Today was a much needed relaxing Saturday after a much needed night out in New York... I went out to happy hour with some co-workers yesterday at some old-timey bar that old single (creepy) billionaires apparently tend to frequent. Luckily I didn't have a run-in with one - a co-worker said that a creepy old gross billionaire once offered to pay off her student loans if she would "go back to his club with him.." Ewww, gross.
I have to say that after all the crazy apartment hunting I have gone through and the stress of a new job and the commute I've been putting up with... that beer was probably the best I've tasted in a long time. So happy hour occupied my time until about 7'ish, after which I took a cab out to Brooklyn to meet up with my friend Kristin. She is a 29-year-old lawyer in Manhattan who actually went to Tucker High in Stone Mtn, GA. I met her mother through a catering job this past summer and we got in touch and hit it off as friends. I went and saw her apartment and then Kristin, her boyfriend Chris, and I all headed out to a bar/mexican restaurant just a few blocks down the road. It felt really great to get out have a few drinks and socialize with fun people. After dinner we headed to another bar in Brooklyn (I was in the Park Slope neighborhood - If anyone knows what that means...) and made our way back to their apartment by 2am. Luckily they have a guest bedroom which is odd in New York, so for the first time since I came here, I slept in a big bed without the fear of waking up and banging my head on the ceiling... also for those who don't know, I have been sleeping in a lofted twin (about 2 feet from the ceiling).
Today I spent a little time shopping in Brooklyn with Kristin... people have been teaching me about real winter coats and snow boots... so I went to Burlington Coat factory to try on and price the kind of winter coat I will have to buy in a month or so. Up here they wear thick wool coats to their knees and waterproof snow boots... two items I have never shopped for in my life! A good coat is going to cost me in the $100 range... so maybe I won't be getting that iPod after all.
I went and saw an apartment in Manhattan on the lower east side near the East Village on Thursday night. It was amazing and actually in my price range... I offered to take it on the spot, but the girl (who I work with) wanted to show it to a few more people first. I should get an answer by tomorrow or Monday, so keep your fingers crossed.
I was thinking about how much I have tackled on my own up here, and it made me happy to realize how much I have been able to do all on my own. I've always been extremely independent, but before I came up here I had some doubts that I might not be brave enough to run around the city at night or look at apartments by myself... but I've been doing it for over a week now and I already feel like it's just a normal part of my life. I have acclimated to the city very well... I can always figure out north, south, east and west no matter what subway stop I get out at. Now when people tell me an intersection I actually can envision what area of Manhattan they are talking about. My legs still ache everyday from all the walking and stair climbing and I've dropped at least five pounds already - but I feel healthier from all the exercise and really enjoy that I am living a really active life. Even more surprising is that I don't miss having a car. It actually is very freeing to not be responsible for or reliant on an object that costs thousands of dollars!
The hardest part so far is just missing having really close friends or family around... someone to give me a real hug, curl up on the couch with me and talk for hours or just someone who really knows me. But the exciting part is that all the new people I meet could potentially be some of my best old close friends in the future.
Up here I have a rare opportunity, I get to build my life again... and I'm having more fun with it than I ever imagined.
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