Our New (Temporary) Home

Post by: Beth

I got to take some pictures today of our apartment here in NYC... I like it very much, and somehow we fit everything in here! It's very strange to wake up in the morning and look out a huge window by the bed to see buildings that are 60+ stories high. It definitely makes you want to get up and see what's going on outside and start moving around. I don't know if we'll ever really have "lazy day weekends" during our time here because the sounds and sights just make you want to go out into the streets.

I also was surprised to see the floors in the apartment; they're old hardwood floors and it's sort of neat to feel crickety hardwood beneath your feet, but look outside and see one of the most modern cities in the world right outside your window.

I've started exploring a bit, but NYC can be as frustrating and intimidating as it is awe-inspiring for a newcomer. It's very easy to get turned around and think you're walking up the avenues only to realize you're going down in numbers instead. Things open and close very quickly in New York as well, apparently.. Yesterday I went on a 2.5 mile search to find a certain candle shop, only to find out that they just recently moved out of the building. I also try to rely on the GPS system as much as possible, but New York boasts so many different shops, restaurants, and establishments that they can't all be covered by the GPS. My GPS only lists about 30 establishments at one time. This is a huge amount in a normal city -- For example, if I look up "Indian restaurants" in Birmingham, I get 3 listings, and they are all spread out over a 20 mile area or so. In New York, if I search for "Indian restaurants," I get 30 listings but they list only the closest ones, so I get 30 restaurants in the 1 mile radius in which I'm standing. So if I'm looking for a particular restaurant that's more than 1 mile away, I have to guess in what direction I need to move, then re-search on the GPS to see if it's finally in a 1 mile radius at this point.

I have yet to give the subway a try without Raja... I've made do by finding things within walking distance, which is really simple here. Tonight, I think we're going to try to make sure I'm acquainted enough with the subway system to go places further away on my own. Wish me luck....

In the meantime, here are the pictures of our apartment. The order got all jumbled up so the pictures are in a weird pattern, but I'm using Raja's work computer and it doesn't let me manipulate things as easily, so sorry about that! The pictures of the buildings are what you see out of our windows.