Food, Fashion, and 50 Cent

Apparently February is almost over. Wait, what?! LOTS to update on the ole' blog. We started the month off with Megan's birthday. She wanted a dining "experience" so we went to Ninja New York. To preface, the outside is very nondescript, and the "lobby" is a tiny black rock room. An elevator takes you down to the restaurant, but not before you have to weave your way in and out of rock tunnels with ninjas jumping out. The part that I really loved is that you get your own private dining room. All of our food dishes had to be "karate chopped" and set on fire. Really cool, and definitely an experience! (By the way, Heather just let it slip that she has a black belt... not sure how she didn't mention that before...)

Roll out menus

 

Just a little karate choppin

My awesome desert!

Then, it was Superbowl Sunday! Megan's mom came in town for her birthday and we ventured out to watch the Giants win the big game. Lots of yelling people, and lots of great food and drink specials. I'd also like to add that football teams win wherever I am. You're welcome New York.

My burger had a martini glass on it. I was obsessed with this for some reason. 

Go Giants!

The next order of business was surprising my boss with a birthday celebration. We went to Keen's steakhouse, one of the oldest in the city. They are famed for all of the old pipes hanging from the ceiling, as well as pipes signed by famous figures in history. Here are a few of my favorites:

Note the pipes hanging from the ceiling

 

After lunch, he surprised us and took us cosmic bowling at Lucky Strike, and then to The Standard to have a ping pong tournament. It was probably the best Tuesday any workplace has ever had. We're trying to convince him to have a birthday every month! Next, it was time for fashion week! Our building has a really trendy store below us (Theory) where Obama held a fashion fundraiser. The night was hosted by Russel Simmons and Scarlett Johansson, and the line was wrapped around the block. The next day, Kate Spade set up a concert and fashion show for her new line outside our building:

The next weekend I decided I needed a museum day, so I headed to the Museum of The City of New York. It is directly across the park from me, and I really believe there is no better way to spend a Sunday in the city! A few of my favorites:

Outside the museum

Original map of the area

   

Vogue from the '40s

Also happening this month:

Football Friday on the High Line 

I love the Village

Claire came to NYC!!

Georgtown Cupcake opened in SoHo

The girls from Georgetown Cupake (the show on TLC) were slaving away

Delicious. And only $2.50. Gigi's take note.

And then I sat next to 50 Cent in the Apple Store.... I heard "Curtis! Your appointment is ready." And then this giant man came and sat next to me. I thought, hmm he looks familiar. And then he started talking. If you've ever heard ole 50 talk, you know what I mean. I then decided to be creepy and take a side pic, because I knew no one would believe me without proof. Just in case you were wondering, he doesn't wear grills in public, wears worn out Calvin Klein loafers, and had on extremely regular clothes. Also, I will be in his next video. We're BFFs.

Big month yall!!!! I'm hoping for a just as eventful March, got lots of visitors coming and we're getting a new roommate! The weather is warming up and the days are getting longer, so stay tuned!

Carbon monoxide, rats, and a birthday!

January was... interesting. We had a completely empty apartment, and no idea how we were going to furnish it. After multiple trips to the local (massive) TJ Maxx and a great find on Craigslist, things were starting to look up. Then, as if sent as a present from above (who am I kidding, it was TOTALLY a present form the Big Man), furniture started appearing on our doorstep. I'm not kidding. People in New York throw out perfectly good furniture for who knows what reason. We now have a toaster, blender, wall art, a tv stand, another cart, and a perfect coffee table... FOR FREE. Proof? Here is the coffee table:

See? Not one scratch (please excuse the mess around it and in the window). Fits perfectly in the crook of the awesome couch. Free. We had lots of visitors in January. Jessi came and visited, and Megan showed her a great time in the city. It was fun to have our first official visitor!! Then, it was time for me to turn 23. We decided to feel swanky and went for drinks and dinner at the R Lounge in Times Square. 

It was a great birthday, in which we had martinis and then wondered into the Disney store. Wait, are we 23 or 3? Doesn't matter, it was fun :). My company graciously gives you the day off on your birthday, so I got a massage that day as well. And thennnn when I went back to work Megan and Richard surprised me with red velvet cupcakes and champagne on the roof of our new building!

I'm not sure why this picture looks 

(I'm not sure why this picture looks so weird... It doesn't on my phone)

To top off birthday week, boyfriend came to visit, and it SNOWED. 4 inches worth of snow!!!! I waited (not so patiently) 4 months for this!

It was AWESOME. So, we had all these visitors. I should mention, at the same time we were all feeling oddly sick. Yes, I realize I am a hypochondriac, and therefore lose all "I feel sick" rights. But Megan and Heather got weirdly sick. And so did Jessi. And so did Ellis. All symptoms led to carbon monoxide poisoning. We got better the longer we stayed out of the house. It was terrifying and exhausting. Our super thinks we are nuts. He tested our apartment twice. Apparently, we just had a weird virus we were passing back and forth (we hope). So far, we are still alive. We'll take that as a good sign.

So after we're breathing a little bit more easily, we discover that we keep getting holes in our trash bags. We live in New York, rats are inevitable. We just didn't think about it being in our apartment. Well, we heard squeaking noises. And then more squeaking noises. And then we saw the poop. Currently, there are traps under our counter with peanut butter on them. We'll probably hear it snap soon. Stay tuned.....

Oh, NYC adventures :)

Defending New Yorkers

I've been thinking about posting this for a while, but a recent article pushed me into (delayed) action, and now I fear I may sound like I am copying them. Just remember, they stole the idea from me! The article said that 40,000 Americans who were recently polled voted New York the rudest city in America. I will admit, dozens of people tried to warn me before I moved here, and really anytime I said New York was my favorite place ever, that people were just mean here. Rude, arrogant, dirty, etc. While not everyone in this city is jubilant at all times, there are 8.5 million, so it's a safe bet there are multitudes of both happy and unhappy people.

Have you ever lived here? It's tough. It's flashy and fancy and fabulous, but it is tough. Would you be thrilled to have to carry 7 bags of groceries, or a lamp, or a chair, or a printer, or anything really, several blocks through crowds of people and then up 5 flights of stairs? Forgive us if we aren't peppy when our arms are falling off, or we're soaking wet because its a torrential downpour with high wind-speeds and we don't have cars. Also, it is pretty darn frustrating to not be able to get through to your street because tourists have clogged up the entire place looking at, well, I guess everything. BUT, don't let the seemingly scowling faces fool you.

What I'm about to say may be controversial, but you've got to hear it: New Yorkers are nice people. I have witnessed so many touching acts of kindness in my 4 short months here. People constantly giving up their seats on very crowded subway cars to let a woman, child, or elderly person sit down. Sometimes they give their seats to someone who just looks tired. I can't tell you how many times I have watched a young hippie, or an older gentleman, or a suit-clad stockbroker stop and help a mother carry her child's stroller up the stairs. Every time it brings a tear to my eye, because chances are I had started to judge them on their appearance, and then they go and do something totally unexpected.

Dozens of kind people have started conversations with me just standing at the crosswalk. They make a comment on the wind, or the strange warmth this time of year, and then they ask how my day is going. They don't know me. They don't have to act like they care, but they do it anyway. The teller at my bank is one of the nicest people I've ever met. I live in a city of millions, and she knows me by name. Most of the places I frequent in my neighborhood do. The bank teller in Alabama never tried to learn my name or ask, with genuine care, how my day is going. So don't be quick to judge these Yankees up here!

Yes, not everyone is nice. Yes, there are crazy people here. But you know what? I bet if you looked around your city, you'd find the same mixture of people. We're not so different. The other day, two Swedish women stopped me and asked if I could point them in the right direction. First of all, I was just relieved that I actually knew how to get them to their destination. Second of all, they thought I was a local. So I pointed them the right way, and then I asked how their trip was going and if I could help them in any way. Because that's what New York has taught me.

I've been a little neglectful to the blog....

First of all, I would like to apologize to my poor little blog. It has been so good to me, and I have neglected it for so long! The past 4 weeks have been a whirlwind. And, to be fair, we haven't had internet for 2 weeks. Christmas and New Year's at home was wonderful. I got to spend the week with not only my immediate family, but my extended family (boyfran included) as well. We made our tri-annual trip to Bellingrath Gardens (the sprawling mansion with millions of christmas lights):

Also, I'm pretty much obsessed with my house at Christmas:

I'm also obsessed with my friends:

Too soon, it was time to come back to the city. I had packed up the precious studio apartment and said a (tearful) goodbye (yes, I realize the apartment couldn't hear me, but still). As soon as I walked in the door to our new Central Park apartment, sweet Heather had put out candles on our very bare floor and made our favorite, Brie. It was freezing and a little frighteningly bare, but a great way to break in the place:

I'm not going to lie, the first week was tough. We had all been home around our families and come back to an empty, white walled apartment. I got to working on Craigslist for furniture. After the past 3 months, I can honestly say I am a Craigslist pro. I can spot spam from a mile away. By the end of the week, we had found a huge sectional couch, kitchen table, chairs, and a million other little things for REALLY great prices. Most people rest and relax on weekends. We don't. We move furniture. The end result was pretty worth it though: (excuse the weird iPhone lighting)

I'll post pictures of the cool stuff I found for my room next post. Please excuse the non-enthusiasm, I am finishing up my first campaign today! (This means I haven't slept in about a week.) We are still settling in to our new apartment, and it really is starting to feel a little bit more like home. After a notice that our power was going to be turned off, and a pirated internet fail, we have survived the move in process. We now have lots and lots of room for visitors! I could write on and on about the adventures we had in trying to buy things for the apartment, but I don't want to put yall to sleep. We have lots of visitors coming the next few weekends, so I will have plenty more to write about soon! Come back next week when I am sure to be having a panic attack about turning 23 on Tuesday. (HOLY. CRAP. OLD.)

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!! :)

New Apartment Building

My boss' precious British kiddos I babysit (we decorated the tree)

Love my little studio! That is a Santa lava lamp, incase you were wondering

Nutella and waffle and banana goodness from the Christmas mart!

School of Journalism at Columbia

Our new street from Central Park!

Mom Comes to Visit, plus Thanksgiving!

As I promised I would begin with Heather and my trip to the premiere of the Radio City Rockette's Christmas Spectacular! It was fabulous, and we felt super New York going to an opening night. 

I'm a little behind on my blogging (again) so lucky for yall I have a lazy Sunday afternoon with nothing to do but update my little online diary! (Also, this helps me stay off Twitter and other social media where everyone is going nothing but arguing about whether or not Alabama will make it to the National Championship. Sheesh people.) After Ellis left, I had 5 days to prepare for mom's arrival. She got in early Saturday morning, and we started exploring immediately. If you know my mom, she doesn't sit still. We are not exactly alike in this aspect. So we went out and began our tourist weekend. Mom had never been to Top of the Rock, and as it is, in my opinion, the best views of the city, I was on board with this idea. Plus it's only 2 avenues over so it's a short walk! (See above picture)

After basking in the magnificent views, we headed to the Upper East Side (via a short trip up 5th Ave. for some window shopping) to meet with Heather and try out Serendipity! In case you don't know, it is a quirky tiny restaurant with loads of character that serves the world famous "Frozen Hot Chocolate". Also, a movie was made about it starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack. If you haven't seen it, check it out and you'll see what I'm talking about! Well, the wait time was 2 hours just to get the drink. Luckily, Bloomingdales and Dylan's Candy Bar are on the same block (coincidence? I think not). As mom had never been to either of these, we overwhelmed her with the pure amounts of sugar at the candy bar, and took in some holiday cheer at the famed clothier. We headed back to Serendipity, and we got in a little early! Being the chocolate connoisseurs we are, we each ordered a different version of the frozen drink: original chocolate, peanut butter, and mint chocolate. After much consideration, we decided peanut butter was our favorite!

After we were filled to the brim with chocolate goodness, we had to catch a cab to make it back to my neck of the woods for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring...wait for it... HARRY POTTER! Ok, actually it was Daniel Radcliffe, but that counts right? I have been begging people to go with me to see it because he is leaving soon and it will be Joe Jonas, and who wants to see that?! After some reluctance, she agreed. I was feeling great finding us decently priced seats and went up to the box office to pick them up, while the lady just stared at me and told me we didn't have any on file for that night. Turns out, I bought them for the NEXT Saturday. Wow. Being the great mom she is, we bought the only good seats they had left for the night, which were a tad more expensive than my cheap nosebleed seats. We got lucky because they were about 6 rows back from the stage and were awesome. I'm here to tell you the boy can act! He did a fantastic job and it was really evident he loved what he was doing and gave it his all. We laughed hysterically throughout the whole thing. Needless to say, mom was glad I talked her into it. We waited outside after to meet the cast, but hundreds of screaming teenagers kept me from meeting Harry, uhh... I mean Daniel. However, we did get to meet John Laroquette, who mom loves. Here's my (illegal) picture of him talking to us after the show:

On Sunday,  I, in true only me fashion, woke up with a head to toe rash from an allergy to a medicine. After dousing myself in benadryl cream, we headed down to the Meatpacking District for our lunch reservations at the Spice Market. It's right across from where I work and I've been wanting to go so I was really excited mom suggested it. Heather met us and we, yet again, gorged ourselves on fine food. It was beyond delicious, and we ordered lots to try from. I showed them where I work, then we headed to Chelsea Market for a bit of shopping. Mom had really been dying to hear Tim Keller preach (we use his stuff a lot at church in Fairhope, and he is the pastor at mine and Heather's church), so we headed to the UWS for the 5:00 service. After leaving satisfied, we headed home and conked out for the night. Monday I had taken the day off to be with mom, and I woke up to a much worse rash. What would her trip be without an ER visit right?! I am happy to say that the ER here got me in and out in under 45 mintues. On Thanksgiving week. Truly unheard of. They dosed me up and the rash started clearing in less than an hour! We then headed to Macy's for many many hours. Tuesday I went to work, and met up with mom and 2 of her high school friends for dinner at Hundred Acres in SoHo. It was, yet again, delicious. Wednesday we headed to the airport to go to Atlanta for Thanksgiving.

As we were the next in line to take off, on time, on Delta, the day before Thanksgiving, we are told that we have to return to the gate for a passenger. Some man was having a "panic attack" (I know panic attacks, and he was not having one. He was beyond calm, no sweating, no heavy breathing, nothing) and needed to get off the plane. It "happens to him all the time." Uhhh then why are you flying on the busiest travel day of the year?! After a mockingly unapologetic "apology" from the man, we got back in line and finally took off. Thanksgiving was too fast but so much fun to be in Atlanta with my family! I truly missed them all and am so grateful to my uncle for buying me a ticket! 

Stay tuned for some big news later this week, and also, Megan (my college roommate) is moving up a week from today to be our new intern! Happy December everyone! :)