This view never gets old! Photo taken by yours truly. Testing out the roof decks while apartment hunting. Apartment requirements: roof deck, duh.
I survived my first hurricane
Shortly after I got to my girlfriends apartment in Manhattan, I gained 10 pounds from junk food, watched 2 hours of the crane dangling in midtown, and experienced the crazy Manhattan black-out. Yes, while looking out the window, everything around us went pitch black. People started screaming and the only light you could see was coming from the Chrysler building. Scary!
Somehow we made it through the night with no power and no bathroom. In the morning, we walked 25 blocks to get to a diner with power where we could eat and charge our phones. God forbid your phone dies, the world might end. I found out that my neighborhood hadn’t been affected so I jumped in a cab and begged them to take me to Brooklyn. First things first, call mom. Maryland is out of power too.
The Jersey Shore is damaged beyond repair. The stock market has closed for 2 consecutive days — the first time since the 1800’s. The outer boroughs are suffering from water damage and lack of help. All subways and tunnels are closed.
It’s a mess. Luckily, New Yorkers are resilient and adapt to change.
Dear Sandy, I hate you!
The city that never sleeps…
In NYC, clubs run last call at 3:30am and try to have everyone out the door by 4-5am (depending on who you are and how much money you spend). When you think it’s already late enough to crawl into a cab and rush home to bed, there are hundreds of people all over Manhattan piling into cabs to venture out into the boroughs for the intense after-hours parties.
Have you ever taken a short detour into Queens or Brooklyn at 4am to catch some extra hours of partying? You would be surprised to find out how many people do. These after-hours venues are typically open 4am-2pm. Pretty intense. If you want to order a specialty cocktail, think again. You’ll be offered Deer Park water bottles filled with vodka or take your pick of alcoholic juice concoctions bottled up in Tropicana bottles. I bet all bartenders wish their job was that easy.
When you leave the party to go home, the sun is up and there is a line of people waiting outside to get in. No judgment, but when 7am rolls around you won’t catch me waiting in line to get into a club.
No, this isn’t a special occasion. This is New York City.
Hilarious!!! This truly captures the lives and thoughts of the average New Yorker.
“You have to go to Brooklyn, it’s the law — I’m reporting you” = my life!
A drink in exchange for a smile.
NYC is full of guys. I know I’ve said this before, but there are endless types of guys in Manhattan. Some are idiots, some are douche bags, some are gentleman, some are just plain weird — the list could go on forever.
Last night, my roommate and I hopped around from place to place and encountered quite a few different guys. If my night was a guy scavenger hunt, I’d be able to place a check mark next to each category effortlessly.
The night started off at a loft party in SoHo. Here, we encountered the business guys, the wannabe famous guys, the pretentious guys, and the creepy French guys.
After the party, we went to the meat packing district where we decided to grab a drink at STK. As we ordered a drink at the bar, I noticed a guy looking at me so I smiled and attempted to pay for my drink. The bartender informed me that the guy staring at me would like to pay for our drinks — so I let him. I thought oh god, here we go; this guy is going to expect me to talk to him all night and give him my number. WRONG! This guy simply introduced himself and went back to his friends. Wow, this is the gentleman type guy — someone who simply wants to do something nice and wants nothing in return.
After STK, we went next door to a club where my roommate’s x-boyfriend had a table of guy friends. Here we encounter the douche bags. Twenty-something year old guys who have good paying jobs and want to show off by buying bottles and attempting to dance with you. One of the guys informs me that he has a girlfriend and then proceeds to ask me if it’s wrong that he can’t stop thinking about me. Seriously? Come on now, give me a break.
Finally, as we attempt to leave and take a cab home to Brooklyn we encounter the jerk type guys — the cab drivers. Cab drivers will usually refuse to drive anywhere outside of Manhattan. Even though this is illegal, they still do it. After dealing with about 6 jerk cab drivers who rolled up their windows and sped off at the first mention of Brooklyn, we finally found one jerk who agreed to take us for $25. RUDE!
Needless to say we were approached by random drunk idiots as we turned every corner looking for cabs. You know, the idiots who tell you you’re beautiful and need to know your name or the idiots who ask you to suggest a good venue for them to attend. They are relentless and annoying. I can only be so nice for so long when I am tired, tipsy, and ready for bed.
Anyway, guys will be guys. This is why I burst into shock when a guy actually does something nice without having pre-meditated expectations.
Creating our home sweet home
After much deliberation, my roommates and I have decided to renew our Brooklyn lease and kiss our Manhattan apartment search goodbye.
Looking for an apartment in Manhattan that meets all of your non-negotiables is impossible. It’s exhausting to say the least. Therefore, we’ve given up for now and come to terms with the reality that our apartment is just fine, our neighborhood is amazing, and our conveniences are unbeatable.
Even though we won’t be changing our apartment, we will still be making changes :)
We’ve decided to do some serious Spring cleaning, buy new curtains, paint new color schemes, etc.
My roommates and I have a great relationship and a great apartment so we’re going to make the most of it! Besides, we want to be considered locals when the Brooklyn Nets hit the new stadium haha.
Stay tuned for before and after photos.
It’s really not so bad. Didn’t you read the sign? Like no other place in the world…
My dear Brooklyn
I moved to Brooklyn and it’s not quite the horror story that everyone has described.
If you walk out my front door — you will see beautiful brownstones, chic mommies strolling around with their fashionable babies, couples walking the cutest puppies in the world, and most importantly a Starbucks on the corner.
Judging by the way people talk about Brooklyn, I thought I was in for some serious lifestyle changes but life is simpler than ever. Even though I am not living in NYC, I basically am. My train is on the corner of my street and takes 2 stops to get into Manhattan — this is equivalent to 10 minutes. Once I am in Manhattan, my destinations are within 5 - 10 train stops. Extremely convenient and simple! In addition to transportation, my necessities are extremely convenient as well. The laundry mat is 1 block away, the grocery story is 3 blocks away, and there are a dozen convenience stores along any path that I’d take.
I need this kind of simplicity to ease my hectic schedule. It’s actually really nice to escape the city and come home to a quiet neighborhood.
Friends and colleagues disapproved of my Brooklyn residence but come on now, I know my worth — I’m not in one of the scummy neighborhoods! Your girl is living the high life in Carroll Gardens.
Don’t get me wrong, I would like to be in the city — but when the time is right. I’m in no rush. Plus The Nets are moving to Brooklyn! Brooklyn Nets baby!
