getting there…

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I know all of you were just dying for more pictures of my apartment…but I wanted to document where it is now…almost done (a couch, a chair, and a t.v. are all that I have left to add!).

I also wanted to document that I hosted my first brunch (and first anything) in my cute apartment! My darling friend Emily was in town with her cousin Athelia, so they both came over and we were joined by AnnMarie (another b-schooler who lives just two blocks from me). I made crepes. It was very fun. Of course I forgot to take any pictures while everyone was here, but such is life.

the lovely main room
from the other side (still no couch or chair)
I love my bedroom!
my happy little bathroom
I love this little bookcase from IKEA. It’s the perfect size!
space limitations mean getting creative…those are all of my spices stuck to my fridge!
The magical kitchen table…notice that there is no longer a set of drawers under my breakfast bar.

And just so you know, I actually have not been blogging because I have not had time. Between the new job and my new (and very exciting) dating adventures…I don’t get a lot done. But I promise I will post about the dating thing soon because it has been thoroughly enjoyable (in case you’re wondering, New York beats any other place I’ve lived…hands down).

learning to play drinking games

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Moving to New York has been an amazing adventure; adjusting to city life and a city budget, trying to figure out where I fit in this oh-so-big city, and making new friends. I have to admit that it has been much less painless than I anticipated it would be.

One of the things that has helped with the transition is that I LOVE my job. I mean…LOVE IT! And, if you’ve ever read any research on job satisfaction, you will know that a big part of it has to do with the people with whom one works. I LOVE my team. I landed with a great boss and a fantastic group. They like to have a good time…and hear is the evidence.

The end of my first week of work just happened to be the date my boss had set for a summer outing to his home on Long Island. This is pretty much what we did on Friday and I have to say that it was a great way to end my first week. I got to meet the broader team and really get to know people. I learned how to play some drinking games (yes, the Mormon girl had never played any before, so this was a new experience for me…I used water…hello). And I realized, while riding the train back to the city, just how lucky I am to be in such a great situation professionally.

Refilling the cups
and it begins
A little pong in actions
just me, the summer intern, and our boss
heading back to the city…all looking slightly thrashed

the beach

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Having grown up in California, the beach was often part of my summer adventures. I come from a family that is part fish (I swear) and one of the things I wanted to make sure I did this summer was make it to the beach.

My adventures in New York last summer only got me to Coney Island, which is not a place I really want to go swimming (for my NorCal friends, think Santa Cruz Boardwalk in the 90s on steroids). So, when AnnMarie invited me to join her and her friends for a day at the beach a couple of weeks ago, I of course jumped at the chance.

I met the group at Penn Station (I seriously thought I was going to miss the train) and we took the 40 minute ride to the oceanside town. What I didn’t realize before buying my train ticket is that the beaches in New York cost money…and it would have cost less had I purchased a “package” ticket. I didn’t, though, so thankfully I had the $12 entrance fee. The nice thing about the fee is it keeps the beaches pretty clean.

I had so much fun. The water was a little cold, but not when you compare it to NorCal. And there’s no kelp…which means no bugs. It was amazing! Had I only though to reapply sunblock multiple times, I could have gone again the next weekend, but I forgot how different the sun is when you are playing in the ocean. I just finished peeling. Just.

doughnuts

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Doughnut Plant’s delicious blackberry jelly doughnut with peanut butter glaze!

Last Saturday I woke up craving Doughnut Plant. I could not stop thinking about it. It’s on the other end of the city and something about the thought of going all the way down to the Lower East Side just for a doughnut made me feel ridiculous. But the craving was still there. I decided that if I really wanted the doughnut that badly, then I could run/walk the 7 miles (I thought it was 6, but I just looked at the map again…7!) to get there.

I got all geared up (running shoes on, fuel belt loaded with water, gum, phone, keys, and metro card–no way I was running/walking both directions) and headed out the door. One of my favorite things about where I live is that I’m two blocks from Riverside Park and the Hudson River trail (no idea if that’s its actual name, but there’s a path that goes down the Hudson from at least 96th to Battery Park–all the way to the southern tip, basically). It was a gorgeous day and running along the river felt absolutely amazing.

Eventually (I did walk about 3 of the miles…running through Chinatown is a virtual impossibility), I got to Doughnut Plant and picked up my delicious treat! Don’t worry…I got three. I figured every two miles was worth at least one doughnut, right. It was well worth the trip.

Now if I can only motivate myself to go running with something other than food…

the apartment – a work in progress

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Moving is not fun. Moving and downsizing is really not fun. That said, I LOVE my apartment. Thanks to Kelly who was willing to come and look at the apartment–MY apartment–I am in a fabulous one-bedroom on the Upper West Side of the fabulous island of Manhattan. But that doesn’t change the fact that moving sucks. And it’s expensive. So, at long last, here are some photos of the apartment…a work in progress.

It didn’t feel like I had that much stuff when it was all packed in the 10 ft Budget truck with room to spare. But then you pile it into a rather small living room…and it feels like A LOT.

This weird looking vented box? My AC casing. Sarah and I installed it. Ourselves. No boys to help. And guess what. It’s still in the window and still working. (Yes, I did just knock on wood…that thing was pricey!)

This was taken about a week after I moved in. Progress for sure. Although it’s looking even better now. A lot better (only five boxes to go)! Some of this is old stuff that I brought with me (mostly the cubes from Target that make up my “entertainment center”), but most of it is new. Despite the fact that I had a lot of furniture, most of it couldn’t come with me because it just wouldn’t fit.
This…I love. It’s weird to be back in a twin bed, but not because I don’t like it. Just because it is. As you can see, my view is of an alley and a building. This is true of all my windows. I don’t get a lot of direct light, but in the middle of the afternoon, my room looks like this…and it makes me happy. Plus, I LOVE the print of the girls in the water on my wall. I’ve had this print since I was 19. I purchased it while backpacking through Europe. It’s by a Spanish artist name Joaquin Sorolla. My friend Courtney, who was with me, wanted to purchase the same print, but there was only one at the museum. She was really nice and let me have it. It reminds me of my childhood, growing up in California, playing in the ocean.
It’s good to have my stuff out storage and on my walls. It’s good to have walls! While I am grateful for the apartment over my dad’s garage, it is nice to not be living in an attic anymore. Really, really nice. You should come visit me here. It’s a lovely place, this apartment of mine.