How Much Does It Cost to Live in NYC?

When I moved into my first apartment nearly seven years ago, it was hard. Not just because I was moving into my first "adult" space or because I was living 500 miles from home and the South, but rather because I couldn't get past how much it cost to live here. Oh, and the fact that I made next to nothing. I quickly learned that those "Sex and the City" apartments + careers, don't really match up. [insert a big thanks to mom and dad for making it happen for me]. A tip for any of you girls wanting to move to NYC to do PR: it's not glamorous and the pay stinks (at least in the beginning). But, if you are willing to put in the hours and work hard, it's worth it. I promise that.

Like most post-college kids, I quickly learned that the most affordable, but less cool place to live was the Upper East Side.Though my mom had a different perspective at first, that apartment (3W) was an amazing space for the money and even though it was a hike from the subway and on a ugly street, I didn't care because it was mine.

I now live on the Upper West Side - probably one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. Though I wish I could live downtown, I think Miss Bailey would miss the park too much. We jokingly call the UWS the suburbs of Manhattan. It's perfect for me right now in my life. Lots of young couples, dogs, and great restaurants. Though it's not cheap, I always thought it was one of the more affordable places to live in NYC. Then, I saw this infographic from Zumper:

Yes, it's expensive to live here (I'm reminded of that everyday), but why not do it for a little while? It's NYC.

infographic from Zuper.com

Snow Days

We must have been getting too comfortable with warmer winters because this one has been a doozy. I don't remember it being this cold in a long long time and I have lived here for seven winters (wow - I can't believe I just type seven years!)

Anyway, NEMO came to play last weekend and dumped beaucoups of snow on Manhattan and the NE. The city tends to freak out (like most cities) at the talk of snow. Not quite as much as Southerners do, but a lot. Our offices closed early Friday so that meant snow party!! The snow fell slowly at first and then picked up fast.

The girls (Marisa, Blake and I) sipped on champagne and played board games - much like we did at our Hurricane Sandy party. We ended the night with an impromptu dance party and then Bailey and I played in the snow until 1:30 a.m. There's nothing like being outside at night when the snow hushes the noisy city.

The next day we met Bailey's favorite two people (Blake and Alec) in Central Park. I love that snow brings out the smiles in New Yorkers. Well, fresh white snow brings out the smiles...

The park was beautiful and filled with sledders, cross-country skiers, tubers and snowball throwers. Also, I'm convinced that snow is like a drug for dogs. I practically had to drag Miss B out of the park after two hours of running that afternoon and she was begging to go back on Sunday. 

Random Thoughts

In case you haven't heard, NYC is supposed to get a whole bunch of snow on Friday - or maybe not. Gawker posted a great article today about the maybeitwillsnowornot hype. I'm convinced that weather men (or people to be PC) don't know much about nothing. If I was that wrong in my job, The Donald would say to me, "You're Firraddd."

In other news, it's been awhile since I posted a picture of Miss Bailey. So here you go. We re-arranged our apartment living room again this past weekend so she is enjoying a different view from her bed. Once I fix a few things, I'll share photos. I have always loved to re-arrange a room and have done so since I was little. I get antsy and need a quick change every now and then.

I also learned that I don't really like DIY projects. There, I said it. I'd rather just buy the damn thing and be done with it. I have been wanting to re-do my kitchen chairs for forevaaa and finally started yesterday, which yielded in two trips to the hardware store and a broken staple gun. But, I will finish this project. I will!

Stay warm New Yorkers and get your snow boots ready....or not.

Lumineers

Tonight we're off to see my "new" favorite band The Lumineers. They are playing two sold-out shows at Terminal 5 this weekend. I love their soulful, toe-tapping, laid-back music.I love their story too.

Happy weekend, y'all!