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Posts Tagged ‘living in NYC’

Happy Friday the 13th

Well, here it is Friday the 13th. I am not really a superstitious person so I am really just going about my day as I would any other day. I will even walk under ladders, cross paths with a black cat and put shoes on a table. Hmm… maybe I am just tempting bad things to happen. One thing I will NEVER do is say “Macbeth” in a theatre, I am not crazy!! 😉

Anyhoo, I have a few thoughts that I wanted to share with you, my reflections on some things that happened this week. It is getting a wee bit busy, the school year is drawing to a close for the girls, the weather is nicer, vacations and camps are being planned. As for me, I need to start figuring out my own path as to how I am going to fit in, in this big city. I am getting the itch to get back to work, but the big question is what and where?? But before I delve into THAT discussion here are the things that have been part of my life this week:

  • I can be a big old badass mother bear with NYC attitude when provoked. I got into a confrontation outside of the girls school this week when two jerks decided to be nasty to the kids for just being kids. Nothing infuriates me more than people putting down children for behaving in a fun way especially when the jackasses had chosen to walk in front of the elementary school!! When mama bear ‘ain’t happy, ‘ain’t nobody happy- grrrr!!
  • On that note, I should NEVER watch daytime tv. I tuned in to “The View” yesterday to see my good friend Bobby C. perform a number from the Broadway show “Anything Goes” (which was awesome!) but unfortunately I also saw a segment about a woman who was giving her 8 year old daughter botox treatments. I was sickened and outraged. Really? How is this even allowed? Such a sad world we live in that 8 year old girls cannot just be left alone to be little kids without body image issues. Ugh. Daytime t.v. = Rage!
  • My own lovely daughter swallowed a chain necklace last night. Yes, yes she did. For the first time I thought I would be taking a trip to the local emergency department. However, there is a wonderful service at our pediatrician’s office where you can phone and leave a message with the service and the actual doctor with call you back. We did not have this in Ottawa. It is awesome. Within 15 minutes our doctor had called us back and reassured us that she would be fine and that the chain would eventually come to pass. We are now on poop watch. Fun times!!
  • The weather in NYC this week has been absolutely gorgeous. Temps in the 70’s and beautiful cloudless sunny blue skies. I have been loving it, my only complaint is allergies. Whoa. Who knew that NYC would be such an intense area for springtime allergies? The trees are everywhere and they are pouring pollen into the air. If you sit down on a park bench you can actually see the pollen attach itself to your clothes. My eyes have not been happy. Luckily, there are many different non-prescription drugs available. Although in NYC you have to show i.d. to purchase them. Who knew? Something about meth users… sad. I learn something new every day.
  • Ron gave me a t-shirt one time with the slogan “My playground is Big” it reminds me of how I felt this week. I was a bit bummed because this was the perfect weather for sitting outside in the backyard with a cup of tea and the newspaper or a good book. Only now, living in an apartment we don’t have any outdoor space of our own. So, I decided to grab a tea and head to the park. I found a bench in the sun where very few people were wandering by and enjoyed some wonderful solitude reading as the birds chirped and the occasional cab honking sounded in the background. I thought to myself “My backyard is big”. Sometimes it is tempting to hang out in your apartment but if you get up and out, there are many incredible spaces in NYC to enjoy the outdoors.
  • A lot of thoughts have been rattling around in my brain this week. Planning, stressing, planning some more, thinking or just plain over analyzing ;), the best cure for this is to get out and walk. The endless space to walk in this city really is a true treasure. Pounding the pavement is a great stress reliever.
  • But, I also have had to remind myself to slow down a bit. Chill out. Take the time to breathe, even if my nose is stuffed up! The days move fast and it is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind. It is okay to step out of it sometimes and crawl at your own pace. I have been reading more this week. It helps me to centre and pause for a moment. Even if it is just for five minutes, it is is worth it.

Well, I am just happy it’s Friday, thanks for reading my end of week ramblings =), hope you have a spectacular weekend!

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Over the last couple of days, the weather in NYC has been absolutely spectacular. Sunny, cloudless skies with temps in the low 70’s. My kind of perfect. I would be happy if the days of summer were all like this but I know that the heat and humidity are right around the corner. On that note, I have been trying to get out as much as possible to enjoy every moment of it. On Monday I took the Dopey dog on a massive walk- 92 blocks to be exact (Bogie was happy to stay at home and chill on the couch!). The view coming down Riverside Drive and the park was soo beautiful I took some pics to share with you. Hope you enjoy them. Have a wonderful day =)

Riverside Drive

Beautiful archway at 124th and Riverside Park

Love this massive tree in the middle of the sidewalk

Rear view of General Grant's National Memorial

Tile mosaic around the memorial

General Grant National Memorial Front View

Tree lined walkway

Riverside Church

Sun streaming over the apartment buildings

Community garden in Riverside park (Please Enjoy The Garden)

Doorway of one of the gorgeous buildings along Riverside Dr.

Building artwork

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

My handsome walking companion- Dopey 😉

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The thought always hits me at the strangest times. I will be walking down the street, notice my shoelace is untied, bend down, tie my shoe, look up and think “Whoa, I live in New York City!”. It has been nine months since the big move and I guess just like it takes nine months to ease into the fact that you are having a baby, it has taken me the same amount of time to adjust to the whole living in NYC thing. And Manhattan is one helluva a baby! 😉 I have gained confidence, explored the neighborhood, learned the fine art of grocery shopping, am able to successfully walk two dogs down a crowded street, made new friends and most importantly I am adjusting to life as a stay at home mom/wife. But, every once in a while, usually while doing something totally mundane like laundry, I stop dead in my tracks and think “NYC, seriously??!!”.

A night out in the City

This city is awe inspiring. Every day I walk down my block and notice something new and different. I am not exaggerating. This city is also hard, fast and unforgiving. Surrounded by millions, it can feel incredibly lonely. At the same time it is welcoming, vibrant and alive. There are good days and bad days, just like anywhere. I have asked a few of my friends who have lived here for a long time if the feeling of awe about living here ever truly goes away and the answer is no. Even when the rain is whipping sideways and the wind is howling, you only have to look up to see the strength and beauty in the surrounding buildings.

The New York (a new building by Frank Gehry)

There are many people I have spoken to who are ready to get out of the city. They have had enough. We of course, are in the honeymoon period, looking at everything through bright, new, positive eyes. Not jaded… yet. I hope we never become bitter and hard in our attitudes. If we start to feel that way I will know that it is time to leave. That the love affair has ended. But right now I am enjoying being caught up in all that the city has to offer, even the realities that can sometimes seem overwhelming. I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to live here and partake in all of the incredible experiences NYC has to offer. It is never boring. Always changing. Full of adventure. Exactly where I want to be.

Learning the ropes to be a New Yorker 😉

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