New York, New York!!!

Wow! We’re here at last. I’ve successfully navigated the airports to get here, and the subways and sidewalks to get from my new home to work. It is quite different from the small college town life, that’s for sure.

We flew all night. I absolutely understand the meaning of red-eye now. I think I missed the entire cabride from the airport to our West Village flat because I couldn’t keep my eyes open. So, what did our first day in New York City consist of? Late breakfast and sleeping. I remember unpacking at some point in there between bed and food.

Our new home is the West Village. The area is great, filled with food and interesting people. The streets are narrow, and tree-lined. There is an independent theater just a few blocks away, and while our street is fairly quiet, there is plenty of noise to be found with only a brief walk across 6th toward the university.

There’s a great run from our place to the Hudson river parkway, which we’ve attempted a couple of times now. I love the views of the Statue of Liberty, and the trapeze school. Yes, the trapeze school is set-up outdoors along the river. Anyone can watch while people face their fears at 30 feet above ground level.

We spent the first few days here eating at places in the local neighborhood that were really great, but cost a bit too much for our budget. Now our goal is to find all the best inexpensive restaurants this place has to offer. So far, Westville on 10th and Sammy’s Noodle House & Grill on 6th are the best.

I have never walked so much as I do here. I think that I normally rely on my bicycle at home. Everything here is walking, walking, walking… oh, and I think people eat dessert here. There’s this bakery down the block that has a line out the door every night. I heard that it was in a Sex in the City episode, and suddenly became the place to get cupcakes in all of Manhattan. I’ll try it eventually… after the line winds down… to see what the fuss is all about.

Chinatown is fantastic. I love SoHo. I love the Village. Chelsea, Midtown, Uptown… all great. There is still so much more to see and do here, nevermind the fact that I’ve got a full-time job at WNBC for the next 10 weeks.

Oh, yeah, and my new job rocks. I am learning so much, like the fact that the current WNBC news studio used to be the set of the Tonight Show, and that they post a security guard at the door to the studio because Carson used to come across the hall and burst into the room during the broadcast. Great for him, not so much for them. Well, maybe I’m learning more than that, but it’s the most interesting to talk about.

And, I saw my first celebrity. The studio across from ours is where Conan O’Brien is taped. As I was waiting for my mentor to finish up with his nightly news responsibility, Jason Lee happened to come out of the Conan studio. Go figure. He’s taller than I expected.

Now that I’ve mastered the subways, my plan is to figure out how to get up to the floor where I work in Rockefeller Center from the subway. Still slightly confusing…

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