Perpetually seeking new adventures *

[2] Love Thy Neighborhood

East Village, Upper West Side, Lower East Side, Chelsea - neighborhoods in New York aren’t merely for directional purposes, they are identifiers of the spirit of the neighborhood and its inhabitants.

One of the reasons that I looked for a sublet when I was first moving here (all two weeks ago) was that I wanted time to explore the different neighborhoods in Manhattan before committing to one for a longer lease. While it’s hard to sum up each neighborhood in a single sentence, there are ones that I’m starting to like more than others - and that’s just based on my first few adventures here.

What I’ve found in the past weeks here is that every New York inhabitant has tried to “sell” me on his or her own neighborhood. People claim their neighborhood the way you would your hometown; with pride that they’re from there and eager for you to explore its greatness.

Currently, I live in the Upper West Side, close to Columbia University and within walking distance to Central Park and Riverside Park. The neighborhood is full of shops, restaurants and the 1 subway runs through it, which takes me straight to work in the West Village. 

Now, the West Village is where I would live if I were a movie star - in fact, many of them own homes there. The neighborhood is mostly brownstones, which are much more picturesque and quaint than apartment buildings. It’s also close by to SoHo, which is a fun neighborhood for shopping, drinking and going out. This past weekend, I met a friend for brunch in Chelsea, where both the lovely Chelsea Market and the fun Chelsea Piers are located. 

In the week I’ve been here, however, I’ve found myself drinking and going out with friends in the Lower East Side, which after all, is where most of the young, hip crowd goes out. (Not to be confused with the Upper East Side where my brother and many other affluent married couples live.) 

[1] Getting here

I’m in New York. The city that never sleeps. The center of the world. And now, my home. 

Depending on how you calculate, getting to New York took me:

• 6 hours: travel time spent in a middle seat on a JetBlue red-eye
• 11 days: how long it took me to pack up my life, after my final day at work in San Francisco, in preparation to come to New York
• 8 weeks: the time from when I first sent my resume to this job in New York until the day I received the job offer
• 5 months: in January 2012, I made the conscious decision (and told everyone that I knew) that I would move to New York this year
• 2 years: before graduating UC Berkeley in May 2010, I applied desperately to jobs all across New York in an effort to move here

Raised in the middle of a metropolitan city, New York was always an ideal location for me. Once my brother and his wife moved to the city, it only became more appealing. Add friends, job prospects and the urgency of age (by no coincidence, I flew to New York on the evening of my 25th birthday), and I knew 2012 would be my year to move here.

So now, I’m here. Two days in and I’ve settled into a room sublet in the Upper West Side, with a great job in the West Village and friends from high school and college scattered throughout the city. 

New York, watch out!