We made it. We hugged the family good bye early AM of June 18 and left for 14+ hours of driving--2 of those hours sitting in traffic just to cross the George Washington bridge. "So Close" from Enchanted was our theme song of those dreadfully long hours.
Once we finally arrived at the location of our apartment, we sat for a while in the car soaking in the atmosphere while waiting for our future roommate to come home and let us in. It didn't quite feel like Manhattan, and I couldn't believe we were actually there. It was as if we were in a complete different country---a blend of Spanish speaking countries.
So, as you can imagine, we stuck out incredibly and were constantly watched and a bit called out to as we unloaded and carried our things into our apartment. Quite intimidating. I wasn't sure if we'd last the night. Ok, maybe not THAT drastic... but I kept on reminding myself that after they became familiar with us "new kids on the block", it'd get better. After most of our things were brought into our little room, we went to a little pizza joint nearby, came home, and slept.
The next day was tackle the room to make it our own day. We didn't make much progress, but later that evening we enjoyed dinner with our friend Lydia at the Ukrainian restaurant "Veselka" in the East Village. It was an incredible welcome to NYC meal :). The vibe of the Lower East Side is one of my favorites. After the delicious meal, we headed home, but Rebecca and I got off of the train at Times Square, just because. We walked around, hoping for a surge of excitement that we were ACTUALLY in the city, but we still hadn't hit reality yet. We stopped beside a store so that Rebecca could twitter my comment upon just seeing a giant elmo--which was "I don't care how poor I am, I would not stand in an Elmo costume in times square." Two college kids stopped to chat with us...very odd...and after a bit of conversation we walked over to Mcdonalds for icecream and a snack to chat some more. A bit later Bec and I headed home for rest and to plan what we'd do to remember Dad on Father's day.
We had grand plans of picnicking in the park and journaling about him, but we ended up sleeping in, stopping into a little shop, groceries, and dinner. There has been much pain recently in relation to the loss of Dad--and even more so since we moved here. There has been SO MUCH that we've been wanting to tell him that he would have been excited about. That will continue, though as more life experiences happen.
Monday was the start of working at the American Museum of Natural History. It's actually the museum where they filmed part of "Night at the Museum." It's a gorgeous building, and I've been thrilled at the thought of having free access to all of the exhibits when I choose to visit/bring friends. I love going out and sitting in Central Park which is just across the street on my lunch breaks. It's a peaceful escape. Also, thankfully, the only adjusting that I've had to do in regards to transferring there is to the product and the people. I miss my Skydeck coworkers dearly, but it has been interesting getting to know my new coworkers. I've had a great laugh at the fact that they think I'm a spy from Event Network (my company that just recently took over them). Most of them have been working there for many many years, so they are a tight knit family. I'm winning their approval day by day. :) I've gotten many city-tips from them, and one of the ladies that I work with works at the Metropolitan Opera as an usher/tickets/etc. She is such a kind lady, and she even spread the word among her opera singer friends/musicians at the Met of my looking for a voice teacher. She has given me one phone number so far, and will continue to give more :)
Rebecca and I have been just like an old married couple, with the roles a bit mixed. I work all day, come home and cook, while she cleans and explores the city/job hunts. We've argued about which side of the bed to sleep on, grocery shopping, what time to leave, where to eat/what to make for dinner, and hanging up clothes. It's been great, though :)
Throughout these past two weeks, we've learned many lessons of life in the city such as street parking rules, do not wear a dress/skirt in our neighborhood after dark, when to and to not say hi to people in the streets, and do not stop for a promoter no matter how much he catches your interest with his words, because you don't want to give them false hope. Also, we know where to find very cheap produce--right by our subway stop!! It's marvelous. We've discovered that living in New York is basically like living in one huge dorm room. No privacy. I do have to admit that I miss the peacefulness of laying on the deck in my backyard in NC, soaking in the music and the smells of the air around, without anyone around. Also, we've succumbed to tourist temptations--buying a graphite portrait of the two of us from a cute little Asian lady in Times Square. Guess where our new favorite hangout is? The corner on the second level of the McDonalds in Times Square---even better with a $1.00 cone. Strange, I know, but it's inexpensive, safe, and a bit peaceful at times.
I had hoped to find my way around having to pay for a subscription to find out about NY auditions, but I'm going to soon subscribe to get the complete information for the auditions. I've been re-reading a book that was a gift to me a few years back which is, "How to Audition for the Musical Theatre" by Donald Oliver. I've forgotten the great knowledge in the book. It's been full of great reminders!
I've been inspired by having the chance to see shows on broadway for averaging $26.00 per show for standing room only tickets. It's cheaper than student rush, you get to see more shows that you normally would, you don't have to worry about tall people in front of you, and you feel more alert. Fantastic opportunities. Can't wait for opera season at the Met to begin! :)
This past Sunday, Rebecca and I attended Bay Ridge Baptist Church which has been dear to me for about 6 years. We were amazed once again at the genuine kindness of Pastor Jason and the members. It's quite a trek for us to get down there (close to 2 hours by train from our side of town), but it's definitely worth it. We're going to attend a couple of other churches, just because, but Bay Ridge will always have a special place in my heart. Hopefully after our sublet ends we'll be able to live closer.
Something very happy that I found out today--I can get into most museums here (and some around the world) with my museum ID! So, Rebecca and I have our work cut out for us..of MANY places to see. We're excited :) We got the chance to stop in the AMNH on my day off and realize how beautiful the museum and the exhibits are. What made me smile the most was getting a picture with the Easter Island statue which many people know as "Dum Dum" from "A Night at the Museum". I gave him a HUGE hug in the picture, but after I took a look at the photo, Bec and I realized that lighting wasn't good, and as I turned around to take another, I saw a tall European guy doing the exact same thing--giving him a huge hug. Yep. I turned right back around. Decided to take the picture another time.
Pictures and more will come :)
No comments:
Post a Comment