The One Where Emily Moves to NYC: It's Christmastime in the City....

Well, lots has happened since my last post! Many things were up in the air, so I decided to wait to post until everything was finalized. For starters, I am officially gainfully employed! Starting January 1 (well really the 2 because New Years is a Sunday), I will now go by "Junior Account Manager" at The 7th Chamber. For those just catching up, yes, this is the same company I am currently interning for in the city. While my new salary would be a small fortune at home, as you can imagine, things cost just a tiny bit more up here. (Care packages anyone?! :)) Either way, we are looking forward to this next Ramen-noodle eating phase of our lives! Heather (who is now an assistant and Simon and Schuster Publishing) and I decided to celebrate our employment by getting in the Christmas spirit. We took a trip to see the teensy tiny tree.....

It is fabulously spectacular. After employment was out of the way, we started frantically searching for a place to live. Now, this would be really easy in practically any other part of America. However, finding my third apartment in 3 months as well as hunting for a new office location for our company put me in real estate hell. Seriously yall, brokers here have a special ring in hell dedicated to them. They are the slimiest human beings I have ever come in contact with (definitely no Christmas spirit with them!). Aside from it being just me and Heather, my college roommate Megan moved up here and is now our new intern! So after looking at multiple beyond small 3 bedroom apartments, I stumbled upon a 3 bedroom for rent by owner. Jackpot! This meant no brokers fees, no paying for walls to be put up to turn it into a 3 bedroom, and best of all, it was in our price range. After Megan had been in NYC a whopping 45 minutes, we drug her (drug literally...she was still on a relaxant from her fear of flying) to an open house for an apartment on the Upper West Side... on Central Park West. Love at first sight. It has original hardwood floors, awesome big windows that we can turn into window-seats to read in, lots of light, half a block from the subway, and did I mention it is on Central Park West?! Let me reiterate by showing off this view:

That would be our front yard. After a little haggling by my professional haggling dad, we put down a deposit. We officially sign on Tuesday, and I can not wait to start getting settled! It has so much character and potential, I am so excited to start making it our own. Plus, we will have room for everyone to come visit! We all felt it was very important to be able to have our own rooms to shut the door after a long day of work (especially since Megan and I are currently sharing one room and one bed) and we found the perfect place. Heather and I are legally and financially responsible for the apartment, which makes us feel excited and terrified at the same time. I'm old!

We have spent the past few days exploring Christmas around the city, since the season it almost over already! On Friday, we headed over to the Columbus Circle Christmas Mart. It was overwhelming and really cool at the same time. Most things were still vastly overpriced, but I did pick up a neat present for the boyfriend for Christmas (can't tell what it is for obvious reasons!).

I love Columbus Circle in general, but between the LED lights and the statues of elephants (Roll Tide) and the Christmas vendors, it really was magical. Yes, I realize that was cheesy. But seriously, you should see it! On Friday I will finally fly home for the first time in 3 months, and get to stay at home for a whole week! I am sad to leave my comfy little studio in Hell's Kitchen, but really excited to get settled on CPW. Enjoy a few more pictures from the past few weeks, and have a Merry Christmas!!! See y'all next year!! :)