saturday mornings

there are fewer things I love more than saturday mornings, especially in new york city.

I typically don't leave my apartment until after noon (usually to meet a friend at a diner, or to run in central park). 

(my happy place)

baking is the ultimate catharsis for me- now being GF inspires me to be more creative in the kitchen.

with a high of 67 today, i'm going to enjoy the beauty of the city!

eg

advice for freshmen...new yorkers, that is

When I moved to the City, I quickly realized that there are many unspoken rules about the culture in NYC...especially for a small-town Texas girl.

So, I've compiled a list of certain tips of advice I'm accumulated from my ~8 months from living here thus far. My sagacity doesn't extend that far, but these are things to keep in mind:


My advice to freshmen New Yorkers:

1. You may try to look cute by wearing a nice-looking peacoat. Don't fall into this trap. Just buy a puffy coat (down coat) in November, and you won't regret it, ever. You can get them at TJ Maxx for ~$70-$80 instead of the typical $300.


best puffy coat ever

2. If there's a line for the Subway exit, just go ahead and take the emergency exit. No one minds. 

3. You're going to look disheveled pretty much all the time. There is no such thing as great hair in NYC. It's okay, embrace it, everyone is the same way. 

exhibit a: my disheveled hair

4. Don't eat anywhere with a B or lower food rating. A friend that works in the food industry says it's "extremely difficult" to get a B with food standards, so if you see it in the Window, walk away. If you eat at a place with a C rating, you're just asking for it. 


hill country bbq-- on my long list of approved restaurants, at our 1pm "brunch"

5. Don't ever plan anything with a New Yorker before Noon on the weekend. Most people are night owls here and often don't go out until at least Midnight. One time, I had plans with someone at 10am and she apologized for the "early, early morning." 

6. Download the NextStop app to figure out what time trains are running and HopStop to figure out the best route. It'll be the best $3 you'll ever spend and will save both of us a world of trouble. 

7.  Most of all, there are as many New Yorks as there are as many New Yorkers. Everyone has a different perspective- which can be both good and bad. Take New York for what it's worth, don't compare it to where you're from, and then make judgements for yourself.

you eventually find your corners and pockets of the city that feel like home.

until next time,

eg

girls-inspired playlists

if you've seen the latest HBO hit "girls," lena dunham has managed to capture the experience that is being a new york 20something almost scarily well. the only thing I love as much as this show is the music the accompanies it. 

some amazing person has decided to capture all of the music that's played on the show and make a spotify playlist: Music from HBO's GIRLS. this is one of my favorite playlists when im hanging out on the subway or walking home from trader joe's. 

a couple of my favorites: 

big harp- goodbye crazy city. when I was running errands on saturday, this song came on as I was walking home in the rain with my groceries because my train never came. I laughed out loud. 

smalltown romeo- boom ha-- cannot stop listening to this for some reason. i think it's the perfect nyc song! 

A New Yorker's Glossary

We all know in the great melting pot known as New York City, the City has its own microcosm of a culture. I often equate New York to college: most people are far from home, young and fun, and eager to impact the world and culture. When I talk about the City, I often find myself explaining terms & abbreviations that I forget need explaining. 


Duane Reade, aka the Walgreens of New York.

Ergo, some terms that you may find helpful when talking with a New Yorker:

The Train: What most New Yorkers call the Subway. For instance: "Today on the train, a rando came up to me and told me that I smelled like a fern."
TJ's: Trader Joe's-- the grocery stores where most hipsters shop in other cities but where New Yorkers must shop in order to survive and make rent.


Trader Joe's, where most of your shopping takes place while waiting in line. Suburb-dwellers, never take Target for granted.

Pret: Pret-A-Manager, the NYC version of Panera. 
FiDi: Financial District/Wall St. Where I work- holla!
BoltBus/MegaBus: How most of us navigate the Northeast. Super cheap bus fares geared towards college students and 20somethings.  
Seamless: Food delivery website and app, because New Yorkers love hibernating and watching 30 Rock/Homeland/Girls. 
UES/UWS: Upper East Side & Upper West Side, the "suburbs of Manhattan."
CP: Central Park, obviously. Most often said by runners, like my stud roommate.
Scoutmob it: The life-changing app for restaurant discounts. You're welcome.

Those are some of the big ones, but I know I'll remember some other ones which I'll save for another time. 

Until next time,

xoxo,
elise

premieres and parties

if you know me, there are very, VERY few reasons why i would get up earlier than necessary in the morning.

Aggie Football is one of those reasons.

Since we're having an incredible football season, our football coach, university president, and head of the association of former students were all in town. special thanks to the a&m club for hosting a meet & greet breakfast at the waldorf. we all trodded our way in the rain to the waldorf! i wouldn't be surprised if I looked like a wet dog walking in the door-- worth it! 

side note: dr. loftin posted a picture of lauren & i that we sent to him a while back in new york on his facebook page-- he remembered us and sought us out! it was so good to have a little piece of home in NYC. 

besides that, it's been a beautiful few days in the city! yesterday it even got up to 60 degrees- praise the Lamb! I think it was God's way of giving us a chance to catch our breath before the winter hits.

yesterday i walked outside my office to get some sunshine, and right outside the stock exchange was this (not so little) gem!  there were men handing out cups of hot chocolate and they even had live music. thank you for that, NYSE!

my friend lauren scored tickets to the billy on the street premiere at the theatre where the tonys were hosted. the surprise guest of the night was andy cohen-- host of watch what happens, and brooke shields happened to be sitting in the audience! the hipster to normal person ratio was dangerously high. 

someone live tweeted "brooke shields is buying everyone heineken after the show!" and she stood up and fist pumped. I like her already! 

students from the school I work at sung at trinity church today-- beautiful church & voices!

until later,

eg

60 degrees in december

today was a lousy day to be sick in the city-- why? because it was 60 degrees outside & beautiful for this time of year!

however, i did find a wonderful urgent care place that hooked me up! they have flatscreen TVs in each of the waiting rooms and hand you the remote. thanks for the suggestion, yelp!

 perk: my favorite coffee shop is on the way. my recommendation? their almond tea. best. tea. ever.

thank you, birch coffee, for the deep thoughts.

if you ever need to get some work done, too, they have a library!

picture via yelp

tonight-- time to kick back and watch one of my favorite christmas movies.

happy monday!

eg

Life in the City!

Hello, friends!

 I recently went back to Texas, where I would tell people stories, and they would respond with: "elise! why don't you tell me these things?"

often, I forget about certain things. therefore, i'm going to start writing some stories about new york stories: the big things, the little things. the elevator conversations with billy ray cyrus, when you see SNL cast members grocery shopping, when someone sings otis redding on the subway, or when homeless men ask for a hug instead of money [if they find you attractive].

today, I'm thankful for the little things in new york: my favorite doorman charles, the halal guy that calls me his wife (and makes amazing chicken), my favorite cup of hazelnut coffee, and late-night talks about theology with my roommate.

last night we set up the Christmas tree at work. it makes NYC feel a little more like home during the holidays! :) 

today, i'm home sick from work (we had a visit weekend this weekend). my boss sent me home and told me to stay home and watch college football all day. now that's a great boss! 

happy saturday!

E