Last day with Ali..

Today I moved out of Ali's and into my new apartment. My bed was supposed to be delivered between 10-2pm, but of course I got a phone call at 9:30am saying that my bed was going to be delivered in 5 minutes. I grabbed a taxi uptown real quick and got my bed all set up.

I cruised back to pick up my suitcases and other junk. Ali helped with all my suitcases..that was nice. I went to buy sheets and other stuff for my room. By the end of the day, I was quite tired and I took for a few hours before meeting Ali for dinner.

Yeah! Finally have my own room!

I was approved!

Cool, so I have a new home. It only took me three and a half weeks of being in New York. I probably saw 20 apartments or more. It will be great not have to sleep on a couch anymore. Wait, now I need to buy a bed. Moving in this Saturday.

FINALLY!!

Finally, someone wants me to be their roommate! I'm putting in my application to the leasing office this week. Cross your fingers for me....

Battery Park and Ground Zero

It was a decent day, so I jumped on the subway and headed downtown...all the way down, to Battery Park. NOTE: The subway(1,9) no longer goes all the way to South Ferry. There's construction going on. You have to get off at Chambers and take a bus.

Anyway, Battery Park is cool, once you pass all the construction and street vendors. There are views of the other boroughs and the Statue of Liberty. (she's far away though) It's pretty peaceful for New York City. I'll definitely go back.

I headed back uptown to the World Trade Center site. It was a huge area under construction...all fenced off. No street vendors were selling in the block around the site. There were a lot of people, but it was very quite. Definitely something to see once.

The Interpreter!

Ali and I went to see the movie The Interpreter! It was a pretty good movie. It's with Sean Pean and Nicole Kidman. It was fairly well written, pretty good plot, and some action scenes. I wasn't sold on the Pean and Kidman connection. See, the characters both lost a loved one recently and supposedly this created a bond between them even though they were total strangers. I was wasn't 100% convinced about the connection. Something was missing. I would still recommend it though. NOTE: Nicole Kidman's hair was in front of her face throughout the whole movie. I really wanted to shave her head or at least give her a rubberband.

NFL Draft

Never watch the NFL draft with Ali. He's gets a little too excited about it. Go TEXAS!

My honey.......

My honey is a kick-ass designer! Check it out!

www.laacke.com

Time Square

Moved in a few day ago with a friend who lives near Time Square. It is a really nice building, but it's pretty crazy being so close to Time Square. There are always so many people and so much traffic. Also, we have a construction project across the street. They start work about 6am.....I know this because they are my alarm clock!

Still looking for a place to live. I've seen over 15 places..maybe more..I've totally lost count. There are some pretty weird people in this city, but there are really nice ones too.

Congrats to Chris...new Team member...I'm no longer the new person!

Apartment Hunting

I took the subway again today to continue my search for apartments. The places here are outrageously expensive and tiny. I've been primarily looking for rooms or shared apartments and most of the people I've met have been really nice and welcoming. (Note: A lot of people have pets in this city.) Most of the places I've seen I've had to stop myself from laughing when I see the rooms. I'm like....."You want me to live there...and pay, how much?"

The best place I've seen so far is with an older lady in the upper west side. She was very cool and the apartment was great...spacious, clean, and sunny. Sun is a very big deal here in the city. When the sun comes out it's like time stops and everyone stares up in awe. Being from California I just keep walking, but I think I'll understand after my first winter here.

I walked around Central Park today...the NW corner. It's a really cool park. I know I'll be spending lots of time there in the future. I also visited Time Square because my new friend Ali lives only a few blocks away. I know I won't be spending time there unless I have family come into town and they want to do the tourist stuff.

Back to apartment hunting!

Subway

I took the subway today for the first time by myself. It was an interesting experience. It took me a while to figure out how the whole system works and now I think I've got it. I accidentally took the express train up to 125th and then had to come back down, but now I know about the express trains. Also, you can learn new vocabulary on the subway. I actually saw a sign that said "No grafitti or scratchiti!!" I didn't know scratchiti was a word, but I guess it is if the MTA is using it.

Crime Scene

I walked downstairs and out the apartment door this morning to find that the entire block was taped off by the police. At the end of the block there was angry looking convenient store owner yelling at someone down the street. I have no idea what was going on. Paul and I just walked under the yellow tape and continued to work. I've never been inside a crime scene before!

I went to Union Square after work today with Simi and took the subway for the first time! It was chill. We went to dinner to celebrate Philipp's birthday. It was quite a party. The Japanese restaurant we went to was so much fun....tons of people, loud music, lots of Sapporo, and good food! I don't know where I was though or the name of the restaurant.

When we came out of the restaurant about midnight it had started raining. Good thing I'm a planner because I had brought my umbrella to work. Simi, Dianna, and I walked to the subway under my umbrella. We must have looked pretty silly...especially because Simi is so much taller than Dianna and I.

Great night! Can't wait for the weekend!

First night in New York City

I made it! All my flights were fine and my lugguage arrived safely. I made the mistake of going through the revolving door with all my lugguage. Don't ask me why! I totally got stuck in the middle and these two men had to push on the door to get me out. My first dumbass mistake in NYC.

I grabbed a taxi into town (it cost me $35) and found my friend Paul's apartment quite easily. I hauled my two heavy bags into his apartment and was pleasantly surprised by his dwelling. Bigger than I had expected! And hey, there's wireless internet...what more could a girl ask for??

We ate some fabulous Chinese food and now we're back home chilling. I set up my webcam and was able to see all the way back in California. What great technology! Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Cedarville, CA

I drove up to Cedarville, CA with my boyfriend for a wedding. Do you know where Cedarville is? Have you ever heard of Cedarville? Well, I hadn't heard of it either until not long ago. I have to say it is a great place. It is located 3 hours east of Redding, CA. It is a beautiful valley (Surprise Valley) full of wildlife, clear skies, fresh air, and open space.....and that's about it. There are only about 200 residents and if you blink you'll miss the town. It was great to go to the middle of no where right before going to NYC. I will definitely be returning in the future.