What I Know Now

Things I've learned during these first few months living in New York:

·         Our coffee table is very sturdy and as many as 3 girls can dance on it vigorously at any given time

·         It takes 7.5 minutes to walk from my apartment to the subway

·         You can use the subway to be very sneaky and avoid all kinds of inclement weather – there are so many passages and tunnels you never really have to go outside if you don’t want to

·         Of my roommates, I’m the clean one

·         It’s good to carry one dollar bills in every pair of jeans or each jacket because you will inevitably be asked for money each time you exit your house

·         Shoes wear out here much faster than pretty much anywhere else

·         The city really is magical in the fall – Central Park with all of its leaves and pathways and seasonal drinks in each of the 1 billion coffee shops. Pure magic

·         It’s hard to live here if you don’t really have any money…but it’s possible

·         Online dating seems to be the way to go

·         Small, crowded super markets and moms/nannies with strollers: beware your ankles. Bitches are ruthless

·         People in the financial district can be described by the following adjectives: shiny, sleek, coiffed, confident, and demanding

·         Brooklyn is where the bearded men live

·         Harlem is awesome and I now know the definition of gentrification because I am contributing to it personally (and I don’t really know what to do about it…)

·         The best bars are the ones where the beer list is endless and written on the wall in chalk (for easy exchange for different and fun local brews)

·         I don’t feel very sorry for the well-paid, downtown workers who, because of hurricane Sandy, have to work in the uptown offices while their building is being repaired. Though I’ve heard many complain far more than I’ve heard my minimum-wage co-workers with no electricity or running water complain

·         Graduate school is time-consuming and difficult but interesting and well worth the effort

·         The Chrysler building is my favorite

·         In NY, I wake up early every day but I’m not snooty about it - “Only dull people are brilliant in the morning.” – Oscar Wilde
     
      There’s probably a lot more but that’s all I got for now.

-     -Age