Thoughts and reflection in difficult times!

I am up since 7am, watching the news and getting as much updates on what is going on around the city! Sandy hit hard! No public transport since Sunday 7pm, train stations and streets are flooded, half of the city is without electricity and heating, ... I do not even want to get started on the devastating damage Sandy caused in the very South of NYC and New Jersey *terrible* 

The preparation started on Sunday already - I was having a wonderful brunch on the East side with one of my dear friends and as I was making my way up to my apartment, the thought of "oh, grocery shopping might be a good idea" crossed my mind ;) I was passing by people lining up in front of stores and still I wasn't feeling any pressure of moving faster to get into a super market - obviously the lines were in front of super markets to get prepared with water, food and other supplies for the upcoming and uncertain days...

Well, I spent about 1 1/2 hours in the super-market and I wasn't even sure what I was really preparing for - We don't have hurricanes in Europe!!! Fortunately everyone in the store was very calm and I could not sense any feeling of impatience as people were lining up through the aisles! Here is my survival cart ;) Got my veggies, water and coockies^^

So, I'm watching the news today, which I couldn't do for longer than 5 minutes yesterday!!! I felt really nervous about what is about to happen to a city that is with its surroundings inhabiting more than 20 Million people! This uncertainty was such a weird and insecure feeling... Obviously most stores and business were closed, so everyone was hiding out at home waiting for the storm to hit!

I couldn't be more grateful for my housing situation! (apart from the big old tree that we feared could fall on one of the surrounding buildings ;) but it didn't *yaaay*) and we taped the windows... just in case ;) 

Up here on the Upper East Side not much damage has happened - this morning I went outside and apart from small trees on Park ave everything seemed pretty calm! Totally different situation in the south of Manhattan, the other boroughs and New Jersey! If you follow the news you see the devastating outcomes of this hurricane! Being that close to a natural disaster like that, makes me aware and conscious about the necessity of being grateful everyday for waking up WELL AND SAFE!!! 

I'm sending prayers and love to every person out there who is affected to much worse degrees! May they have the strength and faith to move on in this terrible situation of loosing their homes, cars or of facing other major difficulties the storm might have caused!

I was watching Oprah's 'Life Lesson' on Sunday night! It was an inspiring show on the power of the words I AM with Joel Osteen. "What follows the words I AM will come look for you!!!" Oprah emphasized on the importance and power of gratitude in that connection as well - Saying the simple words THANK YOU, DANKE, MERCI, GRACIAS, Cпаcибо, GRAZIE, ευχαριστώ, ... in the morning before getting out of bed will make you aware that you can be grateful for just waking up in a healthy and strong body, a safe room and that there is a new day ahead of you! I believe that having such an awareness helps in dark hours as these were last night and still are for many people close to where I am right now!

Oh, I am getting spiritual again ;) but the truth is that this is all interconnected and even if we are not out there helping to cleanup, we can at least take care of having positive and faithful thoughts towards ourselves and others!

May everyone be safe in the aftermath of the storm! I hope that all of you are well and receive the help needed in case of emergency!

I AM so incredibly grateful for my family, all my friends and friends of friends who contacted me or contacted each other to find out if I and NYC are alright :) YOU ARE amazing - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I love you and I miss you!

Xoxo

The pace of change!

NYC lives up to its image as city that never sleeps, which also applies to me up until now - everything moves so fast and eventhough it can takes ages to get from one place to the other especially when subways are crowded and you are suffering from this incredible heat (apparently we will have an indian summer - look forward to that^^) - a friend of mine said a couple of days ago that the time seems to move faster in NYC than anywhere else in the world! I will let you know about my perception of it, but I assume it won't take long until I will agree to that ;)

When I came to New York 9 days ago with my sister and my mom, we started to experience the city and to enjoy its amazing sights and attractions to the fullest! I hope you enjoy looking at some selected photos and have fun imagining what my past few days have been like...

Before starting off with the photos, I have to tell you about the most amazing KickOff experience that I had on my very first day: Prior to my arrival in NYC I signed up for a fitness event from Patricia Moreno "Workin'it out" - from the previously introduced lifestyle and fitness program intenSati! 

The first 2 hours in NYC couldn't have been better :) this special workout, which I have never tried before, promised a lot and exceeded my expectations - it was phenomenal, energizing, empowering, inspiring, motivating, ...........! I am really looking forward to taking some more classes this weekend :)))

Now, lets get started with a collection of my first impressions:

Foggy Day in NYC - wondering how high this building is?! ;)

Stunning boat cruise...

...amazing...

 

...north of Manhattan...

...like tiny Lego elements^^...

...the only connection beween Manhattan and Roosevelt Island...

...Financial Dirstrict!

Where is Chuck Bass???

Open-air movie @ Beautiful Bryant Park <3

Rockefeller Center

:)

Hello, Manhattan! (from Top of the Rocks!)

Yeees, I was there ;)

and there too ;)

I felt like watching a movie - a happy couple watching the stunning view over NYC and then he pulls out the ring... (you know the rest^^) Super romantic moment & same as in the movies :))) <3 A proposal on the top of Rockefeller Center, can it be more cheesy and romantic!?!

@ Central Park

Pain quotidien in NYC - I like! a lot! ;)

I will be back with some more impressions soon :) take care, xoxo

Greater than previously expected!

3 weeks to go and still no apartment found :(

Most of my time these days I spend checking all the different platforms & profiles, where people search for roommates and people, like me, who are seeking the perfect flat & roommates to stay with!

Here are my findings & learnings up till today:

I always knew that New York is expensive, but I was quite astonished by the differences in prices in this city - as I have mentioned in a previous post, my search is (still) limited to Manhattan apartments! Interestingly there are huge differences in prices: I found super-cheap flatshares in the very heart of Manhattan for 700$ and some in the north (Harlem) for 1000$-1400$! One thing which I learned from this: unfortunately the more expensive the flat, the more confident you can be that it is not a scam, which happens a lot in this city!!

My favorite platforms:

www.easyroommate.com: Once you register on this website (and enter your personal preferences in location, roommate, flat etc.) you will be able to see every ad in full and contact the owners of the ad! Rarely ad owners put pics of the flat to their profile - so you have to contact them and give them your email address in order to proceed with the conversation. Through this website I do have the most interaction with New Yorkers, who look for a roommate - the best thing on this website is that people will also contact you to find out if you are interested in their ad!

www.metroroommates.com: Another very good address is Metroroommates.com - a lot of listings and pics of flats already in the ad (which makes it very easy to see if it is worth contacting the owner or not)! The big BUT on this one is, the fact that you have to pay a fee to be able to contact someone...

www.nyhabitat.com: This website looks very professional and you don't need any premium membership to view all details about the flats (apartment information includes photographs, descriptions, reviews, apartment layouts). It seems to be a property agency - just discovered it^^ and submitted my request; now I am eagerly awaiting their proposals!

All in all I have to say that I have immagined the search to be much easier - unfortunately I have also come accross scams, but I guess that is something usual when searching for a flat in NY ;)

Some tips derived from my personal experience:

1. insist on viewing the flat - it happened to me quite often that landlords start talking about deposit payments and contract details, before I have had the chance to ask them for a viewing (or they simply ignored this inquiry!) AND no one should ask for money, when arranging a viewing!!!
2. be aware of the style of english - does it change drastically throughout the conversation???
3. weird excuses (scam!?) - try to be sensible to the excuses your contacts give you for certain things (like: " Sorry, due to time issues I can't give you a skype tour of the flat, but a viewing would be ok!" *Häää* or "I would be online and ready for a skype call with you" I go online and think to mysef 'yay', and then the contact writes: "Oh sorry the microphone of my pc isn't working properly!" - What? It just broke?? 2 minutes before, I went online?? *Häää*) 

I will definitely keep on searching till the very end - 3 weeks to go!!! Bring it on NYC... Where are the real, nice, clean and fun people to share an apartment with ;)

New York - urban jungle! Where to live?

 

Approximately 2 weeks ago, I found out that I will be working in New York for 7 months! The first thing I did was to buy a travel guide - guess what my mom did!? Yeah, you're right the same ;D Anyway, i prefer mine (red)^^

Since then, I use every spare minute to search for the best housing solution - I started by applying for several student homes, in order to ease socializing in this big city! After some serious consideration of the numerous solutions that presented in front of me, I decided to go brave and search for a flatshare in New York City!

So here I am looking for the best fit, and this time I am not talking about boutique shopping ;)

Well at least I know that I want to live in Manhattan ;) since I spoke with friends, who have already been to New York, I attentively look for a nice flat and nice roomies on the Upper West Side or Chelsea!

I will update from time to time how it goes - and will post some recs and lessons learned about the 'how to find the perfect flat in NYC' ;)

Have a great Sunday :) I'm off to watch tonight's football game!

xoxo

I got it - NEW YORK

Fiiiinally I got IT: An internship in New York :) :) :) 7 months in Big Apple - can you believe it?! Caus' I'm still not sure if I really do ;D My dream and wish comes true!!! I am super excited about the forthcoming months; before I have a couple of things on the agenda: visa, housing, flight etc. ... aaand I definitely have to buy a travel guide - pfff, one!?!?! make it three :D

Unfortunately in all the excitement I also have to take care about exams and presentations at uni :( - 3 weeks to go and then all my attention will be put on the adventure ahead of me - New York!