28 Days of NYC Summer

Day 1

I arrive in the Big Apple on a sunny Sunday afternoon, June 19.  After shuffling my way through the La Guardia terminals towards the luggage carousel, it hits me. I’m in New York! The concrete jungle where dreams are made of. Pardon the Alicia Keys allusion, but it just instantly comes to mind. I experience a mild heart attack from NOT seeing my luggage makes its way around, but find that it’s been set aside ahead of time somehow. No worries, I think to myself as long as nothing is lost. I part ways with my MKE-LGA flight buddy and embark on the next task at hand—getting into Manhattan.  I ask a couple airport workers what the best way is to get to NYU and settle on the shuttle. Simultaneously, my prior now misconceptions of hard-ass New Yorkers melt away: everyone is extremely nice! Pleasantries surround every corner. But I digress.

I make my way over to the shuttle ticket counter to buy my $15 pass to take me to NYU. After some confusion as to where I’m supposed to be dropped off, ie they couldn’t find the address I gave them, they find an appropriate driver.  Three hours later, after a mini tour of Times Square from dropping off 10 other passengers, I hop of the shuttle into University Life to pick up my ID. Easy peasy.  Hop out, jump in a cab and $8 later I’m in front of my NYC home for the next 28 days, Gramercy Green on 3rd Ave between 23rd and 24th.

I struggle with hauling my precariously overweight luggage through the rotating door like an idiot and check in with housing.  After finally getting to the fifteenth floor, I can’t get the damn door open.  There’s just something subtly tricky about these doors, as they don’t quite turn they way I’m used to.  ”Freaking fantastic,” I’m thinking to myself. I’m right outside my door and can’t get in.  And then awesomeness arrives and I meet my first fantastic roommate, Maansi. She shows me the trick with the door and gets me in, as she busily heads out for some prior plans. I get settled in, then walk down 3rd Ave to orient myself with the walk to the hospital.

Again, easy peasy. Navigating through this city is pretty damn straightforward.  I pick up some groceries on the way back and chill out the rest of the day to prepare for orientation.  I meet my second awesome roommate, Georgina and officially decide that New York is the place to be.