Should I be living in NYC?

Only until you age out.

Sorry to say it, but you're a temporary New Yorker. Sure, this city is awesome for running around and enjoying your youth, but you came here to work and play hard and plan on jetting at the first signs of crow's feet or when your parents stop financing that party lifestyle of yours. Plus, if you ever decide to settle down and have kids, there's no way you're bringing them up in a studio. Click here for suggestions about how to really enjoy NYC.

This TimeOut quiz knows me well... :)

Gonna Be A Bear

This random sheet of paper is posted on the wall of the ladies room, 4th floor, in my new SoHo office:

In this life I'm a woman. In my next life, I'd Like to come back as a bear. When your a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, your suppose to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.

When your a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while your sleeping and wake up to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definatley deal with that.

If your a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. you swat away anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.

If your a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

YUP, GONNA BE A BEAR

King of Prussia

• Where the main attraction is an oversized mall



• Driveways contain a Minivan, Pickup Truck or a SUV



• Prices are reasonable in grocery stores called Acme



• People are friendly & far more diverse than one might expect



• Everyone seems to drive everywhere, even if you are only going 2 doors down



• Cars left unattended at night with windows rolled down



• Front yards that are well manicured with children scattered over the lawn



• Residential areas are sparse or hidden



• A place filled with dying strip malls and disappearing sidewalks



• Not an exotic/royal locale as the name suggests

A sad farewell...

My last day at the eD - Lexington office was on Friday May, 29th.

There were a few hugs and emotional goodbyes as I went around the office.

I left around noon time, my hands full with a snack and beverage costing a mere 50 cents.

As I walked out into the parking lot Dave shouts out, "You better NOT turn into a Yankees fan!"

Good advice, friend. I'm going to miss the people but a new adventure awaits...

Hot salvation

I went to see the new Terminator blockbuster movie last weekend with my brother and Tim in downtown Silver Spring, MD. About half-way through I looked to my right and saw Tim sound asleep so I promptly jabbed him in the side. He probably had the right idea though because it was a pretty boring action movie & very predictable plot. Why do they still make prequels??

Honestly the only redeemable part about this 4th film is the new lead actor - Sam Worthington - who made me want to drool on myself. He's a total hottie even with a mechanical arm! Born in Western Australia, ginger(ish), 33 years old - we already have so much in common! I told Tim right away that the robot guy was going on my 'List'.

Apartment Hunting in NYC

After many weeks of fruitless apartment searching, finally I have found two places that I would want to call home in Brooklyn. Along the way I’ve met many crazy people and seen some dreadful apartments (especially in Manhattan). If nothing else at least I found out that I have no desire to live with 7 foreign people above busy Canal Street, in a railroad apartment - where you walk through the other girl’s bedrooms to get to the kitchen & bathroom, an industrial loft in a shady area of Brooklyn, in a tiny twin-bed room sharing with a creepy older British guy who talks in monotone, in a laid-off lawyer’s bedroom while he slept in the living room, down in the dirty basement with a future sex therapist and some messy guy in his 40’s, with a girl who’s extremely anal about cleaning and doesn’t tolerate any dirty dishes in the sink, or another girl who’s a macrobiotic marathon runner and wouldn’t let me use chemical cleaning products, in a upstairs room with a big hole in the ceiling which probably leaks water when it rains or with an environmentalist guy who tells me up front that the TV belongs in the closet. I really wish I had brought along a video camera to film my experience of looking at these New York City homes.

Here are the two that I liked the best and have put in offers for:

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Rent: $830 / 3 bedroom & 1 bath apartment, on the 4th floor of a fantastic marble building literally a block from the Grand Entrance to Prospect Park. Lots of house plants, natural light throughout the apartment. TV and comfy common room furniture, a bit messy overall (could be due to the moving out situation). The area seems very safe and nice. Bonus is that it's a sublet for just the summer and I could move-in starting this week.

Super convenient transportation, within walking distance to the 2, 3 and the B, Q train lines. So my daily commute into SoHo would probably be under 20 minutes and easy to visit Tim as well.

Living with 2 girls – One of them is a French student who’s leaving at the end of June, the other is a chill social worker in Brooklyn who has lived there for 3 years.

Smaller sized bedroom but will fit my current bed and a dresser. Big closet and storage nook.

Butler Place at Plaza Street (google map)

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Rent: $1000 / 2 bedroom apartment, on the 2nd floor of a new renovated building in South Park Slope area. Not such a pretty street to look at but close by to the park and 7th Ave (with all the boutique shops and restaurants). Available 6/1, taking over the leaving girl's 6 month lease.

Living with another girl, Pascale, an artist who also works for Helmut Lang. She wasn’t home to meet because she works crazy fashion hours and travels a lot.

The amenities in the apartment are amazing – new kitchen appliances, dishwasher, air conditioner, FREE washer/dryer (in the hallway). Another big plus is that I would get my own full bathroom. Nicely furnished living room with a small flat screen TV and a decent sized bedroom with all white furniture & a big sliding door closet.

Prospect Avenue at 8th Avenue (google map)

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I’m heavily leaning towards the marble building right by the park and living with the cool social worker lady because I think I would get along well with her. I really need to make my final decision today because I have to hand over lots of rent money on Thursday night!

Never Ever Again!

Even though the bars taste sooo good, the after effects of that much fiber is completely undesirable :(