Apartment

My Apartment

I saw this on one of my favorite blogs (Magnolias, Marriage and Manhattan - if you haven't read this girls blog you are missing out!) and I thought I would join in:

1. What kind of SOAP is in your bathtub right now? Dove Exfoliating Body Wash

2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? Watermelon is out of season right now so no I do not, but the fruit vendor I can see from my window has 3 on his stand.

3. What would you change about your living room? Other than I wish it was bigger, I just need some more furniture and artwork on the walls.

4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? They are dirty because it isn't full yet.

5. What is in your fridge? Not much. Ice tea, pink lemonade, some condiments, a few beers, an apple and some yogurt.

6. White or wheat bread? Wheat.

7. What is on top of your refrigerator? The top of the fridge is for store of larger platters that don't fit anywhere else!

8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? Madris

9. How many plants are in your home? 3 but I really want a floor plant for the corner. We get really good light and my plants are growing like crazy.

10. Is your bed made right now? Nah

11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Comet

12. Is your closet organized? I try and keep it organzied but its hard when you are limited on space to keep things nice and neat.

13. Can you describe your flashlight?I have two and they are both yellow.... you know how it is on the UES the power seems to like to go out.

14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Glass

15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Yes. Sweet tea.

16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? Hahahaha garage?

17. Curtains or blinds? The apt came with mini blinds but I'm hanging panel curtains in the living room

18. How many pillows do you sleep with? 1

19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? Nah

20. How often do you vacuum? Not often enough.

21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Standard

22. What color is your toothbrush? I have no idea which is sad cause I just used it. DH's is blue though.

23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Nope my hallway to my door is carpeted and I don't think we are allowed to put anything in the hall.

24. What is in your oven right now? Nothing

.25. Is there anything under your bed? Under the bed is used for storage of things we don't use very often but didn't want to get rid of

26. Chore you hate doing the most? Emptying the dishwasher. I've always hated it.

27. What retro items are in your home? None really. We got rid of most of our stuff when we moved and have pretty much started over.

28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? I wish we had more rooms! No office in this apt.

29. How many mirrors are in your home? Does the one in the bathroom count? I'm trying to get DH to get a free standing floor length one for the bedroom.

30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? Nope.

31. What color are your walls? I painted our living room Oystershell which is a light blue/grey depending on the light. Apparently its so light no one ever notices that I've painted so I'm not painting it back when we leave! Hahaha

32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? Nope. I've got a fierce little dog that will lick you to death if you can get past my doorman.

33. What does your home smell like right now? My fantastic Woodwick candle. Yummy

34. Favorite candle scent? See above!

35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?No pickles in there right now, but I need to get some for the juice - it makes a fantastic Bloody Mary's

36. What color is your favorite Bible? Black

37. Ever been on your roof? Yup, we have a roof top garden.

38. Do you own a stereo? I have a Bose wave radio.

39. How many TVs do you have? 2 One huge plasma and then a little normal one in the bedroom

40. How many house phones? One and only because that's how our doormen let us know if someone is here for us.

41. Do you have a housekeeper? Not yet.

42. What style do you decorate in? I'm a Pottery Barn kind of girl

43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? I like solids with print accents

44. Is there a smoke detector in your home? Yes

45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you'd grab if you only could make one quick trip? Other than my husband and my dog, my wedding photos on DVD and my jewlery

ZipCar is a Godsend

Seriously.

Best invention for those that live in a major city and no longer own a car.

Basically it's a rental car that you can use for an hour, a day, a month, and YOU get to choose your specific car. They have tons to choose from. You want to test out a Mini Cooper? They've got it. Want something a little stylish? Take a BMW for a spin. Need something with a little room? They've got those too.

And it is so simple to use.

All you do it go to their website and sign up for an account. They have several levels so there is one to fit your lifestyle. You can either go to their office (ALL the way downtown and on the West side) or you can have them mail you your card in the mail. Once you have your membership card you can hope on their website and reserve your car. Then simply walk to your car (it'll be parked in one of the 100's of parking garages around the city and there is a great interactive map that shows you what cars are where!), hold your zipcard to the windshielf to unlock the card, and it's all yours!

Best part (besides the fact that you'll be getting out of the city in something new and stylish? Gas, insurance, and milage are all FREE!!

Check it out.

My Favorites

One of my favorite Bloggers posed the following questions on her page and requested we all follow through with our own answers, so here it goes:

1) What kind of purse are you carrying right now? I've been sporting the small Longchamp bag these days in light blue.

2) What kind of wallet is in your purse? I LOVE my Hobo wallet. It can double as a cute little clutch if need be, but I use it soley as a wallet.

3) What kind of sunglasses are shading your eyes these days? Maui Jims, though I've got my eyes on a new pair.

4) What is your favorite lip gloss or lipstick? Mac Viva Glam V for both gloss and stick.

5) What is your favorite fall/winter shoe? For everyday running around I really love my Dansko Clogs, but for fancy shoes can you ever really go wrong with a fantastic pair of heels? I'm covetting these. A girl can always use a little sequin in her life.

This is a fun little insight into everyone's world so if you are so incline and haven't already done so, repost this in your own blog and let everyone know a little something about you!

Yoga Anyone?

I want to try something new and I am thinking yoga might be it. There is a yoga studio down the street that offers an Intro To Yoga Workshop and I'm trying to work up the nerve to sign up. I'm a little nervous since I don't know what to expect, wear or bring!


Anyone out there into yoga?


If you live on the UES like I do, I'm going to check out New York Yoga. They have two locations: 86th & York and their Hot Yoga at 85th & Lex. When you sign up for one of their 90 minute workshops you also get one month unlimited classes all for the bargain price of $129.




Maybe someday I'll be flexible enough to attempt this because at this point if I tried to do it I'd end up in the hospital!!!!

I'll let you know how it goes.

One of the best things about New York City is that you never have to eat at the same place twice if you don't want too. Last night I was feeling seafood so off to McCormick and Smick's we went. They were having a deal if you made an online reservation you would receive $25 off your meal - sounds good to me.

D and I had a great time. We had a couple drinks at the bar with a uber-cool bartender before we headed to our table. We started with the small oyster sampler and then for entrees I had the jumbo scallops with wildmushroom risotto and D had a 2lb lobster. The night wouldn't be complete without a little flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. Unfortunately, we both woke up around 5am with terrible headaches. Not the hangover kind either. Not sure what the issue is but I'm not happy.

At any rate, onto other restaurants. I've been to so many places it would hard to put it all in one post. I'll start with a few places I've been recently and my thoughts on said establishments.


Thai
If you are into Thai and are on the Upper East Side look into Thai Milano. It's on 2nd Ave between 90th and 91st. They do fabulous delivery as well. Love this place.


Spice, anothing Thai joint has a semi-trendy atmosphere on the Upper East Side, is located on 2nd Ave between 73rd and 74th. The food was okay, not as good as Thai Milano in my opinion, but still good. The drinks were expensive for the size (but this is NYC). I'd go back if I was down that way, but not my favorite.


Chinese/Asian Cuisene
Noodles 28 is a Chinese, Vietnamese, Noodle Shop. You get a little bit of everything here. I love that you can choose your noodle. They have pretty good dumplings too. Noodles 28 is located on 2nd Ave. at 85th. Their portions are large so go hungry. Take out is as good as eating there!

Pic Up Stix - a little Chinese place located on Lex between 90th and 91st. Don't expect anything fancy, but the food is good. We ordered General Tso's Chicken and half a Peking Duck, I really enjoyed the duck.

Crate and Barrel

I love Crate and Barrel. In fact, D thinks it's an obsession. I have been married for two months now and I still love looking at my registry there. So when it came time to buy some furniture for our new apartment off to C&B we went.

Living in NYC makes shopping at Crate and Barrel that much more fun because the store on Madison is huge (well at least compared to the one where I use to live). We were on the hunt for a leather chair and ottoman so D can enjoy his UNC Tarheels from the comfort of his own little space (apparently the dog and I take up too much room on the couch). This is we what bought, it's called the Tracy Leather Chair (we got the ottoman too!). I can't wait for it to get here next week!

I have a few other fun things arriving too. How could to go to one of my favorite stores and not buy a goodie or two for myself - I mean the chair is really for D. Or at least that is what I tell myself because after all if it's all on the registry it's okay for me to buy it, right?

I just love this Rattan Basket! It's only $69.95 and it'll be just perfect for extra blankets and throw pillows this winter!

I just love simple vases and this one is only $6.95! How can you beat that? With flower vendors on every corner I need to up my vase collection a notch or two since the only ones I have currently are ones that came with flowers that were sent to me and the one really nice one we received as a wedding present!

I just adore these Take-Out cups with lids. They are so perfect for sending leftovers home with guests and for the completely affordable price of $3.95 (plus $0.50 for the lid) you don't need to get them back! I think I'll get 6!

Till next time...

Blogging

Okay I admit it, I'm a bad blogger.

Or at least I have been.

I thought that blogging would give me something to do, a release if you will, from the stress of planning a wedding, quitting my job, packing, moving, unpacking, and looking for a new job, not to mention trying to figure out which was is up since I now live in Manhattan. But, alas, I've found myself wandering the streets of Manhattan looking for things to do, trying to figure out how to make friends, and well catching up on a lot of TV. Lame I know (at least the TV part anyway).

I read a lot of blogs. I love when you all post new ones. I get excited. People blog about EVERYTHING. There are those dedicated solely to peoples life experiences, those to cooking (maybe I'll learn something), and a personal favorite is one dedicated to cupcakes!

Being that I live in this uber-chic city where anything and everything can happen I think you'll find that I'm an eclectic blogger. It may take me a while to figure out how to post links and pictures (actually I'm sorta lazy about uploading pictures to be honest, but I'll work on that) but I'll try and keep it interesting. So stay tuned and I hope you enjoy.

So Here I Am

We've made it to Manhattan, but now what? I'm still unpacking (I've only been here for 3 days!) but I swear it looks like we robbed a Crate and Barrel with all the boxes we've been throwing away. My neighbors must think I'm crazy. Hubby starts his new job tomorrow while I begin my search for employment. Not something I'm looking forward to but it needs to be done. I'll go nuts sooner rather than later without a job.

New York is exciting though, I have to admit. I'm really looking forward to exploring the city a little on my own, well not completely alone, with my trusty four-legged friend Sullivan. Hopefully I'll be posting on a more regular basis now. At least I'm going to try. I'll keep you posted on my jaunts and interesting finds in the city.

If you know of any places I should check out on the UES let me know!!!

Bring on the Train

One good thing about moving is that I no longer need a car. Which, I must say, is good for anyone out there who still needs a car because when it comes to driving, I'm the worst.

I've never sold a car before and had no idea what to expect when doing so. What an ordeal. The problem being that my car is part of three states. Titled in one, registered in another, insured in a third. Getting that all to match - not my idea of fun.

I've spent the morning searching for a dwelling in Manhattan that will make not only me, but my soon to be husband and my little puppy happy but also trying to figure out how we can get rid of our cars. Monthly Metro Pass here I come.

We are headed up to the Big Apple this weekend to start the hunt for a home. Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures soon.

Life Changes so Quickly

So where does my name come from? I was born a Northern gal, growing up in the suberbs of Pennsylvania and moved South in the name of Higher Education. What can I say? I loved the South so much I stayed for 10 years. I met a wonderful man, got engaged, and moved back North. I've spent the past year living in what I refer to as Dirty Jersey and I'm counting the days till I move.

Move?

Move where?

Well, in the next six weeks I'm getting married, packing up my apartment, and moving to Manhattan. Not to mention I have to find a new job! I'm in a whirlwind and I don't know which way is up. I love New York City. Really. I do.

But can I live there?

I guess I'm about to find out. I'm excited, anxious, and nervous all at the same time. In a city with millions of people, taxis speeding by, laundromats, valets, late night dinner reservations, every language imaginable, subways taking you here and there, will I be able to find my way?

This is my life as a Southern Yankee living in Manhattan.