UPDATES FROM BEHIND A COFFEE CUP

Overwhelmed does not even begin to describe my last month {yes, it’s already been a month!} in New York City. You can read lengthy updates here and here, or you can skip all of that and simply read about the 10 Things I Learned from Moving to New York City. And if none of that tickles your fancy, you can always just click the small little ‘x’ on the top of the screen because why bother continuing any further now?

I know I promised lots of great, relevant, and original content in the year of 2017. And by all means, I plan on following through with that promise. Travel tips, incredible stories, and stunning images await. I’m incredibly eager to put all of my efforts into making this blog what I know it can be! It’s just taken me a ‘New York’ minute to gather myself and settle into my new home here on the east coast. I am hilAAArious.

And what better way to acclimate myself then to do what New Yorkers do best: Brunch.

I hauled my laptop to Chelsea, cozied myself into a charming café, and got to work. ‘The Elk’ is a bright, rustic-but-totally-modern {wait, what} brunch spot that was calling my name the moment I found images of it on Instagram. From the outside, at first glance, it’s nothing special. But I beg of you to open those doors to find a café-lovers dream.

It was the perfect location to spend an afternoon, and I plan on making it a tradition to find a new brunch location to blog in each weekend.  I mean, we all want to get lost in our cup of whatever, wherever we are. You follow?

Moving on. The last couple of weeks have been spent sleeping {or as I like to describe it, camping} on an air mattress in my three bedroom apartment that I share with two Bostonians. I commute to Midtown each morning on the Subway and immediately upon arrival to the office, attempt to warm up with a cup of green tea. As per usual. My weekends are filled with happy hours, visits to the Hampton’s, and trips to Target. So. Many. Trips. To. Target. But now that I have the worlds most comfortable bed nestled into my tiny room, and all of my boxes from California have been unpacked, I am finally feeling settled. Not that I don’t have a million other reasons to be stressed out {needing to sell my car, preparing for visitors as early as next month, being in real debt for the first time in my life, and realizing they don’t sell wine in grocery stores here}. I am steadily pushing on.

I recently signed up to a gym so I now participate in weekly classes including body pump, spin classes, and yoga. I have been eating {relatively} healthy, other than the daily Snickers Minis that sit directly in front of my desk at work. I am expanding my social network one glass of wine at a time. And I am dealing with the cold weather like a champion. I have multiple scheduled visits from friends and family arriving in the next few months, and I will be celebrating my 26^th birthday in a matter of days (of which I hope to spend in Washington, DC)! I am attempting to pick up some freelancing, babysitting, or catering work to grow my travel fund in order to continue my passion of exploring the world. I already have a few destinations on the list for 2017! Stay tuned.

Overall, I think moving to New York was the best decision I could have made for myself. It’s been a challenge, just like I imagined. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve felt lonely. But already I find it morphing me into the women I’ve always wanted to be. Independent, self-respecting, and fearless. I think this would have occurred naturally, with or without the big apple. But waking up each morning in unfamiliar territory has always filled me with such contentment. It is a daily reminder that anything is possible if I am willing to take full advantage of what life has to offer. I don’t think I will ever stop taking risks. It is part of what makes me, me. I just hope it can inspire anyone else thinking of doing the same thing.

Goooooooodnight, New York.