Life Underground

There is a whole world housed in the subway stations of New York. Artists, musicians, bums, white collar, blue collar, passerbys, children and everyone else come together in one place. Sometimes, it creates something really special.

The 8th Avenue station is home to little bronze statues in an exhibit called "Life Underground." Here are a few of the inhabitants: 

Subway stations are also home to thousands of street (or subway) performers, like this one in the Union Square station:

Just goes to show that, in New York, there's a lot of life that goes on underground.

Spring my ass

So today is the first day of Spring, and what did I wake up to see outside my window? Snow!! WTF?! Seriously this is ridiculous. Snow is pretty and all, but I'm more than ready for some warm sunshine. Thank god I'm going to New Orleans and Florida next week where it will be in the upper 70s and 80s. This whole cold nonsense better be gone by the time I get back. Seriously, New York, get your act together.

Full speed ahead

Things have been super busy - they don't call New York the City that Never Sleeps for no reason.

Dad came to visit last weekend. He's been to Newark on business a lot, but never to the big city. It's always really cool to show someone New York for the first time. I've only lived here for about four months, but it's nice to see the city through fresh eyes to remind me how special it is.

Right away we went to Times Square. We took a bunch of pictures and saw a pretty good street band. 

Then we walked up to Central Park at Columbus Circle. It was a perfect day to be outside; cool but not too cold. We ate lunch at a sports bar by the park and then took a nice stroll. It was actually really cool for me too because we went a way I hadn't been before. Central Park is so beautiful, I can't wait till the spring when everything starts blooming. Then that night we went to Del Friscos with Rich and had an amazing dinner.

Sunday we started the day exploring Fort Tryon park by my apartment. This was another thing that I haven't done yet, which I'm a little embarrassed about. But I blame it on the cold and vow to explore it more often now. It's crazy to think that this amazing park is literally in my back yard. It has a great view of the Hudson and has an amazing museum called the Cloisters, which is actually part of the Met. Then we had brunch at the cute restaurant in the park. After brunch, we actually went to the Met because we got free admission when going to the Cloisters. To get there, we had to cross Central Park, so it was cool to see yet another part of it. 

After getting back from the Met it was time for dad to go. It was a short trip, but it was good to see him. I only wish my mom and brother could've come too. However, I am so excited to go home to Orlando next week! I'll be home Friday-Sunday for my brother's 18th birthday. I can't wait to see everyone and soak up some Florida sun. And before that, I'm going to New Orleans! I've never been there so I'm super excited to see it.

As I get more acclimated to life here, I seem to have less to write about. It makes me a little sad, but it also makes me excited to think that this isn't a vacation and is becoming real life. But the last thing I want is to get complacent here and take for granted all the things around me, so I'll make much more of an effort to blog more often and see how special this city is.

Spring has sprung!

Today was the first day that I didn't have to bundle up before going outside. No jacket, no scarf, no gloves, no stockings ... I was wearing a light sweater and I really could've done without that too.

It's 67 degrees right now, and I never thought I'd be so excited. It's interesting to see the different outfits outside. A lot of people didn't realize the warmth before heading out and are now carrying their jackets. Long sleeved shirts are rolled up. Some people are in flip flops. Every second person is walking a dog. A lot of people are shopping too - maybe the answer to our economic problems will be the weather, haha.

I can't wait to see the city really come alive with spring. It'll be a lot easier to explore new places too. This better not be a tease!

Kat's visit, et cetera

Hello faithful readers, I'm sorry for the delay in post. Things have been a little hectic, in a good way.

Kat's visit was so much fun. We went to so many fun places and did fun things. To get a full synopsis, read her blog here. I hope it gave her a better idea of what living here will actually be like.

Things are good on the job front. The project is running steadily and doesn't seem like it'll end in the immediate future. Which is bad for ICE, but good for me. After that, I've learned that there's a position I could fill in customer service. It isn't necessarily what I want to be doing, but it's steady money and I'd get benefits, which isn't a bad plan B. 

Also - I'm coming home! The last weekend in March (27-29) I'll be in Orlando. So if you're there, call me! It'll be so great to see everyone and be in the Florida sun. And before that I'm going to New Orleans for a few days! Hooray! 

So all in all things are great!