exploring Manhattan

Week 4 in NYC

11:15 PM

The second we got back from Utah, I made a drastic decision. I loved my long hair but when I get restless or stress level goes code RED, I usually change my hair. 

And I couldn't be happier with my new length and the lightness of my head!

We moved the table to the balcony for a nice view when we invited a few friends over for dinner on Tuesday night. It was really dark for pictures at dinner but the table outside made for a fabulous breakfast setting.

I went to get us tickets to a show in South Seaport and walked past this place on Fulton Street. The magic words to get me anywhere quickly are 'Argentine empanadas'. Of course, I had to try one! They advertised authenticity and I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I saved my cheese empanada for lunch.

I made my way uptown to Colombia University but got off one stop early on the subway to be able to walk by this iconic spot. Can't say I'm a particular fan of Seinfeld but I had to snap a picture anyway :)

It's easy to love this campus. It is gorgeous and you can smell the intellectual exchanges.
The Low Memorial Library on Colombia campus.
Love love love. 

I took a quick lunch break to try out the cheese empanada. Not quite what I expected. Tasty, but thicker than I am used to. If I find a place that makes argentine empanadas like nearly every man, woman or child I met in Buenos Aires can, I'll be a regular customer. And I'll shout it from the rooftops so that they stay in business! Not like the unfortunate place in Orem, Utah that I loved.

The inside of the Low Memorial Library

I love the ceilings of these old buildings (still the Low Museum)

I wandered west toward this fantastic structure.

There are not many buildings in Utah like this.


I stumbled upon this. I had no idea what it was so I did some investigating. Did you know that General Ulysses S. Grant's tomb overlooks the Hudson River? Neither did I.
I'll save everyone the history lesson. If you need a little help remembering why he was such a big deal, click here and here

Again, the CEILINGS.

President and General Grant and his wife, Julia.

Appottomax Link is just for a refresher or FYI if you didn't study US History. I have a dear friend who went to high school in Ghana so I would have to clue him in when historical references were made. No big deal.

East of Colombia and President Grant's tomb, you run into my most favorite park yet...and I've been to many of them now. Morningside Park.



Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Down to the subway. I don't think I ever took pictures of the subway in Argentina but I don't remember them looking at all like this.

Taylor's co-workers RAVED about this place. They would take precious lunch break minutes to come across the river to Manhattan (they train in the Jersey City office) for this burger. 
Needless to say, we were very excited to try it togeher. 

Looked pretty good, right? Those are sweet potatoes fries with cinnamon sugar, by the way. Taylor loved them. Me? Not such a big sweet potato fry fan usually so this did not float my boat. 
My burger, the Manly, was ginormous. Bacon and battered onions. 
Sad to say, we were not overly impressed. We were specifically told it was better than Shake Shack (I'm obsessed) and it really wasn't. It didn't blow me out of the water. Mine tasted like I was eating a ton of bacon. And I wish that it was as good as it sounds. Oh well. Nice try. 

We got front row tickets from TKTS. Lucky, right? ....except it said we were sitting in PONCHO area. What does that mean? Exactly how you're picturing it. We were so close to the paint and flying food and water that draped over our seat was a poncho for us to wear. 
It was my first Blue Man experience and I LOVED it! Hilarious, entertaining, smelly and thrilling. All in all, a great show. Even though the mashed banana smell made me a little nauseous. :)

Why didn't I ever know that ice cream trucks have awesome ice cream? Gotta get 'em while the getting is good! 
I love this part. Walking down the street, holding hands with Taylor, eating ice cream, and enjoying the summer night. It's the best.

One of my BEST friends is coming to visit. Keira and Suzette adventures to come!

antique shop

Week 2

12:42 AM


I'm falling behind. The second week we spent in New York was just as great as the first with the simple exception that I didn't get lost! 

Taylor's training has been intensive and there are a series of tests and quizzes that dominate his time. He has some fun, too. Check out our week's highlights:


I spent several hours on Monday searching for a bridesmaid dress. If you know what Century 21 is, (not the movie theaters) you know that it's crazy. 


I explored Chelsea Market with Cami Needs and Jessica Taylor. We met there for lunch and there were soooo many amazing options but we settled on Giovanni Rana and the delectable fresh pasta options. BUT! Do you see the third restaurant down on the left side? I had to go check it out :)


Just a picture for now. I'll have to go back and partake. 

This was my meal from the market. The guy who took our order decided to 'help' as we decided what to devour. "Do you like cheese? Do you like pasta? Ok, you get this ravioli" haha It was great but I'll definitely try a marinara thing that they were offering as a sample and smelled like victory.

I walked by an antique shop and just HAD to go in. I am in love with typewriters. I have been since I was 5. My parents even attempted to get me one but somehow, within only a day it would stop working and we would send it back. Eventually I believe that we have up the endeavor and I never got a typewriter. If I didn't have to find a way to lug this bad boy across the ocean (for cheap) I would have gotten it in a heartbeat. It's in wonderful condition. Someday....

Treasures...or junk... But lots of it!

Flat Iron building. An icon that can't be missed. It's also a stone's throw away from a Shake Shack that's in Madison Square park so....

Taylor got home from work and we went for a walk/quick grocery store trip. He treated me to my very FIRST EVER ice cream from a truck. And it was good ice cream! Tay got the double chocolate dip.

And I got double cherry dipped ice cream.

And because it's hot in NYC, it got really messy, really fast.
That's one thing I love and appreciate more now about Utah summers: even though it's desert hot during the day, it get nice and desert cool at night. 

Oh, and we were walking around watching a dry lightning storm until we saw the wall of rain coming toward us. We ducked in to the store just in time to not get soaked. 

Bruce, my father-in-law, had another meeting in the New York office! He decided to make a weekend trip of his Monday commitment and brought Jake and Peter, brothers-in-law, with him on Friday night.
We met up with Colleen! I had never actually met her before last week, only heard the most wonderful stories. It was lovely to see the superwoman in person! 

After Taylor was finished with training for the day (and Jon had completed his last day of training in NYC), we saw the new Planet of the Apes movie (a little too intense for me probably) and got dinner at Wei West. Everyone was happy with what they ordered. My pad Thai was the bomb. 
All in all, a cute date night and a sweet, temporary farewell to Jon as he traveled back to SLC to his lovely wife and a new job! 

It is not as enjoyable to do a lot of my New York bucket list items alone but I know the opportunity to be here is going by quickly. On days when I don't feel like going far from our apartment, reading on a bench looking at this view of the Hudson is still pretty fantastic in my book.

Our weekend with the Larson gang need it's own post again. I'm going to catch up and stay on top of these updates. Promise!

growing up

Moving to the other side of the world

4:43 PM

This is a before and after of what moving to London, England looks like.


                    C r a z y. 

I was telling a friend/borderline complaining about our big move and everything it entails including almost daily inquiries to Taylor's future employer; visa requirements; packing and selling our possessions; and maneuvering a large supply of needed information, trying to comprehend what we need to be successful. He brushed it off quickly and unapologetically said, 'No one feels bad for you.'

Point taken. 

So instead of complaining, I'll try to informative. I know from a previous post that I have at least one reader and friend who is moving to the UK! So I'd love to share what I've learned so far and great sources of information that I've still got to sort through. 

We have been selling our nearly brand-new furniture on KSL and Craig's list. They have less than 8 months of use and they are in perfect condition. So we still have a coffee table and standing lamp with which we will happily part :)

We are totally moved out of our apartment in Sandy and will be spending a month with my in-laws in Holladay until we fly to the East Coast for Taylor's training. Next week, I will, unfortunately, be getting a tonsillectomy. Yikes! So if I'm miserable or you call and I don't answer, I either have no voice or I will be sleeping.

We found a place to stay in New York through Airbnb. So much more reliable than anything we tried to organize through Craig's list. I don't know how often people fall into that trap but there were many fraudulent offers with gorgeous pictures of apartments at ridiculously amazing prices ($1,000 USD for one month's rent in downtown NYC?) There were kind sounding people answering email inquiries but the fishy-sounding deal began to reek of straight lies. They request pay in full by wire transfer. We looked into the forms of transfer (i.e. MoneyGram) and the fees alone are a reason to seek another form of payment. Our mystery host refused debit/credit card transactions. We just abandoned all hopes of finding credible sources from which to rent after about a week of sifting through ads. 



We found Airbnb and later received several suggestions to check this out. (The link is to the their FAQs). But this site has 30K cities worldwide for traveling and you can become a host, too.

Things we like about it:
-Direct contact with the renter/host
-legitimate forms of payment (accept credit cards, too)
-real time availability of rentals with well-organized maps and calendars
-rent is comparable (and in some cases much more economic) to hotels
-options for fully furnished apartments, homes, etc make a short stay so much more convenient than even an extended-stay hotel

The best roundabout way to describe this service if you are completely unfamiliar with it would be to think of the movie, The Holiday. (Haven't seen it? Go find it. It's a goodie) Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet switch houses for the holidays through a home exchange website. This is kinda like that.

Our rental is a one-bedroom apartment located in downtown NYC and we couldn't be more excited about our month stay there. Taylor will be training from July 14-August 14.



Here's what I have about London specifically, however I will specify when a blog/site is great for general UK knowledge...

First, I have learned over and over again that London is NOT a cheap city. Non-essentials and things like dining out are $$$ big bucks.
But guess what exists in the UK??

http://local.amazon.co.uk/?cid=site_nav_logo&ref_=site_nav_logo
https://www.livingsocial.com/gb/cities/509-west-london

http://www.groupon.co.uk/browse/london#


Clicking will take you to the London sites. Hurray for familiar "deal" sites!
I really wouldn't even know about Living Social and Groupon if it wasn't for Taylor. He's a pro. We got great deals on some items to help us with the organization of our future London flat. It's sure to be small (there is no other choice for our budget nor in Central London) so we have to be frugal with our space.
London Blogs:
Girl in London:
I LOVE this blog. Cheylene from Nevada, USA relocated to London a few years ago. With this experience getting her visas, moving between flats, and learning the ins and outs of UK banking and taxes, Cheylene has been able to translate British life to something a US expatriate can understand. She writes about everything from day-to-day items to restaurants and groceries and important information about US versus UK taxes, council tax and British basics. Follow her!

Young Rubbish:
Taylor's friend, Jon, from Connecticut and his wife, Jess, post on this blog documenting their recent move across the pond. They take spectacular day trips and explore London together and let us all read about it. Jon is an accountant and Jess is a fabulous photographer. Check out their adventures!

Makeup and Beauty Blog:
This might be a little random but it's actually great blog that I will definitely be using in London. Fee posts about low-cost products on the high street and online deals. I appreciate the reviews and will rely heavily on them as I make the switch to UK brands. Gotta stay pretty, ya know?

Instagram:
Even if you're not planning a move there, check these out for amazing photos from talented photographers. Maybe you'll visit and you'll know what you want to see in person! There were a few weeks where posts consisted of 'off the beaten path' London gems. Those were my favorite!
@mumhad1ofthose
@sparrowflu
@london_only
@ash
@jhyattphoto
@karl.1

I'll post more about London apps and other helpful hints as we actually get to use them.

Other than these sources, TALK, TALK, TALK.
I tell some pretty random people about what we are getting ready to do and they want to help! Usually I get the "oh, I love London. You'll totally love it." and nothing more. Then there are kind folks like the manager of my favorite makeup store at the Fashion Place mall <<who is a sweetheart and taught me to do my makeup for my wedding and bridal photos. Still remembers me EVERY time I go and get some more beauty supplies>>. Her whole family currently lives in London and in Birmingham. She gave me their information so that I could ask questions and maybe even hang out with them once we get there! Friends of friends are better than no friends at all :)

For $$, we will be setting up a UK account (to be explained in a future post) but here in the U.S. we bank with Chase. We got the Chase Sapphire Preferred card because it has the handy dandy EMV chip that is more commonly used outside the US. Not only does the chip help, but the card relieves us of all foreign transaction fees! Winner! With the 40,000 signup bonus and 5,000 points for adding an authorized user, we got sufficient points to use our travel benefits for my ticket to London (Taylor's ticket was provided). So wherever we travel in Europe, we can use this card.

Charles Schwab has an ATM card that reimburses any ATM fees. No ATM fees for the lifetime of our account with Charlie? Yes, please!

We have more to do and think about. We have a head start on what to do about with our cell phones but I'll have to look into it more so info coming soon!




London

London Update

8:18 PM

We still don't have solid dates but we are planning and preparing as best we can.


There are a few possibilities of when we'll be in New York now. It could be the first or second day of JULY. We expect to know more in May. 

As for our arrival in London, Taylor was informed that we should expect to be training in New York through Labor Day. So maybe we'll get to see London in the fall??

New York for summer. London in September. We are probably going to be there 2-3 YEARS. No, this is not just an internship. It's real life. So if you plan to visit, let us know! We'd love the company. 

WE COULDN'T BE MORE EXCITED!!!
Just in case anyone was wondering :)

We have been asking around about jobs and opportunities to get to know some people. I would like to find a job before we go. Anyone have any CONTACTS in London that you would like to share? We would greatly appreciate any information you can share with us and people we can talk to over there to make our transition as smooth as possible. We are ready for lots of bumps but we are so grateful for a large LDS community that has already opened up to us. 


Taylor looooves to search the web for flats in our desired area of west London. I have looked through at least 4 what-to-know-about-London books as well as read articles and kept my ear to the ground. It's a special time and we are adventure loving folk. 


We follow amazing Instagram feeds like 


They post every day and everything is beautiful. The caption usually explains where and when the photos were taken. A fun Londoner-focused submission is geared toward London street life and places tourists don't see. It goes without saying that I LOVE this. Off the beaten path is where you'll find me. 

I also follow these guys who are wonderfully talented. 


And...




And...


Are you dying? I am! 

As exciting as this is, we are aware of what a big move means. Again, if you have any info to share, we'd love to hear it! We love to make new friends!

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