Coney Island

Today, Jan and I ventured to Coney Island before they shut down for the season.  The commute took a little over 2 hours round trip, but it was worth it!  

Okay, I've got to admit, it was a little janky.  Kind of like a trashy version of Fun Fair Park; HOWEVER, we did get to visit a beach and ride a rollercoaster all in the same place.  The board walk was nice too.  

We ate yucky fair food too.  I haven't had ice cream in forever, and I could kick myself for eating it now, but I guess it's part of the experience.

First day of City Year Training tomorrow!  I'm really excited to get started.  Let's get the show on the road!

Here are a few pictures from today.

A snapshot of Coney Island

Me and Jan on the beach.

Me on the boardwalk.  I miss the water!

New Pictures

Adventures in Times Square with Jan and Allison--Roomies at SROW 2007!

Me with the Purple and Gold flags in the background.  This is one block from our apartment!  It was also a "sign" that we knew this apartment was THE place!

Someone REALLY loves MJ.  We found this painted on the sidewalk on Broadway. 

Last night....

OOPS! Forgot to update about last night....

Dinner with some friends from college at Blockheads in Midtown. 3 dollar margaritas and good food thank youuu.  We channeled tourists and went to Times Square for a mini-photo shoot afterward and enjoyed some Junior's cheesecake!   

I'll leave you with a question to ponder. I bet you don't know the answer..... Do birds pee?  See, if you had been with us last night, you'd know the answer by now!

Around the Neighborhood

Jan and I just got back from a two hour walk around our UWS neighborhood.  We, hands down, picked the best neighborhood in Manhattan to live in.  It's student and family friendly and there's cheap food, drinks, and fun places to go.  

We started off with a short walk in Riverside park since the weather is sunny and beautiful today. Then, we visited Columbia University today too.  And wouldn't you know they were having ORIENTATION and move-in day!  We saw a ton of Columbia Orientation leaders, and, of course, paparazzi-ed them.  We got pictures...don't worry :)  Their campus is absolutely gorgeous.  The buildings are old, but well kept and pristine. I don't think I could see myself there as a student, but it's something to appreciate.  

We got back a few hours later and we were STARVING, but it was quite worth it! 

Mass tonight.

2 days until CYNY Training starts :)

REAL PRICE GROCERIES

I have an update on groceries.

We made a trip to Brooklyn yesterday- not a bad subway ride, about 30 minutes from the apartment- to the Target on Atlantic and let me tell you I almost cried because they had REGULARLY PRICED GROCERIES!  I was so happy.  Now I don't have to spend ridiculous amounts of money on stupid food. Thank goodness :)

Today, Jan and I are going to the Natural History Museum with Allison Dugas--a friend of ours from LSU!  Back in the day, we were all roommates at SROW 2007 and now we're all in New York.  Funny how that happens.  I'm so excited for this museum--I love the movie Night at the Museum, so I'm extra excited!

Yesterday it got a little "chilly"--basically, it felt like Louisiana in November!  Then I realized that in about a month I will be regularly freezing my butt off. EEK!  I hope I'm prepared!

Random Thought....

I was sitting on the subway earlier just thinking about how lucky I am to be here :)

Future Southern New Yorkers...

Make sure you pack the following:

-Hangers...a pack of 6 is $5.99. NOT OKAY.

-Tonys and CCs Coffee...clearly.

-Any and all non-perishable food you can. 

-Mayonnaise. Now this may seem weird. HOWEVER, after paying 6 dollars for a jar of mayo today, I feel that I should have just packed it and called it a day. 

-more to come later.

Now, onto some apartment pics :)

Above: Jan's Room

Above: My "cage" as Jan calls it.

Above: Chilling in the living room :)

Only in New York

1.  Jan orders a textbook from Barnes and Noble at 11:00 a.m.  It arrives at our door at 6 p.m. How long do YOU wait for books to arrive?

2.  Our Tuscan fat free milk's expiration date reads like this: "Sell by September 3rd; NYC September 1"  Can anyone tell me why milk in New York expires 2 days earlier?

First Day!

Hi everyone!

Today is my first full day in the Big Apple, so I'm still getting settled in.  But here are some of the highlights so far!

-Getting my first "Geaux Tigers" in the airport.

-Arriving and finding out we already have DVR. YESSSS.

-My UPS boxes arriving early to the apartment!

Today's adventures included City Year orientation (!!!!) and some minor Bed Bath and Beyond shopping which involved me carrying a giant mirror throughout Manhattan public transportation.... oops! At least I didn't hit anyone.  

PS- In case anyone ever denied that I'm a huge nerd, TAKE IT BACK.  I was ridiculously excited about orientation this morning.  It just makes me happy!  Ambassadors, I remember sometimes forgetting how much we mean to nervous incoming students.  I got a little reminder of that today.  The friendly faces really made me feel welcomed.  Don't be like me and forget that :)

Love and miss you all!

Amanda