Second Month in Brooklyn
Posted by admin | Filed under Brooklyn
Well, another two weeks have flown by “super fast” and here I am starting my second month in Brooklyn. For this review, I am going to keep things short and talk a bit about the changes that have recently caused me to modify my daily routine. Just when I started getting used to a nice simple routine - everything changed on me.
The change I am referring to is my new position with a completely different company. Now, don’t you think that! I did not leave the other company hanging. I know I just blogged about them in my last post and here I am starting a new endeavor today; however, it is not as bad as it may look. I most definitely did not leave them hanging, and it sort of works out really great for both of us. And so, to keep the story short, I am currently working two jobs and managing a bit of freelance here and there as well. I must say, I think it is quite marvelous, as I get to mingle with more people this way and enjoy the varying work environments.
Speaking of a change in environments, I got to visit Boston, MA just this past weekend. Considering it was President’s Day weekend and there was no work on Monday - it was a nice long weekend to enjoy and perfect for a little exploration. Unfortunately, it rained most of the weekend and as expect it was a bit chillier than NYC and so - the explorations of the city were a bit limited. Nonetheless, I had a great time and met several amazing people.
Back to my new endeavor. Thanks to the new position, I was able to explore more of the city’s subway system - specifically the N and 6 train. I found out the N trains runs express, which means that is does not make a stop at every stop. This, I thought, was marvelous, since it seems zoom by much faster and I figured it would get me to work that much quicker after skipping all those stops. To take the N train requires a bit of train hopping for me, but overall it is not that bad. Here is where my newly learned lesson comes in.
Even though the N train runs express and zooms past several stops, it is not as much of a time saver as one would think. It saves me probably 5-10 minutes, which is enough if you’re really pressed for time. However, it is not nearly enough for me to catch extra snoozes in the morning. I think this is the case for me, mostly because I have to train hop a couple of times. I still think it is nice to save at least a couple minutes. Things like this are definitely good to know for times where every second counts.
While on this topic, I would like to share with you an amazing site known as: hopstop.com. If it wasn’t for this site, I would have been really lost here in the big apple. The people behind that one were pretty brilliant to come up with a marvelous creation as that. Hope that can be a helpful link. For more helpful links and information about the subway system from my perspective and exploration visit subwaypatterns.com. On there, you may read more about my knowledge and exploration of the subways. Although, I am still in the learning stage when it comes to that, you might find some of the information helpful or at least amusing.
Till next time.
∂ meow
Four weeks in Brooklyn
Posted by admin | Filed under Brooklyn
Whoa! The last two weeks have flown by so fast - I hardly got the chance to blink. Before another two fly by, I’d like to share with you my four weeks in Brooklyn review.
Last review, I talked mostly about the move and so this review - I’d like to focus a bit more on the lifestyle change.
Other than the last two weeks flying by fairly quickly, there are lots of things that have also flown on by us just as fast. For example, the NFL Super Bowl XLII just this past weekend. For those that did not get the chance to see it - it was a game of Patriots vs Giants. The undefeated Patriots were - of course - in the lead and doing great just until that last minute of death rolled around. At around 50 seconds of the game left, the Giants made a comeback. It was unbelievable! I took a sip of my Bud Light and blinked and the next thing I knew - everyone was jumping and cheering. All I could do is wonder, what did I miss in the few seconds? Well, thank goodness to a replay, I got to see the touchdown that brought the Giants out of the sinking sand.
Right after that, the streets just flooded with cheers and car honks and excitement all over NY. It was very knew, and very exciting. I somehow, felt warm and fuzzy inside. It was a great feeling to see how everyone, for a split second, shared the same joy and excitement. Hard to think that something like that would be possible for a crowded and overpopulated city like NY.
Now, I am not a sports fanatic, especially not a football fan, but I do enjoy watching the Super Bowl for the commercials. I must say, that is quite entertaining. Well, since I live in Brooklyn now, I was most certainly rooting for the Giants to win. Mind you, my knowledge of football goes about as far as a three year olds knowledge of the multiplication table.
Aside from the big game, I would like to briefly talk about the new things that have become a part of my daily routine.
Just about two weeks ago, I have found a part-time freelance position helping out a start-up company with a great product - a portable chair booster for kids. It’s sort of like a high chair. It is a fun position, and I love the flexibility. However, I cannot stand how messy and totally chaotic their website is, but I’ll save that discussion for another post.
So, riding the R train has become part of my daily routine. It is quite different than what I’ve been used to. Typically, I would rush to my car, which would be parked right in my driveway, and drive for about an hour to work. With living in Brooklyn, that has changed to rushing to the train instead and then riding for about an hour to work. I must say, I miss driving, but riding gives me the opportunity to catch up on reading or even a nap. Currently, I am in the process of reading Pro CSS Techniques, trying to brush up on my CSS. It is a pretty solid book and I’d definitely recommend it. I think the book is perfect for a beginner with a basic understanding of CSS that is looking for a challenge along with a guide for the right way to build websites.
Well, other than the R train, I got the chance to ride the D and the 5 train just this past Friday. I must say, when compared to the R train, some of the other trains are super bright inside and much more advanced - or so they seem. I believe the 5 train was even automated with the loud announcement of the stops. On the R train, one can barely hear the conductor most of the time. In regards to the trains, I have also started a new blog called - Subway Patterns. Through that avenue, I hope to provide newcomers and seasoned New Yorkers with a review and fun things in regards to the subway system.
Along with riding the train to work, riding the train to a store when going shopping is a whole new experience. The recent stores I’ve visited would be Target at Atlantic Ave. and Lowes on 2nd Ave. Both of these stores are great when looking for things to fill up our new space; however, how does one carry all that home? Here is where the lessons from the previous Brooklyn post continue.
So, the new lesson learned here is that I needed some sort of a transportation device to bring with me when I shop for larger and heavier things. I can only carry so much, and so something with wheels attached would work out great. After watching the people around here, trying to figure out how they manage, I noticed carts! Lots of people have carts that they use for shopping and doing laundry. How wonderful! Of course, we purchased one the first chance we got and so, my grocery shopping has become that much easier.
Oh goodness! This is quite a long post and I still have so much I’d love to talk about. I must save that for other posts as it is already fairly late on a Wednesday night.
Till then.
∂ meow
Two weeks in Brooklyn
Posted by admin | Filed under Brooklyn
Well, just two weeks ago, I moved to Brooklyn, NY. Before writing my thoughts about the city, I thought I’d give it a trial run. I believe two weeks is long enough for writing a decent first review.
Without further ado: Onto the first review!
Two weeks to some is just a jumble of 14 days and to others it’s a standard notice of resignation. Two weeks means something different to everyone. For me, the last two weeks have been a trial run. They’ve been mostly filled with chaos and explorations of unknown territory known as Brooklyn, New York.
My move to Brooklyn was very quick and sudden with very little time to get things together. Finding a solid roof over my head in three short days was more than just a challenge. However, I seem to have managed to tackle it as I have found the perfect place to call home. After a three day battle, I came out with only a slight dent in my purse.
The new home is located in the lower part of Brooklyn, known as Bay Ridge, with an amazing view of the Verrazano Bridge right from my living room. Along with that view, however, also came a ton of stairs, which were incredible fun to walk up and down while moving in. My calf muscles were killing me after the move of nearly a hundred boxes, but I’m sure a few more weeks and they’ll be made of steel. Running up and down the two flights of stairs is definitely a great workout! Hopefully, in the end I will come out with a gorgeous pair of legs.
Bay Ridge seems to be a really great neighborhood with everything within my reach. Moving from the “country” style of living, I was really worried how I would manage grocery shopping. You see, I like to cook and food is essential in my kitchen. The world I knew consisted of hoping in my car once every couple of weeks and stocking up on groceries. With this new home, I had to learn to live in a whole new world. So far - two weeks in - I think I am doing alright. I must say there has been tons of running around while trying to get a feel for everything around here.
The first thing I learned, while attempting to shop, is that one cannot buy a single thing without some cash handy in your pocket. Very few places around here accept credit/debit cards and so learning to carry around cash was lesson number one!
Lesson number two was getting a hang of the street cleaning also referred to as a shuffle. A few months ago, my boyfriend purchased a Mazda3, and so we were not going to leave that behind. As a result, the Mazda came up north with us. A car really comes in handy when venturing outside the city, which we expect to do often. Surprisingly, tons of residents around here - especially in the Bay Ridge area - own vehicles and so the parking situation is quite interesting. Looking for a parking spot was definitely “fun” especially the very first week. After two weeks now, we are slowly catching on to the schedule and flow of traffic.
Now, the move was not as simple and fun as it may seem from the first couple of paragraphs. It was very rushed and cramped right in with the biggest holidays of them all - Christmas and the New Year! But let me save this story for another post as I have lots to discuss.
I will be back in two weeks from today for the second review to give you another taste of Brooklyn through my divine feline senses. Keep checking back as there will be posts in between my two week reviews and I do plan on posting a whole lot more. Hope you enjoy my thoughts.
∂ meow
