Staten Island

Staten Island. What can I say? The idea basically came from the movie, How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days when Matthew McConaughey takes Kate Hudson to meet his family. He teaches her how to ride a motorcycle on the boardwalk there. For some reason, that stuck with me and inspired our trip. So a few days ago, my roommates and I made the journey over there. It started with a 40-minutes subway ride down to the ferry, then the boat ride over and we finally got to the boardwalk on South Beach after a 45-minute bus ride. We then spent half an hour on the beach and made the trip all the way back to Astoria.

The great part was that the (FREE!) ferry to Staten Island took us right past the Statue of Liberty. The boardwalk was really pretty as well and it was my first time in the Atlantic Ocean (well, besides Florida). The trip was worth it just to see the Statue and I would consider running on the boardwalk at sunrise at some point, just for the experience.

(The Statue of Liberty from the ferry)


(from left to right: Christine, Ami, Angie)

(view of Manhattan from the ferry)

(the boardwalk on Staten Island)

The Apartment Hunt

We got an apartment! It's kind of old news to us now, but it's still pretty exciting. We ended up in Astoria, Queens, which is exactly where we had wanted in the first place. Well, I didn't really know anything about the area, but Christine had heard that it was a nice area. (For future reference, my roommates are Christine, Angie, and Ami.) It was the 3rd apartment we looked at but it was by far the best. While it was at the top of our price range, the benefits outweighed the costs. It's in a great location, somewhat residential but close to some busy streets. The subway is only three blocks away and the R will take us pretty much anywhere.



The apartment is a great size (maybe too big considering we don't have any furniture. haha.) Christine and I are sharing a bedroom just to cut down on cost but our bedroom is pretty large. There's also a half bath attached to our room, which is great. They recently remodeled the main bathroom and they did a wonderful job. From Angie & Ami's bedrooms, and from the shower and kitchen window, you can see part of the Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building. It's great. The best part is that we have a balcony!

Our landlords are an elderly Greek couple and they are so sweet. They raised their family in this apartment so they're a little protective of the place. For instance, they wouldn't let guys live here again because of the last tennants and they were strict with their no animal rule. Thank goodness too, because a group of girls were ready to pay their money and then admitted to having a cat. It had just come back on the market the morning we went into the brokers office.

We're slowly getting things for the apartment. We don't have some of the basics, like a couch or tv (or internet, which we pick up spottily from someone around us). Oh, and we bought a dining room table at Goodwill but we don't have chairs yet. But Mr. and Mrs. A (I can't spell, let alone pronouce, their last name) left two outdoor chairs for our patio that we've used a lot. And a family friend of Christine's family gave us a few things, including a coffee table. We've been sitting on the ground around the coffee table to eat. But hey, it's New York City. There are so many better places to spend time than our apartment. And we'll get around to decorating.

Here's a link with a few pictures. Unfortuntely, the internet I'm picking up is a pretty weak signal so I can't upload pictures. I will as soon as we get our own internet though!

(I'm updating!)



Pictures!

Landed in NYC

I've been in NYC for a week now and this is my first blog! Needless to say, there's a lot to write about so I'm going to divide things up a bit. (When you're reading the blog, the newest addition will be at the top, so hopefully this isn't the last one you're reading!)

I guess it makes sense to start at the beginning. I took off from Flint with a 2 hour lay over in Detroit, then landed in NYC around 11:30. I took a shuttle to my hostel that was only 3 blocks from Central Park. Since it was the first time I've ever been in a hostel, I don't have much to compare it to. However, NYC seemed to be going through a heat streak and our room didn't have air conditioning. Thank goodness I was exhausted at the end of each day. Also, I had made a reservation for a 4 bed, female room. What I got was exactly the opposite. There were 3 guys from England in there with me. I had talked to them quite a bit so it wasn't too awkward sleeping. I also met a group of 8 students from Austria who had just finished a program at... I'm blanking on the school... but they were really nice as well. Overall, I liked the hostel. It wasn't a substitute for home but it was a good place to sleep.


Being completely new in such a big city like this is quite exciting and often hilarious. I'm happy to have enough self-confidence (and the ability to laugh at myself) to deal with some of the situations that I have. For instance, the first time I rode the bus. When I got on I was looking for a place to put my dollar bills, which the driver informed me, they do not take. Someone swiped their metro card and I paid him the money. Then, when I finally got to my stop, I hadn't positioned myself very well, so I was climbing over a bunch of people and pushing my way to the back door. Since it had taken so long, I was afraid that the bus driver was getting ready to leave. Now, at MSU the bus driver had to open the doors. So, I stood stupidly looking at the door and then yelled up to the the driver "Could you open the door please?!". Some people around me said, "Just push it." It was hilarious. The subway became my favorite means of transportation.

Moving from the hostel to our new apartment meant a trip on the subway with my suitcase. It was like weightlifting every time I had to climb the stairs up and down. But, like I said, I'm happy that I have enough self-confidence to do these things. I'm embracing the chance to look like a tourist as much as possible. :)