nyc experiment: week two

Thank you so much for all of your feedback and helpful hints regarding communicating with landlords, using the subway and managing a dog in the city. The best part about writing a blog is that sometimes people you have not seen in a while read your post and send you a note. After last week’s post, a college friend reached out and said, “I’m so inspired by this decision. Most people want to make it simpler, easier, more luxurious – as they get older. You want to be a little uncomfortable. I’m so into it!!!! More posts please.” With me, a little positive feedback goes a long way so here is a recap of week two of our NYC experiment:

• We are quickly learning to love YouTube TV. Our furnished short term apartment included one large television with no cable account. Over the summer, I considered getting YouTube TV for our house in the Bay Area and I chickened out. Now, I am 100% on board and ready to make the switch. If you are interested in freeing yourself from your local cable provider, order YouTube TV first and do a trial run. I have used cable since the invention of the Z Channel in the 70’s, and I am here to tell you, there is a fulfilling TV experience waiting for you at a quarter of the cost of cable.  

• Our workout schedule took shape last week. We committed to doing Barry’s on Mondays and Fridays and our new find, Liftonic, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are still shopping for a yoga option for Wednesdays and hoping to figure out some drop in pickleball options for the weekends. This is the first time in my 25 years of being married that my husband and I have worked out together on a regular basis other than on vacation – and we are enjoying it.
• The apartment building is revealing itself to us. We met a single, 28 year old guy who lives in a studio across the hall from us. I was actually in the elevator with a few people and each of them were conversational and friendly. There was a mysterious smell of burning rubber on our floor last week that dissipated after a few days. Then there was a smell of steamed cabbage but that also faded away. I believe both smells were coming from the apartment closest to the elevator. My husband does not smell anything on the floor at all.
• Our dog is getting a very warm reception from other building residents who usually look at her large size and say, “She lives HERE?” On an evening walk last week, she was spooked by something crashing out of a nearby truck. She was shaking and scared and since then she has been highly agitated when walking near our building. It was a bit of a setback for her and we are starting to question whether a suburban dog can really adjust to city life.
• Last week, we were lucky enough to attend both the US Open semi-finals and see Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden. Both events were very fun and for each we were amazed at how easy it was to get back and forth via subway and train. On a related note, I am averaging 13,000 steps a day, so that sneaker observation I made in the last blog post makes a lot more sense because I’m not sure I’m equipped to get in this kind of mileage wearing anything other than sneakers.  

• We rented a car and spent two days on the Jersey Shore over the weekend. Our friends hosted us in their childhood summer home in the town of Lavalette. After ten days of living in the city, the quiet of the beach town was immediately noticeable. I can already see that when we go back to the Northern California suburbs our house will seem huge and everything will feel calm and quiet.
• After receiving several inquiries, I updated my NYC restaurant list and it is available here. So far, our favorite restaurant is Rubirosa (where we just missed Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde).
• A few additional quirky things I need to mention: we have no drawers in our kitchen, so the cutlery holder is using valuable counter space. I successfully manipulated the landlord into providing a new rug, rug pad, sofa and side table (similar to when I successfully manipulated the cable company to add “free” cable to my room in the sorority house). I was about to give up having any meaningful conversations with the doormen but one of them started a conversation with me. I had to have the Super show me how to light the oven. We are both using ear plugs to sleep through sirens, car alarms and bands that play into the night from outdoor venues.
• Our daughter is on a real semester abroad in Copenhagen. She is having such a great time that we are barely hearing from her by text or phone. If I was not having my own adventure, I would be at home, excited for her, but also spiraling downwards feeling like my life was incredibly stagnant.

Next week, I will recap playing tennis on Roosevelt Island, “attempting” to see the Chainsmokers in Brooklyn and tagging along to the clothing showrooms.