In New York City.
And this view of the Manhattan skyline is just a mere three blocks from the front steps of my building:
Not even real, right? I keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming... but unless I have a much higher pain tolerance when I'm asleep than I thought, this whole thing is really happening.
You can't see it in the photo up there, but the Brooklyn Bridge is literally just another two blocks to the right. I'm planning to run across it sometime soon... maybe tomorrow even!
Although, I must say, I have done more walking in these last couple of days than I believe I have in the last couple of months. And when I say walking, I mean more of a light jog. The people in NYC do not simply walk. They always seem to be rushing to get somewhere.. although, I'm pretty sure if I asked some of them where they were going, they wouldn't have anywhere they desperately needed to be. It's just programmed into them to race around. All I have to say is thank goodness I naturally walk semi-quickly, or else I would have been trampled by now.
I'm not complaining whatsoever. I haven't even gone to sign myself up for the free gym membership that we get yet, because I've felt no need to. My feet hate me, but I'm getting a nice, little workout without forcing myself to jog on a treadmill for an hour.
Okay, okay, okay. Let me get back on track! For the whole semester, I'm living in the beautiful neighborhood, Brooklyn Heights... there are so many cute restaurants and shops nearby, and by living in Brooklyn, we avoid a bit of the insane hustle and bustle of Manhattan. It is so incredibly wonderful here.
In particular, I'm living in a student housing facility called St. George. The history of this place is incredible. Built in the late 1800s, it used to be the famous St. George Hotel, which was, at the time, the largest hotel in New York City. It once drew celebrities, athletes, and every presidential hopeful flocking to its many ballrooms, and a part of The Godfather was actually filmed here as well.
The Clark Street Subway is literally ten steps from our front door as well... so that makes it super convenient for when we want to go into Manhattan!
And heerree is my wonderful, little room:
It doesn't look like anything special, but it is so cozy, and it has all of the basic necessities. And it also might not look like I own much of anything, but I literally had to pack my entire life into two suitcases... I have clothes, bedding, and cosmetics. No posters or any of that other fluff. (I guess I'll just have to get some of that while I'm here?).
There are several awesome common areas in the St. George as well, but I really only cared about one thing. The kitchen. And HERE it is:
Ahhh. Look how many stoves and ovens there are! So. many. I could do some cooking damage here. I'll probably have more photos of St. George at other times, but that's all I've got for now.
Since Thursday afternoon, after stumbling out of the taxi with all of my belongings in tow, I have been having the greatest time ever. That afternoon, after settling into my room (which only took 30 minutes), I went exploring around the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood with my fabulous roommate, Allison, and her fabulous boyfriend, Chris. That's when we discovered the awesome view of Manhattan.
Then, we had a meeting with everyone from Belmont East back at the St. George. They just had a little introduction for us, and we were able to meet some Belmont alums who are now working and living in NYC. It was great to hear their stories and ask them questions about the city!
Later in the evening, I ventured out to the East Village with several people. We just explored, barhopped, and people watched for the entire night, and it was a perfect start to my time here. I was lucky enough to even see my very first subway rat... as in, a real rat... rodent... in the subway. Two of them, actually. Perfect. And there have been street musicians and subway musicians galore. And I don't if it's because I've been semi sleep-deprived or what, but surprisingly enough, I haven't heard a bad one yet!
Yesterday, I walked a mile to the Trader Joe's nearby to stock up on some groceries. The walk there was just perfect... the weather has been gorgeous, and it was great to explore the neighborhood some more. However, the walk back was a little bit unpleasant. I only had one bag, but it probably weighed about thirty pounds, which wasn't the greatest thing to try to handle while walking for a mile. I've learned my lesson: walk there, but take the subway back.
I also explored Manhattan yesterday. I took the subway (which I believe I've mostly figured out now) to 5th Avenue, and wandered through all of the shops for about 3 hours or so. Surprisingly, I didn't buy a single thing. It was just fun to be out and about.
And last night, after eating nothing but pizza and bagels thus far, I was craving a nice salad. My friend Josh and I found this great, little organic restaurant a couple blocks from the St. George, called Siggy's Good Food.
Doesn't that look delish? It was.
After that, we had a plan to meet some of the other Belmont students to go see a free, outdoor screening of The Goonies... on the USS Intrepid of course. We made it all the way to Times Square and walked what felt like a million blocks. And it rained. A lot. But that's okay, because we're in New York! Who cares if you have no umbrella and look like a drowned rat? At least, that's my opinion.
But when we got there, the line was superrrr long, so we decided to forgo the whole thing. Instead, we walked a million blocks back to Times Square and decided to feast on some food from the famous restaurant, Shake Shack. I had already eaten my deliciously healthy dinner, but decided to indulge in a shake... I mean, when in Rome...
And it was the most delicious thing I've had in a very long time. Seriously. There were bits of donuts in it, if that tells you anything.
Then, I called it a night. I mean, I've been here two days now, and I feel like I've already been here for a week. Going to bed at 11:30pm on a Friday night in NYC might sound lame, but I wanted to make sure I was able to function, because today I am going to explore the many, many flea markets in NYC.
Sorry for such a long post... I'm pretty sure I could have made this even longer, but I need to go meet some people in Williamsburg at the flea market there. I will update later, though :).
I am already having the time of my life, and I can't believe that this is where I get to spend my days over the next few months. There are many adventures in store for me. Have a superb Saturday!
<3
Nat
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