scenes from occupy wall street.

one of the biggest things going on right now in the city--occupy wall street.

i headed down to Zuccotti Park last weekend to see what was going on--it wasn't a lot but it was something.

        

snow!

yes, you saw that right--snow! in october! if this is a sign of what's to come, i'm in for a rude awakening for my first real winter and my first winter in nyc!

we woke up this morning to our clanking radiators and rain. then, just a couple of hours later, there were HUGE flakes "raining" down outside! i figured it looked like more than it was, but it wasn't--tons of snow was falling from the sky! if i seem like i'm overly excited, i am. i grew up in nc as you all know, and we never got snow--especially in october!

so, as the snow is still coming down outside, our radiators are getting overly warm, and i am preparing to disguise myself in halloween gear, i leave you with these wintry pictures.

and, as the news says, trick or sleet!!

how many times can you say you've
seen GREEN leaves with snow on them?!

a tribute to my hannie.

just on the brink of our 9 month anniversary (whoa!), hannah, my roommate, has decided to move home to north carolina.  when you know what's right, you know. and she knew that new york would always be that place she moved to in order to realize her real home was north carolina.  this is my tribute to my ny partner in crime.

when hannah asked me if i wanted to move to new york, i remember it was sometime mid-summer.  i'd been out of school for just a couple of months and i had NO CLUE what i was going to do with my life.  she called me up and said "do you still want to live in new york?" to which i responded "uh, always! why?" to which she then beat around the bush a little until she asked "do you want to move to new york...in say, the beginning of next year?" UM, YEAH I DO! 

moving out of sublet #1

so, we made the plan to move and set about trying to plan our lives in one of the biggest cities in the world.  eventually, we found a sublet--a small one-room studio in midtown east for the first 3 weeks of february.  to no avail, we searched for apartments for march. we learned the city well in that first month due in large part to our apartment search. finally, we found our little home--a small 2-bedroom in the heart of the Upper West Side.  we made it ours, and we settled into our lives as 2 naive girls from north carolina just trying to make it in the city. not to bore you with the professional job stuff (it's not fun, let's face it), we figured out the city together.  the months went by and our days usually ended with stories of the city--someone's story would always be crazier than the other's--somehow.  we went through our ups and downs together, our job changes, and our friends.  we made friends together, and we developed our own routines--something we both found out was rather difficult in new york city.

sublet #2

when we finally found our place!

but, as the months trailed on, we did it. somehow, we survived this city and we began to feel like it was our home--that of 8 million people, we were 2 that were figuring it out together. eventually the city did thaw out and the summer came and went (not without a few sweat-drenched days, though!).  then, hannah told me she had decided to move home.

now, here i am, 9 months into my great adventure, and my hannie is gone.  yes, i am a little upset, but i am also so happy for her to be back where she is happiest. i already miss her coming home from work (at 10pm!) and us talking about our day.  i miss us conquering our problems together because we knew we were both going through it for the first time, and at the same time.  however, i feel like if she had to leave, now was an okay time to do it. it's been 9 months, and this big city of 8 million people is starting to feel like home.  my days are more routine, and my mind is now in city mode.  i don't get overwhelmed anymore with the people, the trains, the buses, and, oh yeah, did i say the PEOPLE?! this is my home now and without hannah, i never would've made it.

through all the apartments, experiences, and hair colors, we made it.  miss you hans!! 

continuing with 9.11

sorry i didn't update soon enough, but i wanted to share the rest of my 9.11 anniversary weekend.  on monday, i headed down to battery park to see the memorial flags--each with names from 9.11 written on them.  it was a nice, silent walk around battery park and i took in all the memories of that day, as well as the proud feeling of being an American on such a memorable weekend. the rest i'll let you experience through pictures.

experiencing 9.11 as a new yorker.

when i moved to nyc, i realized quickly i'd be living in the city for the 10th anniversary of 9.11.  i felt a bit lucky to experience that when it finally came around this past sunday. i had told myself i would just lay low, and not ride the subways or anything in order to play it safe, but i had to work! i work in rockefeller plaza so i figured it would be different on 9.11.  usually filled with tourists on the weekends, sunday morning at rockefeller plaza was empty aside from a few tourists and a lot of NYPD officers.  

a few days before, i was offered tickets to the Mets vs. Chicago Cubs game on 9.11--SO excited.  we got to Citi Field in plenty of time to eat and get seated for the special 9.11 ceremony.  back in 2001, the NY Mets were the first NY sports team to play a game in NY after the attacks so, this was a special night for them.  i can't put into words how special it was to be there for the game and ceremony.  they had the children of 9.11 bring out a flag the size of the entire outfield (seriously) and then had all of the "first responders" outline the field.  tears? YES. goosebumps? ABSOLUTELY. boy did it feel great to be not only an American, but a New Yorker.  Marc Anthony sang the national anthem (!) just like he did 10 years ago at the Mets game.

unfortunately, they lost.  but it's a memory i won't soon forget!

we will never forget. 9.11.01.

great seats.