Big city things

Recently, Alex and I joined a gym in the city, and I’m not sure if the differences that I encountered are because I am used to a college atmosphere in the gym , or because we are just minutes from the stereotypical New Jersey folk with all of their characteristics, but either way they are plenty. First, I find it interesting that each time I enter the locker room, I am greeted with a feminine body part I would rather not see. Women aren’t ashamed to bare it all after their workout, which may be due to the outspoken, confident attitude portrayed by most women in the city, but it’s definitely not something I am used to.

Last weekend while venturing to Rockaway Beach in Brooklyn, we were unfortunate enough to set up camp on the sand next to three Brooklynites that were clearly unashamed of their conversations, no matter what the content. As they chattered about everything from sex to manicures, all I could really pick out were the profanities that came after every other word. The girls did not seem to care the atmosphere or the company in their surroundings, because they never acknowledged that their boisterous voices and harsh language may offend the children and others around them. I did get a kick out of one thing though- that heavy New York accent. When I first joined the gym mentioned previously, the trainer told me he actually heard a glimpse of the Midwest twang in my voice, but the New York draw in words like “wuata” (water) and “quafee” (coffee) is unmistakable and always amuses me from the natives.

The little things that New Yorkers do still entertain me to no end. For example, instead of loading groceries into a cart then into a car, the cashiers at the local grocery store recognize that most likely customers will be carrying their bags back to their apartment, which in some cases could be blocks away. One trend I found is that when putting large items like toilet paper and paper towels in the bag, the cashiers tie another bag to the handles to ensure that you can carry the bag comfortably with a long handle strap. If only every city thought of that then one’s fingers wouldn’t get cramped trying to carry grocery bags home!

Another adjustment I fortunately do not need to worry about is with having a vehicle. You’ll notice vehicles have rubber bumper savers on the front and rear bumpers as they are crammed bumper to bumper along the city streets. One thing is for sure, I wouldn’t purchase a nice new vehicle until I was sure I could have a garage or a safe place to park it. I have seen drivers in NYC, and they disregard traffic lights, other drivers, ‘turn only’ lanes and lanes altogether. I am perfectly content taking public transportation during my living stint in the city.

Every day a new city way.

Characters and such

Several things I do and see around my neighborhood in NYC are very unique, as I’m sure any new place is to new residents.


One thing about my neighborhood that I’m finally getting used to are the characters that linger around. The first man, I am confident is a hoarder. This is because I have seen him, number one, picking out of the trash, and number two, putting trash into one of three vehicles he owns that are stuffed to the maximum with trash inside. He is very kind and a little odd, as Alex and I found him washing his jeans in a bucket full of water on the sidewalk about a week ago. The hoarder has filled his cars with so much junk, that he now has to strap garbage on top and onto the back of his cars.


Character number two is good friends with our superintendent, and is our makeshift “doorman” that you can pretty much always find on the steps outside of our apartment. He is very kind, although I can’t understand 90 percent of what he says. Picture the guy that mumbles from the movie, “The Water Boy,” and you will have a perfect idea of my neighbor. This wouldn’t be so bad except for that he makes a comment every time we see him outside. It’s getting a little easier to decipher his words, but smiling and shaking our head usually does the trick of fending him off until we get inside.


Since our apartment is over 100 years old, the plumbing does have its flaws. For example, when turning on the water in the shower, think about how you usually get to the hot water, and that will give you cold water. Now, barely turning the nozzle, when you think you’d get cold water, is where you get hot water. It’s just a reversal of what I’m used to, but not that difficult to adapt. This brings me to my third character- our toilet. Yes, we have given her the animate pronoun “she” although “she” happens to be an inanimate object. This is because each time you go to flush “her”, she lets out a little screech until the water is down. Sometimes her screeches are louder than others which for lack of human contact, perhaps, in turn forces Alex and I to comment on our opinion on her mood for the day.


Another small adjustment we have made to our Midwestern lives is going the extra length to save some money. We have found that even the off-brand of cereal at our local grocery store, Gristede’s, is twice as much as we want to pay, and half as tasty. We have beat the system though, and now get our cereal from CVS. Yes, this may seem odd, but the local CVS is always running a deal on cereal, whether it be two for $5 or two for $4, it beats spending $6 per box. We may not always get our first choice, but usually Kellogg’s and Honey Bunches of Oats are in the mix, so we are content with this extra step to splurge later on something better.


Oh, the things you’ll find in time when changing you’re state of mind.