Living in NYC

While attending school, David was one of eight people chosen nationwide to intern at a prestigious design firm in New York City for six months. I took advantage of this opportunity by visiting him as many times as I could afford. The first evening we spent together walking around Manhattan I immediately knew we had to live here – to branch out from the country roads of the south and experience the hustle and bustle of this city. So as soon as David graduated we risked it all; with our life in a moving van and as much money as we could save, we drove up to NYC to begin a new chapter in our lives.

Being unemployed for the first three months, we lived on fried rice in a tiny 350 square foot apartment on the Upper East Side. After both of us found amazing jobs, we were finally able to branch out and really experience New York City. The city opened our eyes to so many new things ranging from food to culture. David and I started having tourist days, where we carried around a NYC guidebook and followed its itineraries. We marveled at the city’s iconic tourist attractions, ate some of the best food in the world, snowboarded in up-state New York, drove through the fall foliage of the Hudson Valley, soaked up some sun in the Hamptons and watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in person. Several once-in-a-lifetime opportunities arose due to David’s job – attending a holiday party at the historic New York Library with private performances from Cirque du Soleil and sitting in on several runway shows during New York’s Fashion Week.

We ended up living in NYC for several years, each day pinching ourselves that we were two of millions of people living on this tiny island. When I met David after work each day in Union Square, seeing the Empire State Building towering overhead stopped me in my tracks every time. My favorite part of the year was Christmas time in the city – nothing else is quite like it. The entire city is decorated in lights, ornaments and several feet of snow. It was truly magical.

Our time in New York City was unbelievable. We are so happy to have gathered up the courage to make it happen. Our experiences are unforgettable and will always have an effect in our everyday lives – including never eating fried rice again!