beach is long enough that it's never crowded, but this weekend the surfing-only sections were packed. It's amazing to watch people on their boards stand up and ride a wave in. Zack and I now have a life goal to learn to surf, we're looking into lessons here to get started. It just looks cool! The beach was the best it's ever been, and our burned skin unfortunately tells us we enjoyed it a little too much. Or a lot too much, as my poor shoulders are saying. totally worth it though. The section we were on has a deep tide at the beginning of the water, but as you walk in there is a huge sandbar, and a long stretch of waist-deep water and perfectly sized waves. The ocean was just cool enough to be refreshing, just what we needed after this awful northeastern heat wave.

We finally forced our burned bodies to part ways with the beach and headed back to Manhattan. The famous subway series (Yankees vs. Mets) is going on this weekend and we wanted to try to get tickets. We didn't know what scalpers would have, but we also didn't want to spend $65 to get altitude sickness in the nosebleed section, so scalpers it was. When we got to Citi Field, cops were everywhere, probably expecting fights since it's a local rivalry. Unfortunately, having so many smokies around meant scalpers were laying low. If you've scalped enough tickets, you know the profile, and we tracked down everyone who had tickets for sale. All three of them. That's right, literally 3 people were selling tickets. They all had incredible seats; 4th row behind the Yankee dugout, or club seats just below the press box behind home plate. Unbeatable really, but we didn't have the asking price of $200 (1/4 of the actual price) in cash on us, so we finally turned around and went home.

A friend we know from Wisconsin was visiting New York with a group of her fellow interns, and we'd said we would try to meet up in Times Square, so we decided to just head there early and do some shopping. I forgot how incredible Times Square is at night. We got on the big screen, met a guy who told us we were going to have the most beautiful babies, and I got my favorite chicken pita. I'm addicted to those things, but why they cost $3 in the Village and $7 in Times Square I'll never know. It was great to hear a Wisconsin accent for a moment and ever so briefly catch up with someone from the homeland. After saying goodbye, Zack and I decided to walk to the Manhattan Mall instead of taking the subway. It was a gorgeous walk. I forget where we live in my busy life, forget all of the things that make this city so great and so unique, compared to every other place on earth. I forget why we wanted to live here, why we were drawn to this monument of man's accomplishments. Saturday night, walking through Mid-Town, seeing the colored lights on the Empire State Building, I remembered.

Hollywood Debunked

After living in NYC for a month [yes, a month already!] you start to realize just how many different perceptions you have about New York from every movie and TV show. Well, here are a  handful of the silver screen's favorite myths, debunked or verified as the case may be.

1. [As seen in 95% of all action, superhero, thriller, and disaster films] - The Manhattan skyline is routine levelled.

Hollywood really has it out for New York; every imaginable evil, from extraterrestrial demigods to ice hurricanes, and even giant gorillas, has been visited on the city since the dawn of hollywood. I think we can all safely say debunked, since last time I looked I was in a canyon of sturdy skyscrapers, and have yet to see a post-apocalyptic desert. I'm keeping my eyes open though.

2. [As seen in FRIENDS, How I Met Your Mother, Friends with Benefits, Seinfeld, and others] - New York apartments have lovely, open kitchens.

Debunked before you can even say the word, and with some bitterness on my part. Our apartment has a large kitchen for Manhattan, which I will never not find shocking, since it's the size of my closet in Lynchburg. Those kitchens are great for filming, but they're nothing more than a fantasy unless you're just that bourgeoisie, and that's really bourgeoisie.

3. [As seen in Step Up 2, Friends with Benefits and a billion YouTube videos] - Flash Mobs happen.

Step Up 2 was actually set in Baltimore, and YouTube isn't based on Rodeo Drive, but this holds up as a bit of modern-day gritty glamour that Hollywood bestowed on the Big Apple. And it's actually true; we saw our first one this weekend! It was one of the coolest things we've seen so far.

4. [As seen in FRIENDS] - People have nothing to do but sit in coffee shops all day.

More true than not, actually. New Yorkers work hard, but they don't work a whole lot.

5. [As seen in How I Met Your Mother, Hitch, and every chick flick ever set in New York] - New Yorkers take taxis everywhere.

Debunked. Taxis are incredibly expensive, and if you have the money to use one regularly, you'll just have a limo or town car, since it's actually not that much more expensive and it's so much better. Depending on traffic, the subway can actually be faster as well. Taxis are typically filled with tourists, out of town business folk, and New Yorkers who just bought TVs or dropped their life savings at Trader Joe's (easier to do than it sounds, trust me!).

Secondhand High

I started writing this post on Sunday, when we had visited a new church, caught up with an old friend who lives here now, and got a little relaxing in. But then we went for a "run". We made it east to 5th ave, which borders Central Park on the East Side of Manhattan. 5th ave, however, was an impenetrable mass of Puerto Ricans. We really need to be better about knowing what's going on in the city. Apparently it was Puerto Rican Heritage Day, and they were celebrating with a huge parade and festival. Kudos to them for celebrating, and the food smelled amazing! But as we struggled through the twenty blocks of crowd and fenced off avenue to get to the park, we started smelling something else. Something not legal. Zack and I now have to tell our future kids that we never intentionally experimented with drugs.

We made it in to the Park finally, enjoyed a quiet afternoon in our favorite Sheep Meadow, imbibed a little sun, read a few words here and there, Zack might have even studied.

We both love the random people you see in the Park. Creepers we are, admittedly, but the people watching is unbeatable. Sometimes it's just plain cool, like yoga enthusiasts balancing each other over their heads. Other times it's watching kids buy beer, or parents on their iPhones while their kids run wild. "Siri, make my child behave". Not likely, but it's worth a shot.

We both have settled into nice weekly routines. My commute is officially a half an hour, but only 12 minutes is on the subway, the rest is a pleasant walk through the Upper East Side. Zack's is a bit shorter, his bar prep class is actually right by the Empire State Building. Typically his class meets on the 18th floor of the Hotel Pennsylvania, and he gets to look out at the tiny, befuddled tourists. I get to see the progress of the new One World Trade Center building, so we call it even.

Speaking of tourists, our favorite favorite New Yorker pastime is to laugh at them for is trying to hail cabs that already have a fare. They stand on the sidewalk, trying way too hard to look nonchalant, cursing and then finally becoming animated after three or four cabs pass by them, never putting it together that the cab light was out on each taxi.

Zack has utterly and completely fallen in love with the city. I love the city too, but today it turned my umbrella inside out.

Compare, Contrast, and Write More Lists

I didn't mean for a week to go by without posting - the whole reason I'm blogging instead of journaling is that I thought a blog would make me more accountable to actually write.

Anyways, last weekend I went to Wisconsin to surprise my little sister for her high school graduation. It was a great, if short, trip! I was upgraded to first class for free on both flights, and now, like Jerry Seinfeld, "I can't go back to coach, I'll know what I'm missing!"

It was great to see family and friends again, but there was also a bittersweet twinge in my heart. Just a couple months ago I thought we were moving back there. I would have my horses around me, fresh air, friends and family and familiar places. Maybe even a kitchen with counter space! It would have been so comfortable, so nice. Just driving on the old familiar roads was a good feeling.

New York is amazing, there's no place like it, but it hasn't yet become comfortable for me. I think once we find a church and good friends that will change, already just having a routine has made the transition better. I do love it here, I'm not trying to complain, but I'm still a little homesick.

Yesterday we went for a run, and explored Central Park. It's so beautiful, and if you know where to go, it's not crowded. We're going to go back today, soak up some sun and see the sights. There's also talk of a picnic in the Sheep Meadow - our favorite little area of semi-secluded greenery. The tourist there surprise me. It becomes a little offensive after a while, the way they take pictures of everything and stare at the carriages and pedi cabs and street musicians. It's only a couple blocks from our 63rd street home base, I'm really surprised we haven't been there more by now. There are so many little trails and twists and turns. Neither of us wants to go in there with a map, but we just might have to.

Our apartment is almost completely unpacked! Over the weekend we should get the last few pictures on the wall and knick knacks put away. I'll post a few pictures once it's all completed. It's so small but I think we've used the space well.

New York Moments

Today had some real NYC style moments. I've been getting to work earlier than I need to, so today I left a good 10 minutes later than usual. Almost immediately I found the error of my ways; the subway is a million times more crowded and crazy at 8:30 than at 8:15. Back to the early schedule for me.

More crowded means more characters. Trying to get through the mass of people and on to my 5 train, and something whacks my poor sunburned shins. Turn around and it was a blind girl's white cane. She was literally swinging it at people's legs so she could make it on the train.

At the first stop, two guys get on right in front of me, one jumps in front of the other for a seat and the other starts screaming at him. I thought they were going to come to blows over a subway seat!

These people are crazy here! I'm going back to my 8:15 schedule and my peaceful mornings.

J. Crew held a huge corporate town hall meeting today at Cooper Union. Interesting factoid, Abraham Lincoln gave his 1860 "Right Makes Might" speech at the same lectern our CEO spoke at. We also heard from the founder of Teach for America, she gave us a few inspiring words about the great work they're doing around the country.

In the Village they have these crazy lamppost coverings, they're pretty cool. Hopefully the picture loaded! I'm posting from my phone so I'm not sure if this is working.

I'll Sing Glory From the Low Rise

I've had the above song ("Train Under Water" by Bright Eyes) on repeat today, it seems to fit our life here.

We slept in Saturday, went running Central Park. I was only just saying Friday how much I miss trees and fresh air. We come up on a glorious meadow in the middle of the Park, flopped down on the grass somewhere between the sun and the cerulean sky and the ancient oaks trees. I'd forgotten how good grass smells. I was running and didn't have my phone, but I'll include some pictures one of these days.

Sunday we visited a gorgeous old church, Central Presbyterian, but the cathedral is also where a synagogue meets. I really want to visit a Shabbat service there. Once again, no pictures, but I'll make sure we get some. It was too gorgeous not to snap a quick shot.

Monday, Memorial Day, we went to the beach! I always miss Memorial Day with my family, 4-wheeling with the Savignacs, swimming, and of course grilling. The beach has been mine and Zack's tradition now, and as such we chose to visit "the Rockaways". it took 3 trains and an hour and a half to get there (but since we have unlimited subway passes, it may as well have been FREE). The 5 train and the L train weren't so bad to get out of Manhattan, but when we switched over to the A train in Brooklyn, which would finally get us there, everything got confusing! Apparently not all of the A trains go all the way to the island the beach is on. Thankfully someone noticed our beach gear and told us to get off and catch another train. On the beach-bound A train, all of a sudden everyone in a swimsuit left the train at a random stop. We didn't think to follow the crowd, just stayed on until we realized the train didn't look like it was going the right way. We asked for directions, turns out we were about 20 blocks past the beach, so we got off at the next stop, and lo and behold, THE BEACH WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! Apparently, the beach with stores and bars and restaurants and lifeguards was 20 blocks away, but the beach with surfers was just off the stop. Surfing is huge here! Never would have seen that coming. We ended up walking the boardwalk along the ocean to the developed area of the beach because we needed to buy an umbrella, and just staying there. The water was so cold even Zack wouldn't get in it much, but the sun was hot and the sand and waves were relaxing. Hence, we relaxed, and promptly turned into lobsters. Whooops. Doesn't matter how many times you apply that SPF when you're a paleface like us. It was a great day though. Between the beach and walking back to our tiny little apartment on the most populous city in the world, we were reminded of so many reasons our nation is great. So thankful for all of the men and women who have sacrificed everything to keep America free and beautiful.

Anyways, here's a couple cell phone pics of our day - the boardwalk on the beach and a painted sign on a building a block over from our apartment. Zack said I needed to stop taking pictures like a tourist. I'll be a serious New Yorker soon, this is just part of the "honeymoon phase" of our new life.

I also discovered today that I've been taking three left turns to get work when I get off the subway, when the building was one right turn away. Literally on the same block. Not kidding, even a little bit. Here's to a shorter commute, and remembering to check my phone for walking directions! 

Friday = Lists

It was a long first week of routines and work and class, but here's to the weekend!

It feels so good to be settling in, but there are some things - good and bad - that I don't know if we'll ever get used to. Enjoy:

1. People asking for food on the Subway, walking up and down the cars with bags for passengers to drop granola bars and snacks into.

2. The profanity (seriously, the f-bomb is used like any other adjective here!).

3. The disgusting hot air that blows out of the subway vents on to the sidewalks. Ughhh

4. The food prices (I'll never understand why a box of cereal costs $7.99. Ever.).

5. The sight of the beautiful Queensboro Bridge that spans just a couple blocks from our place.

6. The lack of eye contact. At first it was refreshing to not have everyone you walk by wanting to have an entire conversation with you, à la Lynchhburg, but right now I miss having people smile back.

7. Living in the canyon of a skyline. You get a little claustrophobic every now and again.

8. Flowers everywhere! Every other street corner has a small grocer with bouquets displayed outside. The lilacs are almost masking the subway stench.

9. Foot callouses, from walking everywhere.

10. Hearing loud banging in the subway stations. It's always drums starting up, but it sounds so strange in most of the stations. I doubt they're well engineered for acoustics, unless it's muffling the screaming trains.

11. The screaming trains.

12. People looking you up and down when you walk by to see what - or who - you're wearing. New Yorkers as a general rule are not as rude as people say, but they are every bit as snobby.

13. The uneven floors. Many of the buildings in Manhattan are so old, and perhaps they settle poorly because it's an island. I really don't know, but some of the floors are just wacky! There's a couple places in ours we can't have furniture because anything will wobble.

14. The cheap booze. Beer and wine are pricier, but anything harder is dirt cheap.

15. Not paying for our heat. Thank you obscure NYC statute that makes landlords pay for it.

16. The crazy water pressure! Our shower could rip your face off!

17. Not driving anywhere, ever.

18. Crazy cab drivers. They will run you over.

19. Tourists.

20. Cheap healthy food. So good!

21. The coffee, it's so rich and strong, just the way I like it! I've never been anywhere before that I could anticipate such perfect espresso-y bliss. I still expect a weak, bitter brew every time I get a cup around here.

22. Being the person tourists ask for directions. It's flattering.

There you have it. The one thing that's going to take longest to get used to is the anonymity. I remember when I was little, my mom would tell me about when she lived in Los Angeles and how you always felt anonymous. It didn't make sense to me then; you're surrounded by people, aren't you? But being alone and being unknown are entirely different.

Today we spent four and a half miserable hours driving to New Jersey to pick up some furniture for our apartment. We were only going about 12 miles. Yeah. Miserable. We tried the back roads, they were just as bad as the interstate. There was a McDonald's when we finally arrived at our destination, and we stopped for a quick bite after those miserable, starving hours. The man ordering next to us was telling them they needed to start serving alcohol so he could get his day started earlier. Good grief. We got our furniture; a shelving unit for the kitchen, rolling kitchen island, and a desk, and then we got the heck out of dodge.

It feels better to come back to Manhattan, every time. It's a sigh of relief. There's a safe feeling once you're back in your neighborhood. They say New Yorkers don't like to leave the 5 block radius around their home and office. It's absolutely true, and I know why. Your tiny apartment isn't big enough to fill all the needs of a home; the pizzeria and the deli and the grocer and the pub all become home too.

We both love it here. Zack, the introvert, has taken to city life more naturally than I. I still miss fresh air and open spaces, my heart is divided. He's wholly embraced every particle of our new locale. It's so exciting to see him completely happy, and I know I'll follow shortly.

Love for Trader Joe's

Today was the first day that both of us have felt like settled New Yorkers, staring past people in our way and tuning out on the subway with our headphones in.

I figured out the express train, and my commute is now under 10 minutes. Amelia - 1, Subway - 15, but it's no longer a shutout. Walking to work on Broadway in the East Village I'm 99% sure I brushed shoulders with Blake Lively! She lives in Bedford, NY, with boyfriend Ryan Reynolds (I googled this today), and is known to frequent the city. How about that, right? She was keeping a low profile with a scarf, but it had to be her! I finally sighted a celeb, chalk up one New York experience. Zack has to catch up now, and we're really hoping to see Sarah Michelle Gellar, since she lives on the Upper East Side.

I snapped a quick photo of the view out one of the windows in the office - it's not great compared to the actual view at all, but it's a taste. Work was so much better today! Now that I have my bearings, I love it.

I stopped by the Trader Joe's on 14th on my way home from work and fell in love. There are no fewer than 22 checkout counters in the store, which is roughly the size of your average Walgreens, and the line to check out went almost to the back of the store. They actually had people directing you to checkout counters, and walking along the line to see if anyone forgot anything, and then they would get it for you so you wouldn't lose your place! So much good food. Way too much. A true food gem. A point for the Hetfields in the game against the price gouging grocers of New York. Or so I thought until I walked 10 blocks in heels with a heavy bag of groceries. C'est la vie, I suppose. Time to celebrate with cooking all of the food, and [hopefully] a foot massage!

On Needing Rain Boots

I finally realized yesterday that not only do I love Manhattan, but that it also loves me back. Today, I found out that it's that special, sarcastic kind of love. I spent most of the weekend swimming around boxes and, didn't take the time to appreciate the city while the sun was out - truly a glorious, gleaming sight. And today, when I had to walk a total of 16 blocks and would have loved nothing more than to appreciate said glory, it rained. Rain in New York is a strange affair. It comes down slow and fast, hard and soft, all at the same time. Apparently it comes down in this weird way with more volume in the East Village, where I work, that on the Upper East Side, where I live. So I left for work in a short woolen skirt and an old chambray shirt, looking very Jenna Lyon-sy (just in case I meet the fashion goddess!) but not at all buckets-of-rain-falling-on-my-head-y. Lovely. Lovely, wet shivers, and graceful sneezes, the entire day.

My first day was an assortment of emotion. Working at our corporate office is a huge privilege, and I don't actually believe that I work there yet. On the other hand, my starting position is extremely tedious. Filing tons of customs paperwork, and not cool paperwork (when I first heard customs the international politics nerd in me pole-vaulted out of excitement), I'm just sorting them out by number. But it's still a corporate job! Because of the rotational aspect of my position, I may not be doing this for very long.

It is amazing to work 12 floors up in the East Village. The Village takes New York's signature juxtaposition of the über quaint and the über sleek to new heights, and it's a splendid sight to look down on, even in the pouring rain. As long as you're under a roof. I highly recommend a roof for rainy people watching. And I will take pictures looking down.

I do absolutely love working at 770 (the in-house term for our corporate office, because it's located at 770 Broadway), and I'm so excited about my future here. God was more gracious than I thought possible (as per usual) in providing a job that not only pays the bills, but has unlimited potential, and in my field of choice. And a place that brews Starbucks coffee. Oh yes!

Success story of the day: I finally figured out my subway ride! I can take the 6 local train all the way to Astor Place (my stop for work), or I can get on the 4 or 5 express train and switch to the 6 train at Union Square, which takes 10 minutes less. Zack, unfortunately, took my advice. He's been taking the R train to his bar prep classes, and yesterday I noticed that the F train would get him one street closer and had 2 fewer stops. But neither of us knew that the F train has fewer actual trains, and they run farther apart. He was a little late today, but I suppose the positive is that we know for the future...

I came home today, and I rang the doorbell for Zack because I was lazy and wet and didn't want to dig my key out of my purse. He came to the door dressed to the nines, saying he was taking me out to dinner to celebrate my first day. Audible awwwww! If you've ever watched How I Met Your Mother, then you are familiar with Maclaren's. Irish Pubs are on every block in New York, and our block is no exception, thanks to Baker Street Pub. It's delicious and cheap, and the thick Irish accents of the staff only add to the flavor. Baker Street's mahogany panels look almost identical to MacLaren's, and the guy behind the bar looks just like Carl. We just need to find Barney, a juke box, and a mustache doppelgänger for Zack. But this New York adventure is all our own.

Weekends, and Mild Bouts of Claustrophobia

I enjoyed a relaxing Saturday yesterday. That may be something taken for granted by many, but I've been working Saturdays every weekend at J. Crew for the last 21 months! Sleeping in, getting stuff done around the house, and going for a walk are all things new to my Saturdays, and they are all beautiful.

Zack, on the other hand, had a bar prep lecture to go to and had to be up early. Poor guy.

I did spend most of the day yesterday unpacking boxes, and I actually made a dent! Our living room is almost done, kitchen and bathroom are done, and the bedroom and dining area, well, I've at least started on them. Our apartment is about 500 sq. feet, huge by Manhattan standards but the half the size of our old place. The boxes completely overwhelm it, even with the high ceiling and enormous windows, and in fact the boxes even seem to expand and multiply. Yesterday, after getting through half a dozen of them, it seemed like there were even more left than there were when I started. Then the boxes started to not only grow, but to move as well! I swear their alive, and procreating! Yesterday, dizziness set in, and, I'm not proud, but I may have freaked out a bit. Over cardboard. That sweet man of mine calmed me down and took me out for some air. I still feel a little claustrophobic in here, but now I have a couch to sit on when the boxes start making my head spin.

We got a few things done today before we had to meet someone to look at our car. Having someone look at our car means taking the 6 train all the way up to where it ends in the Bronx, getting our car front the garage across the street from the subway, and making the 8 mile (but 45 minute) drive back to Manhattan. No one seems to want to just meet us in the Bronx to look at it, and seeing the Bronx, I don't blame them. It's not unsafe, for the most part, and it's not even that dirty or unkempt. It's just not very pleasant.

On both of our subway rides today, homeless people got on asking for money. One man went around singing in tune, and tapping his cane in time. He went up to everyone saying "smile, it won't mess up your hair". He was so cheerful, even though he was handicapped and homeless. What a reminder to smile and be thankful through everything life throws at us. Both of the homeless people walked from car to car while the train was moving! I don't know how they didn't end up flattened under the subway, but I do know that's how it would go for me. The one New York experience I'm ok with not having: being flattened by the 6 train.

Tomorrow I start my new job, still with J. Crew at their corporate office. I'm really excited to begin working again, to have a routine, and I'm actually not that nervous about the job itself. Yet. Not nervous yet. I'm sure that will come.

Last thing, the Queensboro Bridge Food Emporium has an entire section dedicated to coffee and chocolate! COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE! I'm in love with this city.

Smile, it won't mess up your hair!

More Learning

Today was probably the most unproductive day of my existence. Yesterday I was talking on Facebook about which James Bond was the best and worst, because someone used a Bond reference to call something "the George Lazenby" of it's kind. Well, today was the George Lazenby of my days. I was up at 7 and out the door to go move the car. After over an hour of driving around, I found a spot, but it wouldn't be legal to park there for another 45 minutes because of street sweepers. In New York, the street cleaning and trash pick up are scheduled, and parking is prohibited on each street at certain times to make sanitation more efficient. "Oh well," thought I, "I have all the time in the world today. I'll just chill here until it's legal and then leave the car here". 40 minutes went by, and I was actually getting my stuff together to leave the car, when the street sweeper came through. I moved my car, went around the block to park again, and every parking spot on the entire street - which had only a moment ago been half-empty - was now full. I gave up, payed $30 to park the car in the garage next to our apartment for the rest of the day, and found a cheap garage in the Bronx. This garage is a half-hour subway ride away now, but it's not like we were using the car, so it's fine.

It's worth noting that the garage next door to our building charges $720/month for their parking spots, and there would be an extra charge because our Envoy is "over-sized". Not sure I would ever make car payments for that much, let alone a parking spot!

We're still figuring out this express train/local train thing. We now know what the difference is, but we have yet to figure out when each one runs. Apparently the 4 and 5 trains that run right by our apartment are express, while the 6 train is only express on weekends and during rush hour. We also live right by the N-Q-R and the F train. The F is simple, and the 4-5-6 we seem to have figured out, from the Bronx, through Manhattan and then into Brooklyn. The N-Q-R, which takes us to Times Square and everything fun and full of artificial light, is not so easy to tame. But progress is being made.

The whole day went around getting the car up to the Bronx and then getting us back down. It was almost 4 by the time we got back home after dealing with the garage, and I have yet to unpack a single box today. I did make dinner though - a mediterranean turkey breast! I found my beloved tajine pot and it felt good to cook again. Our block is starting to become homey. The Duane Reade (the local version of Walgreens, actually owned by Walgreens) and Hot and Crusty (it's a pizza shop, but also the best and strongest coffee in Manhattan) on one end of our block, the produce stand (the guy gives me free cherries) and Baker Street Pub on the other. The Queensboro Bridge is visible from our apartment, and it's beautiful, sitting over the East River.

On a bright note, our old apartment in Lynchburg was rented! Because we ended our lease there early, we were looking at either paying $1200 to buyout, or continuing to pay rent until someone else came along. We decided to gamble on the second option, since apartments in Lynchburg go so quickly over the summer. Apparently it was a good choice! God was very gracious to us, given that we could have been paying $615 a month through September.

I know I should unpack, but right now I just feel guilty about having such a messy home. I want to wallow in my guilt with nutella frozen yogurt and something with Drew Barrymore in it. And I think I will. Except that my DVDs are buried somewhere in the landslide of cardboard.

The Learning Curve

I don't want to forget anything that happens to Zack and I as we adjust to life on Manhattan's Upper East Side, so I decided to write down all of our little adventures.

We arrived in Manhattan late Tuesday evening, and our Brewers were playing the Mets. We literally parked our car, ran to the apartment to change into our Brewers gear, and ran back out to the subway. We made it to Citi Field just as the first inning was ending, sharked some AMAZING field level tickets from a scalper for next to nothing, and had an amazing night. The final score of 8-2 and the rare win for Milwaukee were both excellent in their own right, but the highlight of night were the elderly rabbis sitting below us going crazy over their beloved Mets, fist pumping in their prayer shawls. A wonderful start to our new life.

Wednesday morning, the tide turned sharply. We had to get up at 6:30 AM to move the car so we wouldn't get a ticket. After driving around for over an hour, I stayed in the car while Zack ran to Starbucks for wifi and a much-needed coffee for me. We finally parked the car, 13 blocks away. Eek. But I just checked it and no tickets. The car is for sale and hopefully someone will buy it soon! It's just too much of a hassle to worry about parking it, and a parking spot here isn't worth the cost since we never use the car.

We went to the Library later on that day, it's only 4 blocks from our apartment in a beautiful old building. The free internet was beautiful, we've been feeling so disconnected from the world. Zack stayed at the library all afternoon, working on Kaplan Bar Review on his iPad.

In the meantime, I went grocery shopping. There are two Food Emporiums within a couple blocks of us, as well as Duane Reade, and street corner produce stands. Food in New York is so strange. Some things are so much more expensive - a box of Life Cereal is $6.00, but Kashi is $3.50. How does that work? And beef roasts are cheaper than chicken breasts. It's all more expensive but not shockingly so. The produce vendors on the street are actually good. Half the price of the grocers, and delicious so far!

We both made it home last night around 5:30, and the unpacking began, while trying to cook dinner. In hindsight, I don't know why we tried to cook. It took us 3 hours to make a simple marinara with eggplant and crimini mushrooms. We couldn't find anything in the mountain of boxes. The sticker shock of every little thing hit us like an icy rain. I dropped a box full of kitchen knives and it fell open at my feet. Not sure how I escaped that without becoming the toeless wonder. Talking to our parents made us so homesick. We both kept thinking how we would be unpacking with our families around us if we'd moved back to Wisconsin. The mountain of boxes that overtook our living room might not be so overwhelming there.

Today was better. Zack stayed home from bar prep. Mostly because we were both exhausted, but also to help me unpack and feel more settled. The kitchen is almost done, and I know where everything is. We have internet again, hallelujah. And we finally figured out how to lock and unlock all 3 bolts on our door. Our door, by the way, is heavy enough to render the rather unsettling amount of fallout shelters scattered throughout Manhattan entirely obsolete.

We decided to call it the learning curve. Here's to catching up.