The first week

I’m starting to get used to the big transition, although some things are still a bit tough to adapt to. Take for example what I like to call “ultra-cooking.” We have a gas stove, and if you aren’t used to this, be prepared to speed things up. For example, with an electric stove, you may find yourself waiting for the skillet to heat up in order to fry some eggs. Not here. You better have those eggs ready to crack in one hand and the spatula ready to flip in the other because a gas stove takes no time to go from zero to really darn hot. Although this is a very different way of cooking, it puts a speedy twist on making dinner.

Another change I encountered was laundry. Today marked the one-week anniversary of living in New York City and my first time doing laundry since my arrival. Since most apartments (at least in our price range) do not have a washer and dryer in the building, there are laundromats on every block. Luckily ours just happens to be directly across the street. While hauling your clothes around in a bag is not ideal, Alex and I kept our Midwestern flair by using our Indiana University sack. Go Hoosiers!

Anytime you want to stock up on groceries, be prepared to make two pit stops. The first at the grocery store where you can get bread, milk and all the necessities, and the second at the corner produce stand to get your fruit and vegetables. This may seem odd, but those corner stands not only house hot dogs and soft drink vendors, many are devoted only to produce. This is the best place to buy produce, also. Bananas are typically five for $1, and lemons are three for $1.

While walking home from downtown along Fashion Avenue yesterday I also found a unique feature of the city. Many stores that display the cutest most fashionable outfits in the windows are not open to the public. This is because these stores are for wholesale only. Let me tell you how much of a tease that can be! These window displays show 10 or more mannequins dressed to the nines and you can’t buy a thing. No worries, because I found the downtown Macy’s on my walk to the subway home as well, and that is definitely open to the public!

One week in my new place and still a lot to embrace!