Ok, I'm way behind on the blog but I've been busy here in New York doing as many things as possible to take advantage of my time here in this crazy city! When I moved here 3 months ago it was gruelingly hot. Now it is frigidly cold. I came here knowing no one and now I have wonderful coworkers, roommates and wardies. I still get lonely on the regular, but moving is always hard and living in New York has been such an adventure. I NEVER thought I would live here (honestly, I never really had a desire to) and so a small part of me feels like a survivor every day I make my way on public transportation across this bustling, smelling, expletive-filled island. Perhaps the most surprising thing here though is that people are actually incredibly nice. Maybe my concept of 'nice' has been re-calibrated since living among the crusty olde New Englanders but I'm constantly seeing people do thoughtful things for each other. From regularly seeing people give up their seats for the very young or elderly on the train, to the random man that took a passing blind man by the arm and guided him to his bus stop, to those who stop and talk to beggars or offer them food. While there are definitely days where I witness fights or rudeness, for the most part I have been uplifted by the sense of community and humanity I see around me every day in New York.
Anyway, please enjoy some pictures from the first couple months I moved here to my new home!
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| I went to meet up with some friends at Shake Shack and just happened to walk past a real authentic Banksy! |
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Typical day on the subway at the end of the hot hot summer.
Someone was brave enough to bring their artwork haha |
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| So much of my time is spent in this scene |
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Can't move to a new place without a trip to Ikea, right? My roommate Rachel and I went with our friend Gloria.
Gloria had never been to Ikea before and had no idea what she was getting herself into.
As a result she basically just started sleeping in every show room we went through! |
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| One weekend, our ward got invited up to a YSA activity at West Point |
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It was a beautiful evening!
This is me with my roommate, Caitlin |
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| In order to get to the campus, we had to take a ferry across the river! |
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The best way to describe West Point is as a mix between an Ivy League and a prison.
I don't think that the inhabitants there would say I'm wrong. |
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| Really cool campus |
Later, I went to Chinatown/Little Italy for a festival.
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| Really, a good motto to live by |
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| Awesome Italian street festival |
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| I spent the evening looking for the perfect cannoli |
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| Little Italy! |
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| Beautiful street art |
A few weeks later (?) I went with some friends/roomies to get epic milkshakes that I had discovered on pintrest. They were pieces of art
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| Not the most flattering of pictures, but pretty accurate of my emotions |
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| Beautiful, right? |
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I finally decorated my room and now it feels like home to have my regular pictures and postcards up.
It's a good little alcove I have |
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| The other angle |
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A picture I took during sunday school one time.
I just think its so funny out of context- we were making a list of people who are prideful |
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| Now finally, let's address that I'm pretty poor here! It's been a good experience for me to work on budgeting and financial planning. This pioneer quote pretty much sums up my new lifestyle! (or at least what I'm aiming for) |