This week (week 3) in NYC has been a real week of lessons learned. First, it’s cold, no….it’s really cold…check that, it’s bitterly cold. It was 11 degrees (and windy) a couple days this past week when I left for work. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been that cold in TN, but usually I was just going from the house to the car, and then where ever I was going. Exposure to the cold was seconds at most. Here, I have a 4 block walk to the subway, then wait until the train comes, then a 2 block walk to my building. Most days, it’s great, but when it’s 11, my face felt like the skin was going to peel off.
I also learned that NY’s steam heat system for heating pre-war buildings (mine was built in 1920) is an amazing and efficient system, but not below 20 degrees. Since there is no thermostat (it’s either on or off), people experience one of two things (1) burning hot to the point where you have to open a window (2) freezing cold — guess which I have…freezing cold. So I just pile on the blankets at night and run a space heater to keep warm.
Enough about the weather, things are still going great here, especially since Brad and Nicole Blackmon introduced me to Jacob’s Pickles for brunch. Best biscuits and gravy (with buttermilk fried chicken and cheese grits) this side of the Mason Dixon line. Actually the owner is from Memphis and knows how to cook food that really gave me a taste of home (see pic below). This just furthers my impression that NYC has the best food on the planet.
Another thing that really jumped out at me this week is the sheer amount of art everywhere you go. I mentioned this last week, but it amazes me where you can find art here, particularly in the Subway stations (look above and I’ll post a few pics). At church, there are some of the best opera singers and string quartets that I’ve ever heard. It probably helps that Julliard and the Lincoln Center are a few blocks away but the talent level that invades everyday life is unbelievable to this Southern boy.

The only thing so far that annoys me about living here is the absolute lack of space. Everywhere you go is small to begin with and then packed to the brim with people. I think that’s why people don’t necessarily say “excuse me” or “pardon me” that much…they would be saying it non stop. In restaurants, you might as well be sharing tables with several others. In order to sit down, you usually have to move the table to get to the chair. I read a statistic that may help you realize how big an issue this really is. Apparently, if you put the entire population of the world inside the borders of Texas, you would have the same population density as NYC.
Still, I am loving it here, the job is amazing, the people are great and it’s truly a once in a lifetime adventure. I can’t wait to see Laura and the kids soon though. When Laura moves, up, life will once again be complete. Until next time…stay warm!

Week 2 is now in the books and I’m learning more and more every day about the joys and struggles of being a Southerner in NY. Just a few random thoughts I’ll share with you this week (too lazy to put it in a dialog): (1) FaceTime, group texts (we have had some very entertaining group texts recently) and Social Media make life away from the family much more bearable. Laura is my world and being able to see her helps so much. But not having her by my side, even just sitting and watching TV, or discovering some cool new restaurant together is the hardest part of the move. But again, absence makes the heart grow fonder…mine is pretty fond right now. (2) Being tall is a huge advantage on a packed subway train…I actually have air to breath and never have to bury my nose in someone’s armpit like the short lady standing next to me last week (3) There is no better food in the world than in NYC but I would give my eye teeth for biscuits and gravy (4) There is art everywhere in NY if you take time to look…in the subway stations, parks, building facades and just random places like beautiful planters around trees on the sidewalks, I’ll try to post some pics soon (5) Beurre De Baratte is just a fancy name for butter…amazing butter but butter nonetheless. (6) Don’t offer to share your umbrella with strangers in NYC, even when you’re in a coat and tie…people think you’re going to kill them. (7) No one here knows anything about college football (or cares). The cable guy saw a UGA book on my end table and said “hey, why do you have a book where Green Bay’s logo is red and black?”…no way to explain that (8) I am obsessed with Prosciutto, even if it is made from the hind leg of a pig…24 month aged Prosciutto will make you slap yourself. (9) Everything is very expensive but with help and guidance from the wonderful people in my building and Brad Blackmon and Nicole Daniels Blackmon, I am learning the secrets of survival. (10) Finding a good church has been a real blessing, love Tim Keller and the people of Redeemer Presbyterian…amazing place (11) A few of you suggested a blog, I don’t mind doing that if there’s real interest in joining me on this experience. It actually makes it fun for me to be able to share it with you. Just let me know if there is interest…then tell me how to set one up. More to come….

So my first week working in NY is behind me and I thought I would share a few early perceptions of living and working here. First and foremost, I miss Laura. She’s not only my wife and soulmate but also the best friend I’ve ever had. She’s my rock and even though I can talk and Facetime with her “multiple” times a day, it’s just not the same as having her by my side. But it’s just for a short season and you know what they say “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Plus I’ll see her at least every few weeks. I also miss all of the kids, they each add so much to my life. Considering all of that, I truly love being in NY. The people here have been amazingly friendly, warm and welcoming. New Yorkers have been unfairly labeled as rude and unfriendly. While I’m sure there are people here like that, they are the exception, not the rule. The people I know, from the building I live in to my work have gone out of there way to try and help me in every area.

My building is the little white one in the middle

New apartment – 700 sq feet of NYC

They love their city and want me to love it also. I live in the Upper West side and it has a great family feel (lots of kids and dogs and runners everywhere). I’m only a mile from the heart of the tourist section (Times Square) but this part of the city is much quieter with great little coffee shops, book stores, cafe’s, and museums. Everything here is incredibly expensive (off the charts in some ways) but the real New Yorkers have helped me make it very manageable by showing me the best places to get inexpensive but amazing food (best food in the world) and where to take my dry cleaning. There are so many amazing, free things to do here that I don’t have to spend a lot of money to stay entertained. In fact, tonight just walking down the street outside my building, I followed two young opera singers as they strolled and practiced a piece they were working on. I followed behind them for about 15 minutes just listening in amazement…As far as getting around NY is concerned, taxi’s are $$$$, but the subway is great and only $2.50 per trip or $100/month unlimited (bus and subway). I spent way more than that on gas each month when I had a car. As far as the job goes, I’m loving working in an office again and VNSNY is a great company with an amazing mission. There are three people in my team from the South so that keeps me from getting too homesick. So, my first week has gone well. If Laura were here, it would have been perfect. More later from this Southern boy in NYC…