I've made it! Now what?

Since I still don't have internet in my room, I'm having to post from the student lab in my building. Hence, there aren't pics up yet...but I hope to post tomorrow! :) As for my big move-in weekend, it was quite exciting (in both good and bad ways). It was also very hot! NY was experiencing a record-setting and tying heat wave with actual temperatures hitting 103 and "feels like" temps reading 110! Plus the humidity! Coming from CO where a humid day is when the humidity is 20%, NY is gross with its 40%...ik!

Satuday, July 3, 2010:

Today's the big day! I'm leavin' on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again...those words were never so true. So tragic. I really do love Colorado, and I will miss it terribly. I keep telling myself that it's only temporary, and I'll be back to visit in the mean time, too. However, as I arrived in NY (at Laguardia), Patrick and I decided that it would be worth the extra cost to take a cab from the airport to school rather than try to figure out how to put all my stuff onto a crowded bus. Good plan! The cabbie was so nice! He answered all our touristy questions and explained everything very well. We tipped nicely! :) So, we've arrived. We pull up to my new home at 1230 Amsterdam Ave and are overwhelmed by the grandure of it all. The ten stories tower above us and make us cower in its wake (or me anyway; I suppose I can't speak for Patrick). As we enter the building, I am in awe of the beauty. It's breath-taking. So after realizing I have a task at hand, I walk up to the security desk and announce my business here. They have no idea what I'm talking about or who I am or have any record of expecting me...great! Fabulous! I've just traveled 1700 miles and have no place to live? Are you kidding me? The security man calls the CA (Community Assistant-kinda like an RA in undergrad) on call. She comes to my rescue! She found my packet and keys and whatnot in the office and let me move in (YAY!! THANKS!). After carting all my stuff upstairs (not super hard as there was an elevator, but the map to my room was kind of confusing), Patrick and I had a good freak out. What have I done? Where am I? What did I sign up for? So, we decided to walk around the neighborhood to get familiar and figure things out. Maybe that will calm us down....it did. We wandered around and grabbed some dinner. It's a very nice area, and I think I'll like it here. Then we crashed...sooo tired.

Sunday, July 4, 2010 - Happy Independence Day!

Today we decided to take the ultimate adventure: WalMart! So, we checked our list, grabbed our things, and headed for New Jersey...yup, you read that right...Jersey! The closest WalMart is in Jersey (as I really am on the state line, it's not so surprising, but getting there is a BEAST!). We headed out for the 1 (train) and took it down to Time's Square. Upon arrival, I realized that Patrick had never been to NYC before, so we kinda took our time poking around and getting to the bus depot so he could see it. We knew we'd be back later, so we still kinda rushed. At the bus depot, we knew what bus line we needed, but had no clue how to get to it or the tickets we needed. Apparently to get to Jersey, you can't use the same MTA (Metro Transit Authority) card we did for the train to get there. So, we finally found our way to the appropriate bus. We got off at the stop Google told us and realized WalMart was nowhere near us. When we asked the guy at the stop, he chuckled and explained we'd gotten off too early and graciously gave us continuation tickets for the next bus. Now we're at WalMart...o the joy...ug. So you think WalMart is bad at home? It's not New Jersey! haha. Anyway, we finally finish up and somehow manage to stuff it all into the bags we've brought. We get back on the bus and decide to not tackle the train with all this stuff. We got a taxi from the bus depot home.
After making it home, we went to the local market for some groceries. I found Poland Spring water, FLUFF, and some other local goodies I'd missed over the years. Surprisingly, though, and very sadly, Dunkin Donuts is not a convenient trip as the nearest one is about 15-20 blocks from me! Although, I suppose this is probably good news for my waistline! Anyway, we made it back home and unpacked everything (groceries and the stuff from home and WalMart) and decided it was time to get out. It was the 4th of July, afterall. So, we headed back down to Times Square and fought the mob. It was CRAZY busy. Granted, it's the most popular place in the city on a holiday weekend but still! Oy! I think the only place more crowded might have been down at the Hudson watching the fireworks, but I'm not even sure about that! We ate dinner at Bubba Gump's, and I finally got my chowda! Mmmm New Englad Clam Chowder (even though I'm technically not in NE, I'm close enough!). After that we headed home and called it a night.

Monday, July 5, 2010:

Today's agenda was simple: bookstore for the books and supplies I need, and then touristy stuff! Enjoy the day! So, we headed to the bookstore and royally struck out. The books I needed weren't instock at all. So I settled for just getting my supplies and each of us a shirt. After getting home and feeling utterly dejected, we headed for Central Park and the Natural History Museum. It was WAAAYY too hot to do anything outside. When we got to the museum, it was amazing! Air conditioning! YAY! But besides that, they had a really cool space exhibit that took up a good portion of a couple floors. It was nerd heaven (and therefore us heaven! :) hehe)! After the space stuff we saw the rest of the stuff and the dinos and headed home...afterall, it was to be the night we celebrate my birthday since tomorrow Patrick leaves. Anyway, on the way home, we stopped at the bookstore where I was MUCH more successful. I got all the books I needed. But, alas, once we got home, we were both too tired to put in the energy to get dolled up and go out. So we found a local neighborhood greasy spoon place (one of our favorite genres) that called itself "truckstop gourmet"...how fantastic! And fantastic it was! It was way better than getting dolled up and being uncomfortable all night. So we walked up to Harlem to Toast and had a fabulous comfortable dinner. Then on the way home we tracked down a DD (Dunkin Donuts) for breakfast. I call that a successful day!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - Happy Birthday to ME!

Today has been a roller coaster. The plan was to just enjoy it doing uber touristy things and then go take Patrick to the airport. I had a little bit of business to do this morning, as this was the first day offices have been opened since I've been here. So I got my ID and we took off. We headed down to Grand Central Station...how marvelous! It was great. Patrick really enjoyed it, I think. Then we headed down to Battery Park to catch the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. That didn't happen, though. When we got there, the announcement said the crown tickets were already sold out (the ones that allow you to go up IN the statue) and so all you could do was walk around it. Plus, the wait for the next ferry was an hour and a half...in the hot sun...without shade....O HELL NO! Today was the record day...103 with a feel temp of 110! Instead, we wandered around the park a bit and decided to find the Wall Street Bull. That'd be fun. Right? Well, once again, Google tells us wrong and we never found him. We got to Bowling Green and decided it was time to head home. Once we got back up to my neck of the woods, we had a nice sushi (yum!) lunch and headed for the airport (tear). As one can imagine, it was terribly hard to say goodbye. I know I'll see him often throughout my time here (a lot in July, actually), but it's still not the same. I'm still missing him a lot! But, I'll be strong...I know I can.

So, here I sit, alone, in a strange city with no friends on my birthday, missing everything and everyone I love. But as a very wise and great friend often says, "I can do this, whatever this is."

I love you all, and thank you for your love, prayer, and support!

Kim