Last weekend was my first weekend alone in the big city. Roomie went off to Vegas for a bachelor party and so I was left wondering what exactly am I gonna do here not knowing anyone...
Luckily, a guy I met last year when I visited (that is one of roomie's friends) texted on Friday for us to get together. Talk about perfect timing! I headed out again to Hoboken that night for him to meet me and we headed to a small, quiet pub for some drinks. This guy happens to work in finance and when you get an accountant and an aspiring financial advisor together, you can imagine how nerdy those conversations can be! Nonetheless, we had a great time, laughed, and I enjoyed being able to spend time with someone that I hadn't seen in a year and catching up. It also made me feel a little more like a big girl being able to have plans for a Friday night and them not be setup by my roomie for once!
On Saturday, I had a very productive day of walking and touring the city. However, it started on a not so bright note. This arse bum asked me for some money when I didn't give him any, he actually had the gonads to tell him I should try Proactive. How rude!! It did kinda hit home a little bit though knowing I need to be doing something so it kinda lit the fire on making sure I take care of myself. After the comment, I kept on and managed to walk for about 5 hours of the day. Granted, my feet were destroyed by the end, but seeing Brooklyn Bridge, the financial district, the World Trade Center, SoHo, and everything along the way as I walked from one to the other was definitely worth it. I settled in that night with my first night of delivery Chinese and drifted to sleep watching some Law and Order. May not have been the most glamorous night, but it was just what I needed!
Sunday brought with it Sunday football, and I'm not talking about sitting around the house watching it on TV. I actually got out there and played! Duane, one of the guys that went to Maine with us, plays on a coed team and needing some girls, I told him I would play. I was pretty much scared shitless when I got there seeing how intense and on the team was. But I got out there, did the best I could, and had a lot of fun while doing so! Afterwards, we all hit up the local happy hour and just hung out for a few hours drinking beer, eating wings, and watching football. Just like some men, huh?! I jetted off a little earlier than the rest so I can make my way up to Central Park and read for about an hour on the great lawn before heading back to the apt for packing and the conclusion of my first round of time in NYC.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Figuring things out
So another week came and went and I find myself behind on updating the blog. Good thing I made notes on things to include and, what the hell, better late than never!
So last week was pretty crazy busy with work trying to get things in before the business extension deadline. My roomie always seemed to have things going on after work so it worked out pretty well on me getting some work done. Because of the horrible reception we get at our place, Monday night we decided to take a walk about 11 pm down the East River so we could make our phone calls and I could take in a bit of the city. It really is pretty amazing....a place with so may inhabitants and yet you can take a walk down this windy path along a river and not a pass a soul. That is why I fell in love with the city in the first place...so much going on, but you can still find solitude in the parks, the rooftop bars, and the outdoor activities all around you. It is truly a whole nother world there.
Speaking of another world, on Tuesday I found out that there really and truly is an epidemic of, wait for it,.....BED BUGS!!! I know, right?!?! Mike has a friend that came and stayed with us a few nights because their place had been infested. Apparently, you basically lose everything if that happens. They just travel from place to place and it is super expensive to try to get rid of them and easier to actually just throw out your stuff and start over. I just couldn't believe it and was also super grossed out by the whole situation. Luckily, we were all good at our place. I might have had to take him down otherwise.
Wednesday night is Mike's kickball night and because he is such a good roommate, he asked if I wanted to join them for their end of season party. Upon showing up to this bar, I found tons and tons of people in their uniforms and everyone was just spread out playing flipcup. I have never seen so many flipcup tables in my life, especially at a bar! It was so much fun though! We just stood around, drinking, meeting new people, and enjoying everyone's company. Sometimes I feel like it is easy to meet people...you just HAVE to get active and put yourself out there.
On Thursday night, Mike and I went into Hoboken to meet his old roommate and friend, JB, for drinks and watch the MSU game. JB is French and while I had a little bit of a time understanding some of what he said, he was a very nice guy. I'm definitely thankful for Mike being the kind of person that includes me in activities and points me in the right direction, but also thankful that he forces me to go out and do my own thing too. Best of both worlds you could say I've got and looking forward to expanding that world and the adventures that come with!!
So last week was pretty crazy busy with work trying to get things in before the business extension deadline. My roomie always seemed to have things going on after work so it worked out pretty well on me getting some work done. Because of the horrible reception we get at our place, Monday night we decided to take a walk about 11 pm down the East River so we could make our phone calls and I could take in a bit of the city. It really is pretty amazing....a place with so may inhabitants and yet you can take a walk down this windy path along a river and not a pass a soul. That is why I fell in love with the city in the first place...so much going on, but you can still find solitude in the parks, the rooftop bars, and the outdoor activities all around you. It is truly a whole nother world there.
Speaking of another world, on Tuesday I found out that there really and truly is an epidemic of, wait for it,.....BED BUGS!!! I know, right?!?! Mike has a friend that came and stayed with us a few nights because their place had been infested. Apparently, you basically lose everything if that happens. They just travel from place to place and it is super expensive to try to get rid of them and easier to actually just throw out your stuff and start over. I just couldn't believe it and was also super grossed out by the whole situation. Luckily, we were all good at our place. I might have had to take him down otherwise.
Wednesday night is Mike's kickball night and because he is such a good roommate, he asked if I wanted to join them for their end of season party. Upon showing up to this bar, I found tons and tons of people in their uniforms and everyone was just spread out playing flipcup. I have never seen so many flipcup tables in my life, especially at a bar! It was so much fun though! We just stood around, drinking, meeting new people, and enjoying everyone's company. Sometimes I feel like it is easy to meet people...you just HAVE to get active and put yourself out there.
On Thursday night, Mike and I went into Hoboken to meet his old roommate and friend, JB, for drinks and watch the MSU game. JB is French and while I had a little bit of a time understanding some of what he said, he was a very nice guy. I'm definitely thankful for Mike being the kind of person that includes me in activities and points me in the right direction, but also thankful that he forces me to go out and do my own thing too. Best of both worlds you could say I've got and looking forward to expanding that world and the adventures that come with!!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Lazy Weekends
My first weekend in the big apple is over and while it wasn't super packed with excitement, it was nice to have a little downtime and get settled in. Friday I finally got around to do some shopping, but not the fun kind. I had to pick up bedding, towels, a dresser, toiletries, all that jazz. While in any other city, this seems like an easy event. You go to the store, buy your stuff, get in your car, drive home, unpack. Well, not quite as easy in NYC...or not for me. I hit up Bed, Bath, and Beyond, got my goods, and checked out. It then hit me that I was going to have to get these two large bags and the dresser box back to the apt. I tried to hail a cab which are supposedly everywhere, right? FAIL. Every time I tired, they just flew on past. After about 10 minutes of walking and stopping to adjust the bags, I finally caught a cab, VICTORY!
Okay, so enough of the boring details.... the rest of Friday I caught up on some work and had a low key Friday night at the house. On Saturday, Mike and I hit up "The Junction" for some more MSU football and then we did some shopping for the apt at West Elm. Great story full of cute stuff, but also a little pricey. I finally got around to buying a printer on Saturday and then after a quick nap, got ready for some REBEL BINGOOOOOOO! If you have never heard of rebel bingo (which I hadn't), you should check out the website to get a little taste of what goes down http://www.rebelbingo.com/.
Before we got to rebel bingo, we met up with some of Mike's friends so we ended up with 6 people for this experience. So to give you a taste of what rebel bingo is, you have to know that there is actually a little bingo involved! Basically, everyone dresses in crazy costumes (theme last night was "women's convention") and you are given markers to play bingo, but in actuality you just write all over everyone as they call out bingo numbers. Let's just say I ended up with an eagle across my chest (not my boobs mom!) and random markings all over my arms and neck. Others had things such as a unibrow, elephants, stars, and of course....a random penis drawn here and there. All in all, a fun and memorable night!
Today was also low key. Mike and I got up and walked the neighborhood a bit until we found a place to have brunch. We talked about my life and career and trying to figure things out. Sometimes it so nice to have an outsider give you advice, honest and raw, about what they think is best. Very insightful. After brunch, we walked along the East River and then strolled through the farmer's market in our apartment complex. Later he hit the bar for some more football and I got some work done, caught up on some phone calls, and set in for a movie and junk food kind of night.
This week will make for another busy week, but one filled more with work than fun. I'm sure I'll manage to find something to fill my time and, of course, will keep you updated on the ins and outs of living in the big city!!
Okay, so enough of the boring details.... the rest of Friday I caught up on some work and had a low key Friday night at the house. On Saturday, Mike and I hit up "The Junction" for some more MSU football and then we did some shopping for the apt at West Elm. Great story full of cute stuff, but also a little pricey. I finally got around to buying a printer on Saturday and then after a quick nap, got ready for some REBEL BINGOOOOOOO! If you have never heard of rebel bingo (which I hadn't), you should check out the website to get a little taste of what goes down http://www.rebelbingo.com/.
Before we got to rebel bingo, we met up with some of Mike's friends so we ended up with 6 people for this experience. So to give you a taste of what rebel bingo is, you have to know that there is actually a little bingo involved! Basically, everyone dresses in crazy costumes (theme last night was "women's convention") and you are given markers to play bingo, but in actuality you just write all over everyone as they call out bingo numbers. Let's just say I ended up with an eagle across my chest (not my boobs mom!) and random markings all over my arms and neck. Others had things such as a unibrow, elephants, stars, and of course....a random penis drawn here and there. All in all, a fun and memorable night!
Today was also low key. Mike and I got up and walked the neighborhood a bit until we found a place to have brunch. We talked about my life and career and trying to figure things out. Sometimes it so nice to have an outsider give you advice, honest and raw, about what they think is best. Very insightful. After brunch, we walked along the East River and then strolled through the farmer's market in our apartment complex. Later he hit the bar for some more football and I got some work done, caught up on some phone calls, and set in for a movie and junk food kind of night.
This week will make for another busy week, but one filled more with work than fun. I'm sure I'll manage to find something to fill my time and, of course, will keep you updated on the ins and outs of living in the big city!!
Friday, September 9, 2011
A week with NYC
I have officially been in NYC a week...well, including our trip to Maine! I find it amazing that in that short amount of time I have so much to recap on and have literally just been waiting to find the time to get a chance to blog about it. So enough waiting, let's get to it! Because so many things have gone down since I got here, I somewhat broke it up into sections to fully see the crazy busyness that has entailed! Oh, and I added some pictures at the bottom for you to enjoy :)
MSU Football:
I got in last Thursday which was the same day MSU had their first football game. Obviously, the only thing to do when you are living with a fellow bulldog (Mike Davis) is watch the game..... at a bar called nothing other than "The Junction"!! Apparently there is a group of NYC bulldogs that meet for all of the games and so we fit right in and made new friends over some beers! Not a bad first night in the big city!
MAINE:
On Friday, Mike picked me up and after swinging by to get Duane, we started our 6 hour drive to Portland, Maine to meet the rest of our crew and camp out. A road trip with two guys, you can imagine how those conversations went....let's just say, I was educated on a variety of topics. Night one consisted of some drinking, making friends with the rest of the crew I met, and a long night of snoring...after all, we were with 3 men. Saturday we got up and hit the beaches for a little while before having an incredible lunch of fresh lobster and beer on the pier listening to live music and following it with, none other than, ice cream! Stuffed, we headed up another 3 hours to our cabin close to Baxter State Park and Mt. Katahdin.
The cabin was amazing!! Huge three bedroom with a large backyard to a private dock on the lake with the endless sky above us, aahhhh. Plus, it didn't hurt that we had an astronomer and his high grade telescope with us or an aspiring photographer (Andrew Dullas) that takes awesome pictures to document our adventure! After grilling up some burgers, we played some drinking games, hung out on the dock, and took in the incredible scenery/experience. After nursing some hangovers Sunday morning, a couple of us decided to make the hour drive to the park to get in a hike. About 45 seconds in, the bottom dropped out and the rain did not let up the entire trek to the waterfalls. Surprisingly, as soon as we got to the waterfall to have some lunch the sky cleared up just long enough for us to have a bite and a beer before it started all over again as we hiked back out. While being completely soaked from head to toe for the hour drive back sounds miserable (and somewhat was), the view and hike itself was so worth it. Once we got back to the cabin, we settled in for a night of more drinking and cooked up some fresh lobster. Monday we got up bright and early to go white water rafting down a class V river and then headed back down to Portland to stay the night before heading back to the city on Tuesday.
It was a weekend full of fun, new friends, good food, camping, hiking, rafting, thunderstorms, stars, and unforgettable experiences!
PLAYING TOURIST:
Tuesday night, Mike had a friend come in town so Wednesday I got to play tour guide to an Aussie...from India. It was an interesting, but fun-filled day! We hit up the Frick Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, saw some "Gossip Girls" filming, walked a ton, and then ended the night with some Broadway. We decided to pay the extra $40 and got 3rd row seats to "How to Succeed in Business and Not Really Try" staring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette. It was a comedic musical and worth every penny. Pretty amazing to be able to see Harry Potter himself only 5 feet away from me! I also may or may not have fallen in love with one of the other guys in the production....too bad after semi-stalking his website I found out he was only 19, damn it!
US OPEN:
After working all day Thursday, we hit up the one and only US Open! Because of the rain on Wednesday, the matches were cancelled so we ended up getting to see Roger Federer play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. While there was some steady mist and an hour rain delay, Federer pulled it out in only 3 rounds. We also got to see Will Ferrell and Matthew Perry on the big screen. Not too bad for a night of golf.
So, as you can see, it has been a pretty crazy hectic, amazing week thus far! I'd like to say I'm getting good at the subways, figuring out what is N,S,E, and W, and the difference between uptown, downtown, midtown, etc. It has definitely been a learning experience and with a week left before heading to Fairbanks, there is a lot that lies ahead!
MSU Football:
I got in last Thursday which was the same day MSU had their first football game. Obviously, the only thing to do when you are living with a fellow bulldog (Mike Davis) is watch the game..... at a bar called nothing other than "The Junction"!! Apparently there is a group of NYC bulldogs that meet for all of the games and so we fit right in and made new friends over some beers! Not a bad first night in the big city!
MAINE:
On Friday, Mike picked me up and after swinging by to get Duane, we started our 6 hour drive to Portland, Maine to meet the rest of our crew and camp out. A road trip with two guys, you can imagine how those conversations went....let's just say, I was educated on a variety of topics. Night one consisted of some drinking, making friends with the rest of the crew I met, and a long night of snoring...after all, we were with 3 men. Saturday we got up and hit the beaches for a little while before having an incredible lunch of fresh lobster and beer on the pier listening to live music and following it with, none other than, ice cream! Stuffed, we headed up another 3 hours to our cabin close to Baxter State Park and Mt. Katahdin.
The cabin was amazing!! Huge three bedroom with a large backyard to a private dock on the lake with the endless sky above us, aahhhh. Plus, it didn't hurt that we had an astronomer and his high grade telescope with us or an aspiring photographer (Andrew Dullas) that takes awesome pictures to document our adventure! After grilling up some burgers, we played some drinking games, hung out on the dock, and took in the incredible scenery/experience. After nursing some hangovers Sunday morning, a couple of us decided to make the hour drive to the park to get in a hike. About 45 seconds in, the bottom dropped out and the rain did not let up the entire trek to the waterfalls. Surprisingly, as soon as we got to the waterfall to have some lunch the sky cleared up just long enough for us to have a bite and a beer before it started all over again as we hiked back out. While being completely soaked from head to toe for the hour drive back sounds miserable (and somewhat was), the view and hike itself was so worth it. Once we got back to the cabin, we settled in for a night of more drinking and cooked up some fresh lobster. Monday we got up bright and early to go white water rafting down a class V river and then headed back down to Portland to stay the night before heading back to the city on Tuesday.
It was a weekend full of fun, new friends, good food, camping, hiking, rafting, thunderstorms, stars, and unforgettable experiences!
PLAYING TOURIST:
Tuesday night, Mike had a friend come in town so Wednesday I got to play tour guide to an Aussie...from India. It was an interesting, but fun-filled day! We hit up the Frick Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, saw some "Gossip Girls" filming, walked a ton, and then ended the night with some Broadway. We decided to pay the extra $40 and got 3rd row seats to "How to Succeed in Business and Not Really Try" staring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette. It was a comedic musical and worth every penny. Pretty amazing to be able to see Harry Potter himself only 5 feet away from me! I also may or may not have fallen in love with one of the other guys in the production....too bad after semi-stalking his website I found out he was only 19, damn it!
US OPEN:
After working all day Thursday, we hit up the one and only US Open! Because of the rain on Wednesday, the matches were cancelled so we ended up getting to see Roger Federer play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. While there was some steady mist and an hour rain delay, Federer pulled it out in only 3 rounds. We also got to see Will Ferrell and Matthew Perry on the big screen. Not too bad for a night of golf.
So, as you can see, it has been a pretty crazy hectic, amazing week thus far! I'd like to say I'm getting good at the subways, figuring out what is N,S,E, and W, and the difference between uptown, downtown, midtown, etc. It has definitely been a learning experience and with a week left before heading to Fairbanks, there is a lot that lies ahead!
beach in Portland, Maine
Dock at our cabin in Millinocket, Maine
Our cabin
Hiking to waterfall in Baxter State Park
Mt Katahdin
Lobster
US Open
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