1 Month as New Yorkers recap

Shaun and I moved to NYC on September 5th, and we cannot believe it’s already been a whole month. I plan on doing a full blog post about apartment hunting, hiring movers, signing a lease here, etc. but I wanted to get something put up documenting what we’ve learned in our short 30 days.

1) There is no such thing as personal space.

No matter where you are there is no such thing as personal space. Whether you’re walking on the sidewalk, standing on the subway, or in line at the grocery store there is always someone right there. We were laughing on Friday because a woman had her arm around Shaun on the subway in order to hold onto the pole. I was also sneezed on by a homeless man because that’s how close he was to me.

2) You have to carry everything.

I know, I know. This is an obvious one and it should’ve been obvious to me, too. Shaun and I got rid of our cars before we moved yet somehow I thought it would be simpler to get groceries home. We either have Shipt shoppers deliver our groceries or we go every few days to the local market and get the necessities. The first trip we took to the store we ended up buying mostly heavy stuff and I thought my wrists were going to snap off on the walk home. 😂

3) It always smells like garbage.

And pee. Human or dog, we’ll never know. It’s honestly quite repulsive. Especially if it’s just rained or it’s extremely humid. You can never trust a puddle and just assume it’s water. You are most likely wrong.

4) There is art everywhere.

It’s nearly impossible to go anywhere in this city and not see stuff like this. There are portraits, political statements, love notes, and plain old graffiti. But anytime you come across something like this there’s always something special about it.

5) 9/11 is different here.

This day had such a huge impact on us as a country and we all remember it like it was yesterday. Every year when this day comes there is sadness felt by America, but this year was different. There was a heaviness to the air here that was almost tangible. It was almost as if people were holding their breath. I went up to the rooftop to look at the lights, and cried.

6) The city really doesn’t sleep.

It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, the city is always hustling and bustling. When I found out the exciting news that I was accepted into Like To Know It it was past midnight and I couldn’t sleep or sit still. I got up, said hi to the new doorman on shift, and walked around the city until 4 in the morning. They always say this is the place you can do that but when you live here you get to experience it on a completely different level.

7) Ice cream calories don’t count.

Okay, so I made this one up. But sometimes you have to walk a mile and a half one way to find your favorite ice cream truck, therefore the calories don’t count. 😊

8) I couldn’t have dreamt this up.

I’ve dreamt of coming here for over ten years and I thought I knew exactly what to expect. I thought I knew how magical it would be. And albeit smelly, I knew it would be vibrant and I knew that it would change my life. But I didn’t know that it would make me cry as I look out at this view from our rooftop every night. I didn’t know that I would laugh when my heel almost falls into a sewer grate every day. I didn’t know that I would make such good friends, real friends, that feel like home. I can’t believe we’ve only been here for a month. Sometimes it feels like I’ve been here for a day, while other times it feels like I’ve been here my whole life.

I can’t wait to share with you all this whole journey. And I can’t wait to reflect back after we’ve been here for a full year!