Week 4 in NYC.

Week 4.

New York City is the city you…

Love to love. The history, culture and food is so rich and abundant here! Everywhere you turn there is something new. You literally change cultures and worlds in a matter of steps. It's amazing. We have tried a TON of restaurants. There are so many that it is very overwhelming, so we have been using an iPhone app called "ScoutMob"....basically, you receive daily coupons on your phone. So, we just follow the coupons - it is great ! A mani/pedi is $25 or less…everywhere in the city! You are constantly working out because you are walking everywhere! You can have ANYTHING delivered...even your groceries! This was awesome (see below to find out why). Each person you meet has a story…the city is built on people with dreams and ambition, pretty cool. You will see someone that looks like a drifter, but they are an amazing writer. We spent several hours in Central Park on a slightly chilly Saturday afternoon (and we did not even come close to exploring all of Central Park). Below are a few pictures we took…the area by the Boat House is my favorite! It's so romantic and you feel like you are in Europe.

Central Park...by The Boat House. Love this area!

Our "SaturDATE" in Central Park...Richard's term. Ha! :)

Exploring the city...

Empire State Building...I work a few streets over and see the building on my walk.

The street I work on!

Supposed to be one of the best coffee place in NYC. It's tiny and trendy...I think we still like Starbucks better though. Gosh, I have been drinking a lot more coffee since living here...I'm always so tired!

Our first food delivery...we ordered guacamole, carrot cake and sweet potato fries...quite the combo.
It was good...and delivered to our door! So cool

Grocery delivery to our door too! Love this on website: peapod.com =)

Love to Hate. The trash is…pretty gross. Not to mention, with dogs going to the bathroom on every sidewalk…yeah, you know what you are tracking right back into your apartment. It's common to count the rats while waiting on the subway (don't worry…they are in the tracks…at least they haven't been by me, yet…). And occasionally, it just smells. The prices are outrageous, everywhere. Getting groceries is an event in itself…you either track down a "cheap" grocery store and lug / pull your groceries back (we did purchase a cart…but you still have to take your groceries out to get it on the subway/bus…or you can walk across the city back home).[Note: ...and then we found peapod.com, woohoo!... see above] Space is a premium. Our apartment is tiny - but for NYC standards…not bad. Let's not talk about rent… ;)

Hate to love. You really do start to love the craziness and the randomness. The crazy person that is yelling on the sidewalk for no reason, the delivery guys on bikes that sometimes run into you and the fast paced life that goes with living in NYC….even your sore legs and feet after all that walking (great workout, right?)!



Back to Texas we went!

Two of our closest friends tied the knot in Austin, Texas. The entire weekend was so much fun and a much needed break from the long move. The wedding was at The Winfield Inn in Kyle, Texas…a gorgeous plantation style southern home! The bridesmaids had the cutest brunch the morning of the wedding in The Winfield. We also had Whataburger not once, not twice but three times that weekend! Richard is really missing his Whataburger. :) Mindy choose our wedding photographer…so fun! It was great seeing Cristina. Our favorite photographer. We loved hanging out with college friends, always a blast! We are so happy for Mindy and Evan… I can't believe it's been 7 years of friendship! I can't wait until all the photos are released!

Wedding Party! Love these ladies!!
It was so fun getting to walk down the aisle with Richard. =)

Rehearsal Dinner

Three Blind Mice…

Well, thankfully there were only two (I think)…and they definitely weren't blind seeing how they made their way to our food (groceries = super expensive in NYC…ekk!). So I'm sitting on the couch around 2PM on a weekday working…both dogs are next to me on the couch and I see something move out of the corner of my eye. I do a double-take, and sure enough…there is a mouse running across our floor. So, of course, the only logical thing to do was to 1) scream 2) grab a pan from the stove 3) stand on the couch with the pan 4) call, email and facebook Richard….Yes, this lasted for 20 minutes before Richard called. During this time, I lost the mouse in the living area and then saw one head toward my closet in the bedroom…I'm still not sure if it was the same mouse…if it was, this mouse has special powers in getting from one room to the other in the blink of an eye! Richard called our apartment management and they set-up an appointment with the exterminator for Wednesday of that week (remember, this was Monday…that is a LONG time). In the meantime, I put out mouse traps (the glue kind) from the management office and place them in the apartment…each time I had to place one in a cabinet it took like 5 minutes because I was terrified to open the cabinet door! …and then I left for Washington, D.C. for work…and Richard dealt with the mouse issue. Phew! We *think* we are good now. The exterminator believes he found the issue. We have not seen any mice. All of our food is now in plastic containers and food does not stay in a trash can…it is immediately taken to the trash chute. Apparently mice are a very common occurrence in the Big Apple… oh, joy. Until we meet again…. Also, special shout out to Richard's Uncle Mark for the creepy voicemail making mice noises. LOL



Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. was filled with a busy work event and computer issues. However, I was away from the mice and I snapped a few cool photos on my trip!

Daily Life

My favorite thing about NYC…it is such a dog-friendly city! You can take your dog just about anywhere…restaurants, stores, banks. We have an awesome park just a few blocks away from us. It has tons of grass, gorgeous trees and the perfect view of the East River. This is where Pickle and Sundae go to make new friends. Well, Pickle is really more interested in everyone that wants to pet her and Sundae won't leave our side unless it is to play the part of hall monitor (she likes to guard the gate where people and dogs come in and bark at any dog that gets "too" hyper…).

The apartment is slowly coming together. We have to build it day by day…literally! It's IKEA. Richard wins the awesome husband award…he stayed up all night the night before I came home from DC to build a majority of our furniture so that the apartment would become functional (I was going a little crazy…I think he noticed). We still have to paint, put things on the walls and build a few more items. Stay tuned.

Fun facts: Most women have a "shoe drawer" at work. You wear your tennis shoes to work and then change into your work shoes. No walking in heels. I am now the proud owner of my very own shoe drawer! You can have anything shipped and delivered - typically same day. Yep, you really want that bagel? It can be delivered to your desk. NYC does not have central A/C. When you move in…you purchase A/C units and pay to have them installed. 2 movie tickets will cost you $27 bucks. Yes, you read that correctly.