5 Things I Intend to Do in NYC

Turns out I'm kind of awful at keeping up a blog.

I suppose I think that I don't have anything interesting to write about.  I haven't traveled internationally since June, but even then, I didn't bother to post.

So let's try this blogging thing again, shall we?

I'm home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  I love Williamsburg, but everybody needs to go home once in a while.

Recently, I've been struggling with the whole concept of "home."  For three years, my home was The College of William & Mary.  Now that I've graduated, I can't call it home anymore.  I don't live on campus.  I don't eat in the dining hall.  I still walk the brick pathways, but rarely.

Come May I'm moving to New York to try my luck in the Big Apple.  But I can't think of NYC as my future home, either, for my plan is so hazy.  I don't know how long I'll be there.  Six weeks?  Three months?  Six months?  Ten years?  For the rest of my life?

I'm scared, but I'm excited, too.  Here are five things I'm going to do in New York City:

1.  Eat kebabs.  Döner.  Schwarma.  Whatever you want to call them, they're delicious--and impossible to find in Williamsburg, Virginia.  I'll probably cry as I take my first bite.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING MORE BEAUTIFUL?  (Photo courtesy of my homeslice Joshua O.S.H.)

This was taken in a Williamsburg tavern four years ago.  I'm cool, guys.  Really.

2.  Go out.  You see, Williamsburg's bar scene consists of five bars.  Unless you want to hit up ye olde taverns and get drunk on mead.

3.  Find a hipster coffee shop.  Not because I think I'm a hipster (Me, a hipster?  Well, I am coming from the original Williamsburg, est. 1632.  Not this Williamsburg, Brooklyn everyone keeps talking about), but because I love the atmosphere of small cafés.  Great spots to read and write.

4.  Explore Central Park.  I've only been to Central Park once--for, like, five minutes.  Barely counts.

5.  See off-Broadway shows.  Not that I don't love Broadway, but I want to experience lesser known things.  (Wait, I sound like a hipster.  Broadway is too mainstream.  Oh no.)

What else should I do while I'm in New York?  Suggestions?

Virtual Tour: Barrio Santa Cruz

Since I just moved to a magical land known as Barrio Santa Cruz, I decided to do a blog post that documents my ever-exciting walk to the metro every morning.  It's like a virtual tour!

I wake up, often to flamenco singing or accordion music wafting up from the street.  As I open the shudders, I'm greeted with this view:  a stereotypical Spanish street.  Narrow, winding, with houses painted in shades of red, white, and gold.

I leave my house, which is the pink one to the left.  As you can see, it's across from a bar and a variety of shops.

This shop is my favorite.  I pass it every day, often several times a day.  Even though the shop's fragrance covers the whole street, each time I walk by I have to stop and smell the loose-leaf teas and spices, especially the piña colada tea.

I continue toward the metro, making my way through streets like this one.

Soon I emerge from the neighborhood (Santa Cruz) through this entrance.  Yes, it's bordered by the outer walls of the Álcazar, which is indeed a giant castle.

This is the main entrance into the Álcazar.  Every day, I have to make sure not to get run over by these black and yellow carriages, which are all over the city, but especially prevalent in this area.

As I leave the neighborhood, the Álcazar is to my left.  To my right?  The Cathedral, which is the third largest in the world.

I continue forward, leaving the castle behind me and passing by the Archivo de Indias, or the Archive of the Indies (that's the big square building on the left).  This is where records and all official business regarding the Americas were kept.  It currently houses an impressive collection of pictures/statues of Hernán Cortés

I arrive on Avenida de la Constitución.  To the left is a corner of the Cathedral (it's REALLY big) and to the right the Archivo de Indias.

 I walk down Avenida de la Constitución, which is always bustling with tourists, street performers, and locals just trying to get to Plaza Nueva or Calle Tetuan.

Finally I arrive in Puerta de Jerez, where I can hop on the metro, grab a coffee, or go relax by the river.

Why I Lost

So I lost the A - Z Challenge.  What's worse, I lost it with two letters left:  Y and Z, which were going to be "Youth Culture" and "Zzzzs:  An Ode to the Siesta."  Alas, I failed--but for good reason!

A week ago, my roommate and I moved from an apartment near Nervion (a modern but ugly district best known for its shopping mall) to a house in Barrio Santa Cruz, which is, well…magical.

How to describe it?  The house is four stories, but it's small:  the bottom floor is nothing but the front door, and after that, each story only has two rooms:  2) tiny kitchen and living room/dining room, 3) bathroom and our bedroom, 4) bathroom and other housemate's bedroom.

But the location?  Goodness gracious, where to begin?

Santa Cruz is the oldest neighborhood in the city, so as you might expect, it looks like a medieval Spanish neighborhood:  white walls trimmed with gold, narrow winding streets, fountains and small plazas bordered by the outer walls of a castle.

What's that?  A castle?

The entrance to the castle I now pass every single day :)

Oh, yes.  Santa Cruz neighbors the Cathedral an the Álcazar, the gigantic castle known for its Moorish architecture and extensive gardens.  Every day on my way to the metro, I pass by this beautiful castle.  So casual, right?  (Nope.  Every time I walk by, I freak out a little bit).

What's more?  There's a musician who has taken to playing his accordion below our window.  Then there's the flamenco singer who likes to stroll around the block.  Down the street, there's an old-fashioned spice and tea shop, which makes the whole neighborhood smell like, well…spices and teas.  Honestly, I feel like I'm living in Epcot.

Anyway, moving is a difficult, time-consuming process, which is why I failed.  But that's all right:  it was completely worth it.  Lots more space, a fantastic location, and a third housemate who happens to be one of our good friends.

No WiFi though (at least, not yet).  Surprisingly, I don't mind all that much.  It adds to the medieval feel of the neighborhood.

More pictures to follow!

A - Z Challenge: MISSING HOME

SPAIN

As much as I love Spain, there's a lot I miss about my home(s) in Philadelphia and Williamsburg.  Obviously, I miss my family, friends, and pets, but here are some more specific things that, if you come to Spain, you'll find lacking.

Peanut Butter

Not a thing here.  Spaniards don't eat it.  Heck, Europeans in general don't eat it.  Peanut butter is  strictly American, which I didn't know until I got here.  Sure, you can find it in the supermarkets, but it's ridiculously expensive.  Plus, it's not nearly as good as Jif.

However, they do have an abundance of Nutella, of which I highly approve.  Good job, Europe.

Coffee Shops

Coming to Spain, I thought I would find an abundance of amazing coffee shops.  It's Europe, right?  I figured I'd be at a café every day, sipping excellent coffee while I wrote.

How wrong I was.

Yes, Europe has cafés, but they're not "sit and relax" cafés.  It's frowned upon to do any type of work, so no reading, no writing, no opening up your laptop.  Cafés are for eating, drinking, and socializing, so if you go alone to do work, you're given quite a lot of weird looks.

You know it's bad when my favorite café is Starbucks.  The only place with comfortable seating and free unlimited wifi.  Plus, it's acceptable to do work there (probably because it's 95% foreigners).  At any rate, I miss good ol' American coffee shops, and once I get back to Williamsburg, the managers  will have to literally drag me out of Aromas come closing time, because I won't ever want to leave.

Netflix

It stops working once you leave the States.  No streaming.  Nothing.  Same goes for Hulu.

Food (other than peanut butter, which obviously deserves its own category)

Steak.  Chinese take-out.  Corn on the cob.  Reese's Cups.  Soy milk.  Steak.  French vanilla coffee creamer.  Chips and salsa.  Pita Pit.  Steak.  Raw vegetables.  Dark chocolate M &Ms.  Did I say steak?

A - Z Challenge: HOMES

SPAIN

Our living room/dining room.

One of the biggest differences between the U.S. and Spain is the concept of the home.  In the States, it seems that most of the middle to upper class lives in a house located in the suburbs of some large city or another.

Not so in Spain.

Here the vast majority of people live in a piso, a small apartment with a tiny kitchen, living room/dining room, bathroom, and maybe three bedrooms, each smaller than the average college dorm room.  Not spacious at all, but it's all that's needed.  The home is a family space, meant primarily for sleeping and eating, so friends don't often come over to hang out.  No slumber parties, no movie marathons.  The majority of social activities occur en la calle, or "on the street."

Our kitchen.  Since food is bought for the day, and that's it,
there's no need for a pantry.

That's why cities and towns are filled with plazas, which serve as outdoor living rooms.  That's where friends can meet up and hang out, and why public drinking isn't quite as frowned upon as it is in the States.  (I believe it's still illegal, but the Guardia Civil pretends it isn't.)

WRITING

Have you ever read a book in which the building(s) were extremely memorable?  Hopefully, since the Hogwarts castle is amazing with its moving staircases and talking portraits. Another one that comes to mind is I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, in which the castle is a constant presence.  The narrator, Cassandra, is always telling the readers about the gatehouse, and the moat, and the towers, and the dungeon.

I always like when I feel a special attachment to a place I've never actually been.  Like Hogwarts.  The last book pained me for many reasons, but it was torturous to read how my beloved Hogwarts, which felt like home to me, was crumbling under an onslaught of Death Eaters.  And how about Tara, from Gone with the Wind?

Setting is big for me, which is why I like to emphasize specific places, especially in short stories.  Places of historical importance.  Places from my childhood.  Places I'd love to visit.

What about you?  What are you favorite fictional places?