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.