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“Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find.
Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
-Matthew 7:7
Happy Friday! It has been a stressful, yet exciting week! I FINALLY found an apartment!!!! I signed the contract yesterday and will be moving on November 1st to my new studio apartment. I feel like a weight has been lifted off of me. Now is the worst part– the waiting period when I have to get all of my ducks in a row and can’t do anything until moving day. I want it to be tomorrow– I am so ready to move! I am staying in the same location in Manhattan that I am currently am living, so will not be sharing where I am moving to. I looked all over Manhattan, even Brooklyn, but knew that I truly wanted to stay in my current area. My studio is pretty big with TWO closets (praise the lord!!), a dishwasher, and an elevator. In NYC this is truly a luxury ha.
I have seen almost 19 apartments throughout the last few weeks and was heavily leaning towards one in Gramercy. The only reason why I did not choose that apartment was because I felt the layout of the studio was awkward. It was a railroad layout, totally fine for a studio, but they had walls coming out and huge vents for no reason. It took up most of the space. In all honesty, it looked like Tetris. Once I saw the apartment that I am moving into, I knew the other one was not right for me. How I got my new apartment is the most New York thing you will ever hear. I was the first person to view the apartment this past Monday. While I was there a guy showed up and starting inspecting the kitchen. I thought he was the maintenance man. Then all of a sudden the landlord goes “ok, whichever one of you gets me $500 cash first gets the apartment.” And off we ran, out of the building, trying to find a bank. Monday was a holiday so all of the banks were closed. I looked like a drug dealer trying to get increments of cash out of the ATM. When I got back, the guy had beaten me. Apparently, he was there looking for his sister who could not be there in person. I was bummed when I found out he had beaten me back to the apartment, but luckily there was another one not on the market yet that would be available November 1st. So the landlord took me to the apartment and I instantly knew I liked it so much better. I mean it has two closets and the other one did not. Sold! So I gave him my $500 cash (part of the security deposit if you were wondering), didn’t have to apply, sent in my bank statements, and the rest is history. As I retell this story I realize that nowhere else in this world would this be ok. Anywhere else this would seem so sketchy and untrustworthy. But here in New York, I didn’t even think twice before running off to the ATM to secure an apartment. It was as if I was part of the Amazing Race. Only in New York.
Although I am ecstatic to find a new home, not having to view apartments and deal with brokers anymore has been the biggest relief. I have been running around like a madwoman these past few weeks, making my apartment search my number one priority. I have had to skip workouts, been behind in work, and missed meals. I tried to limit the events that I attended and only going to things I truly wanted to be at. But even that was somewhat of a challenge. I was supposed to go to the ShopStyle Experience on Wednesday morning. It was a long day of panel discussion, one being with Instagram, which was the whole reason I wanted to go. While I did everything to prepare–put the date/location in my Google calendar, got an outfit for the day– I forgot one important piece. I completely forgot to RSVP. I didn’t’ realize until Tuesday night when I was scrolling through my emails looking for a confirmation email or event detail, only to find I never got one. It was a bummer to miss but also was a blessing because it gave me the opportunity to catch up on emails and other work stuff.
The ShopStyle event was the only one I was a do-do brain about RSVP’ing to. Luckily I was able to attend the rest of my events from this past week. Tuesday night I had two events to attend that were both so different and yet so meaningful. The first event was the Lafayette148 panel discussion on the Nordstrom Live. Lafayette148 reached out to me to be a part of the panel discussion about women in New York and their new hashtag #weare; We Are You. We Are Women. We Are New York. I was not on the panel but only a prop. Dressed in head to toe Lafayette148 winter collection, I stood on the stage with 6 other women holding up our sign with a word of our choosing that best describes ourselves and New York. My word was visionary. I felt it umbrella everything I was feeling at the moment and how I feel about New York– creative, optimistic, motivated, driven, independent, imaginative, and planning/owning our future. So I stood like Vanna White with my #weare sign in front of an audience and whoever was watching on their streaming service. The panel discussion was very interesting as a representative from Nordstrom (coming to NYC very soon!!) and the head of design and the founder of Lafayette148 discussed the brand and how women drive the industry. I loved listening to these women talk about taking their careers into their own hands and really making something so successful. It’s what I hope to do.
After the panel discussion I raced home for a quick change out of my Lafayette148 suit (so chic but was too warm of a day for it) into a dress to head to the Gal Meets Glam coat launch and holiday preview party. Gal Meets Glam is owned by influencer Julia Engel and her husband Thomas. Julia was one of the first bloggers that I ever followed, so to have been invited to her first NYC preview was truly a dream! It was held at the Palace Hotel in one of the PH suites. This is the second event I have been to that has been held in this two-story suite and I have to say, it’s a must-see. Anyway, the event was lovely and so very GMG– pink decor and flowers everywhere! You can see why I love this brand so much. I had a few friends there that I loved catching up with, and of course, meeting Julia and Thomas for the first time was amazing. They are so sweet and nice! You can check out some of my favorite coats from their new collection here.
Last night I went to see Moulin Rouge on Broadway with Christy through the Audience Rewards program. Of course, I love the movie with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, so I knew I would love the Broadway play as well. And I was right- it was AMAZING!! So much fun! From the can-can girls to the leads, everyone had an amazing voice. Aaron Tveit (from Gossip Girl and Danny Zuko in Grease live) played Christian and did a phenomenal job. I was blown away by his acting and his voice. Our seats were pretty close to the stage, the dancers were practically doing the can-can in our faces. It would be an honor to have been kicked in the face by one of them. The entire show is high energy and very entertaining. I would love to go back someday!
This weekend I have nothing on the agenda. I want to stay in tonight so I can continue to binge watch Victoria. It’s part of the Masterpiece Theater on PBS but you can stream it on Amazon Prime. Anyway, Victoria is about Queen Victoria and her life. I obviously know some things about her life; her being a very young queen and the longest-reigning monarch until Queen Elizabeth II passed her a few years ago. But I didn’t know too much of course; how she modernized the monarchy by being invested in technology and railroads, how she really did care for the people, and her marriage to her cousin Prince Albert was truly a love story. I adore the love they have for each other… minus being cousins part. It’s a love that was made for literature. Plus the guy who plays Prince Albert, Tom Hughes, is dashingly handsome. Anyway, the show is SO good and I am completely obsessed! The 4th season comes out in March and I am currently at the beginning of the 2nd season. Unfortunately, I already know some of the things that happen because I started to look up the show on social media/Google and spoiled a few potlines. I couldn’t help myself, I wanted to see the beautiful fashions and pictures of Prince Albert. I told my friend the other day about this show and she laughed saying “I always forget how big of a nerd you are”. I mean, she is not wrong. So if you are a nerd like me, then definitely watch this show!!
Besides watching and learning about the British monarchy, I will be working out and maybe spending time with friends. I definitely need a relaxing weekend as I have been filled with anxiety for the past few weeks.
Have a wonderful weekend xo
1. Inside the Gal Meets Glam NYC launch party
4. I think I need another pink jacket
5. Inside the American Ballet Theatre’s Fall Gala
6. A guide on how to do a breast self-exam
7. Creepy-cool things to do in NYC during October
8. A history of the International Best Dressed List