Rebecca

Many of you are well aware that my commute to work is an hour long. I know, I tend to talk about this way too much but when it takes up two hours of my day, ten hours a week, a girl can get pretty sick of it. But I digress...

I need something to keep me entertained from bus to bus, subway to subway. (Insert book and ipod here). I love reading on my way to work and right now I'm re-reading one of my favorite books, Rebecca.

Daphne Du Maurier's mysterious romantic novel has me wide-eyed and gasping throughout each page. What would you do if you were the second Mrs. De Winter, roaming around Manderly's gardens wondering what happened to your husband's late wife, Rebecca? Ah, the drama and suspense. And what's up with that Mrs. Danvers? Creepy.

In the past week, I have had two, yes two MEN tap me on the shoulder and say, "Don't you just love that book?" Why, yes, I do fellas. This is a great book for all your commuters (female and male). Rebecca will take you away from the commotion and stress on your way to and from work. Take it from someone who spends too much of her day on the subway (oops, there I go again). What about yall? What are you reading?

And the apartment search begins...

Last week, the search began for our new home on the west side. We are east siders and have been for most of our time in New York. The husband did live a few steps away from Penn Station many moons ago, in a neighborhood known as Hell's Kitchen, but since we've both lived in New York together, our zip codes have remained in the 10128, and the 10028.

We quickly realized that our money will not go as far on the west side as it has on the east. "That's the closet??," I asked and, "Look at the gorgeous view of our neighbor's brick wall." It was funny. It was sad. It was reality. And, it reminded me of the winner of the Today's Show's smallest apartment in NY (well, not actually this small):Never-the-less, we did actually see a few good places, small, but nice and close to Central Park, restaurants and most importantly, the subway.

The Husband and I are venturing out again this Saturday to hunt for a home in hopes of finding our perfect nest - well perfect for New York anyway.

So stay tuned Southerners, I hope to have an update with pictures on Saturday.

Bon Appetit!

Food. As Julia Child says, "I love to eat." I may not be the next Top Chef, but by all means, I can certainly appreciate a good meal.

If you've lived here for any length of time, you're probably well aware of Restaurant Week, which graces us with its presence twice a year. If you're not, let me enlighten you and your palate for a minute.

In 1992, NY Restaurant Week was created as a one-time culinary event to welcome the Democratic National Convention to the city. Residents of NY enjoyed this week so much that it has now become a reoccurring event. What makes this event so unique is that you can dine at the top restaurants for a fraction of the cost. It has expanded to include both lunch and dinner with three-course, prix-fixe meals at $25.00 - $35.00.

This winter more than 260 restaurants will be participating in NY Restaurant Week, which will last from January 25th through February 7th (yes - actually longer than a week!).

Check out a list of the selected eateries:

http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek

Bon Appetit, yall!

Helping Hands for Haiti

Last night, The Husband and I had a conversation about the earthquake in Haiti and talked about other natural disasters that we’ve heard about on television but haven’t ever experienced first-hand. The only real natural disaster I’ve witnessed was a hurricane that I don’t remember much about, only that we missed school for two weeks and we didn’t have cable TV.

I can’t imagine what its like without a roof over my head, food to eat and hospital care down the street. My biggest “problem” this week was trying to figure out how to juggle office politics and expectations. I stressed out about it for two whole days.

The Red Cross announced that 50,000 are dead in Haiti and even more homeless and I’m quickly reminded how blessed I am. We should all take a minute to put things in perspective.

For those who want to help but aren’t sure how to, below are some links where you can donate, even if it’s just $5:

Text "Haiti" to 90999, and a $10 donation is added to your cell phone bill

http://haitifundinc.org/

http://www.care.org/

Oh Brother

Last week, my little - yet much taller - brother visited Southern in the City. We had a great time going to lunch everyday, running around town and just relaxing (he knows how to do that part best). We always have a fun time together but this visit was extra special given that he was able to stay with us for almost ten days. When I was younger, I always said that we would live together in an apartment in the city, so for much of last week this was true.

Although we vowed to not drag him to Time Square with the rest of the tourists, we did end up taking a quick trip to see the recent Obama advertisement that has had everyone up in a tizzy. Here is the young republican with Barry below. Similarities?

A few other photos from his trip - being silly with The Husband and then at dinner on his last night - Come back and visit soon, G!!

HGTVing It

I love HGTV. It’s my favorite network station on television and if I ever get control of the remote in our house, my fingers will automatically revert to this home & design channel within seconds. I can’t help myself - it’s like a drug to me.

The Husband and I are starting to look for new apartments in the city and this girl is jumping for joy. Not that we don’t like our current apartment but my commute is more than an hour each way and frankly, I can’t take being shoved like cattle in a subway car for 60 minutes any longer. The countdown has started my friends.

It’s always fun to daydream, and today I did just that. Here’s some inspiration that I came up with for the new living room. We already have the brown couch and are about to buy a similar chair. Now it’s all about accessorizing – my favorite part.


New Apartment Inspiration by MereDesign on Polyvore.com

Our official moving day is the end of February so check back for many apartment hunting posts. This southern girl has definitely learned the do’s and don’ts of finding an NYC apartment and I'll gladly share with you. It’s not at all glamorous like what they show on HGTV.

Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock pretty much sums it up when he says, “With Manhattan real estate there are no rules. It’s like check-in at an Italian airport.”

Happy New Year 2010!

Hello there, Southerners! Happy New Year to ya'll! I cannot believe that Christmas has come and gone and it's now January, a new year and a new decade.

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness in 2010. I'm so grateful to all of you who are reading my blog. It has been a fun little project for me and I hope you have enjoyed reading Southern in the City too.

That's about all I have time to write now (I'm trying to get organized) but I promise to post more in the coming days...