two months...already?!

 Yes, that's right--Friday April 1st makes 2 months that I've been able to call this city mine--NO April fools.  Since that first cold, icy, day when we landed, a lot of things have changed:

We've had the pleasure of living in 3 very different apartments and neighborhoods.

When I thought finding a job was hopeless--the Binder family found me!! Theo is the most intelligent 4-year-old I've ever met-seriously.  Henry is a 10 year old with a great imagination and an even better sense of humor.  They are a sweet little family living in the prime Upper East Side neighborhood with a huge apartment and great view.  It has been a pleasure getting to know them!

Theo is quite the entertainer!

Henry--well, Henry is hilarious.

                                                

                                             The Upper East Side at rush hour on a
                                                  beautiful afternoon.

We found an apartment that was too good to be true in a location that was just as good as the apartment!  We've made it into a home, and are loving getting to know our neighborhood.

THEN--I found a job!  The people at Chilton Investment Company are great; they're young, energetic, and so welcoming.  I've found that my walk to work isn't so bad, and my view of across the street when I leave at night isn't so bad either! 

Rockefeller Center on my walk to work
every morning.  They put the daffodils
there so tourists think it's spring :)

St. Patrick's Cathedral--another great
landmark on my morning walk to work. 

The New York Palace--one of my favorite buildings, and not
just because it's on Gossip Girl!  It always looks so enchanting!

Then there's the view of across the street--the famed Waldorf-
Astoria!

This I took on my morning walk at 6:45am--I work from 7a-4p each day.
Isn't the sun coming up over Grand Central just beautiful?? It's like
I have my own New York City tour on my walk to work!

One last thing during my two months here so far--I survived the winter with only 1 legitimate snowfall!  Here are some glimpses of spring I found today while strolling along in Central Park.  I looked like a tourist taking so many pictures, I'm sure people thought I was from another city!  I guess I better get used to the fact that this is my  city now, my home; after all, it's been two months!

At least I should feel safe with hundreds of cops
in my neighborhood!

Trees are blooming and daffodils are coming!

Good afternoon, New York!

I swear I didn't mean for it to come out looking this cool!

To keep with my spring day, I decided to spring decorate our apartment!
The flower shop on 82nd St. has just about every flower arrangement
and flower type you could want!

They just make you smile, don't they?

Daisies are my absolute favorite!

Happy Spring!!

sick days are even better in New York

I've been sick all day today--I even stayed home from work.  Want to know why New York City is still great even when you're sick??

- You can wake up feeling terrible, look outside, and see it snowing--in March!

- When you finally feel like you want to eat some food, pretty much the entire restaurant industry delivers and you don't even have to lift a finger!  Well, maybe a couple fingers to order the food :)

- Then, when you finally feel better, the city is still out there, waiting for the new and improved you!

weekend.

This weekend was the first I've had as a full-time worker and the first I've had in the city in two weeks; I was excited.  The only thing was, I had no idea what to do!  Here it is, this great big city filled with every store you could imagine and every restaurant you could ever crave, and I was at a loss.

I decided to be super productive and do my laundry for the first time in 3 weeks.  I got to experience my first laundromat and it was wayyyy cool!  

this is just un-called for.

isn't this just SO New York City??

On Sunday, we went on the hunt for macaron's during NYC Macaron Day and found a place in Herald Square.  I got the pleasure of tasting a ROSE macaron.  What does a rose macaron taste like, you ask?  Well, to use the description that Hannah's friend used: "it tastes like year old pink peeps that have been sitting next to old potpourri."  Aren't you jealous??

To get the taste out of my mouth, I finally had a shake at Shake Shack along with a delicious burger and fries with my friend, Alexa. Afterwards, I kicked her butt in Scene It? Friends :)

It was a fabulous end to a beautiful weekend.

hello Sunday afternoon!

things I saw on my Friday night walk home

Today New York City topped out at around 74 degrees--while I sat inside and worked.  Welcome to the real world, huh?  As I've said before, being an adult is overrated.

I've heard that when the temperature starts rising, people come out of the woodwork around this city.  They weren't exaggerating.  I work on E 49th and live on W 81st which is a 30 minute commute by train, but it was so nice out, I decided to walk home.  My walk took me through Rockefeller Center and Times Square where I saw quite a few people still celebrating St. Patrick's Day; gotta love those Irish!  In Times Square, I think I saw more cameras than human beings--I love seeing tourists in this city because it reminds me that I actually live here and I'm not a tourist anymore.

When I reached the Upper West Side, I was stopped by a man asking directions and I knew exactly what to tell him and he was really nice!  I love knowing my way around this great big city and I love being reminded that there are people in "the north" that are just as nice as us Southerners.

I decided to walk the rest of the way from Trader Joe's on W 72nd and was greeted by large groups of people heading to dinner, the theatre, or wherever their Friday night plans were taking them.  All the restaurants had their outdoor seating filled to the max, giving me just a hint of what this city is like in the spring & summer.

The weirdest thing I saw?  A couple having dinner outside with a stroller...for their dog! 

...welcome to the city!!

Here are some other things I saw that were worth a photograph...

A nice reflection of the buildings in Times Square. 

There is sun in New York City! A look
down Central Park South.

My favorite picture so far...a great piece of art on
the sidewalk from a street artist in Columbus Square.

Is that GREEN GRASS!?

hello again!

Hello my faithful followers!  I do apologize for the long absence from my blog.  Things have been a bit out of the ordinary lately!

To catch you up, let's start with...I GOT A JOB!!!

I interviewed last Monday and got a job working at Chilton Investment Company last Wednesday!  I am the newest addition to their Reception team and will learn everything I never knew I needed or wanted to know about hedge funds and investing!  It's a fantastic company with friendly people and endless perks.

I also had to say goodbye to a high school friend of mine, Alex Boehling.  Alex lived such a great life that, honestly, I was always a bit jealous of.  He had such gumption and passion about life and whatever he did, he succeeded.  I'll miss him always and hope that I can take a bit of Alex's passion for life, his love of family, and his great personality and inspire my life to be better, in his spirit.

I'll miss you everyday, Alex.

Alexander Thomas Boehling
06.20.88 - 03.07.11

rainy days are...

...great for going to brunch in East Village with Moms!  Thanks to Hannah's Mom who is this week's lucky visitor, who took us to Café Orlin!  It was a cozy place to get great comfort food and get out of the rain for a bit!

Breakfast Tea was the perfect thing to warm
me up on a rainy day!

 ...great for getting cozy on my wonderful sofa and watching movies, reading, and listening to the rain.  We are now the proud tenants of a cozy and beautiful 2-bedroom on the Upper West Side, and have loved every day of our first week so far.  Here is a little peek at our humble abode...

...come visit!

saturday in the park

I've never been much of a runner but it's been a busy week and I thought a good run would let me release some of the "busy" pressure. Our apartment doesn't allow much light to come through the windows so at 11am it still looks like it's about 6am or either a really cloudy day.  I figured it was just cloudy but decided I would go for a run anyway.  When I stepped out of my apartment, I was so pleasantly surprised with perfect blue skies and the temperature higher than expected; it was a sign.  

I started out towards Central Park, since I'm just 2 short avenues away, and figured I would take a quick run along the park, not through it.  I instantly changed my route when I saw all the runners and families out with their strollers on this beautiful Saturday in the park (thank you Chicago for such a great song).  I didn't have a set route and once I started running, I couldn't stop because of the beauty that is Central Park.  I eventually stopped when I got to "The Mall," the famous fountain that looks out over the lake as well as the famous Boathouse Restaurant.  I took a break at the fountain for a bit to enjoy a little people watching; the tourists, musicians, and readers, and couples who were so in love.  Some were just admiring the beautiful day, others taking as many pictures as would fit on their cameras.

It hit me then that I'm not a tourist in this city, I'm one of the few (million) lucky people that get to call this place home.  I ran back along the lake, taking in all the nature in the middle of this huge city.

If I'm this in love in February when there is no green grass nor a sign of leaves on the trees, what's going to happen when Spring comes?  I hear it's breathtaking and I cannot wait to soak up all the beauty that is my new home.

Sorry, I didn't bring a camera along on my run!

family!

My parents have been my first visitors here in New York.  They came bringing gifts, too--a whole budget truck filled with my precious belongings!

I got to play tour guide for a few days while they were here and it was nice to actually know my way around the city, sans map!  It also gave me a chance to see some touristy things I would otherwise pass up if it were just me.  

New York Public Library

Washington Square Park with a rainy view of 
the Empire State Building

Bergdorf Goodman, otherwise known as the Cornelius 
Vanderbilt Mansion--same owner of the Biltmore Estate!

American Museum of Natural History on a beautiful day.
It's really easy to spend 3 hours here and not even see all the exhibits!

Hello Brooklyn! And Dad!

What a great day!

Our family picture with Brooklyn in the background--waiting
for our trip to Ikea.

It was definitely a fun couple of days and I sure do miss them!