Finally settle down in NYC! I know it has been a month since last update because there were too many stuffs to deal with before school starts. I was literally fell in sleep in ten minute whenever I crushed in my bed, I definitely lived my recent life to the fullest. I arrived in NYC on 8/2 and during this month I got lots things to share with you guys, so I just simply put some photo diary here.
New York is an AMAZING place. I think the word AMAZING still cannot describe the way I feel about this city. The last time I was here was about 2 years ago when I finished my exchange student program. The memories and feelings all came flooding back to my mind when I stepped on streets of Manhattan. The crowdedness of this city is much the same as Taipei: traffic jam, tourists, hot girls and boys are all everywhere. There are also various kinds of bistro and bars. However the most different parts are filthy, scorching hot subway and the sky-high cost of living. Anyway, I feel like I’m doing pretty well here, and gradually transforming from tourist to a New Yorker (hope so). But every time when I saw boutique shops and all these fancy stores I still can’t hold back the shopaholic blood in my vein!
So how’s new life here?
Since I left college for a while, it’s a bit strange and reluctant to live in small but expensive dorm. Therefore I rented an Airbnb and looking for apartment at the same time. After one week we found a lovely and convenient apartment in Jersey City. The place is safe and secure with new building and lower cost of living. The building also has concierge, gym and pool, but the price is even much cheaper than school dorm! Then we went to IKEA and few stores couples times, and finally set up all things in 2 weeks 🙂
We moved in like this: only a few luggages and no furniture at all. And please ignore my sloppy outfit that day…well, is there anyone can demonstrate hot chic move-in look?
We lived a few days without any furnitures and slept on air mattress. Driving to IKEA, targets, BathBedBeyond several times to buy everything needed.
Great skyline view from our apartment. Beautiful Hudson River with warm sunshine at the pool.
And while setting up the whole place, I tried to cook myself some nice healthy food in order to SAVE MONEY 🙂
Bacon avocado spaghetti with tomato sauce, yum yum!
So I went out and explored the city for while with my roomies. We rode bike to several places and enjoyed the sunshine and warm before September comes, and looked for cool relaxing spots and restaurants near FIT.
Miss Korea BBQ at Korean Town
Picnic at Madison Square Park with the so-called “hipster burger” Shake Shack
Then we went to Central Park and laid down on the great lawn.
LEGO Store on 5th Avenue
While heading to Madison Square Park, we found a vintage furniture store called Restoration Hardware. They got tons of classic and fashion furniture as well as home decors. I love their mirror stairs which reminds me of Hogwarts!
While roaming to SOHO, I was so surprise to see the brands I used to work for in Taiwan, Jerome Dreyfuss, a French designer whom you might not heard about before. But his wife is the famous women shoes desginer, Isabel Marant. And the cutest part is that their stores are right next to each other on Broome Street ! So sweet!
“You deserve better sleep” — Another store we found in SOHO is COCO MAT, an all-natural and organic bedding shop. The pillows and mattress are SUPER comfy, and the clerks are also very welcoming and friendly.
One of my friend who has lived in NYC over 7 years told me this is the best cake in the city, Lady M. Don’t miss the signature Mille Crêpes and Green Tea Mille Crêpes. Others such as strawberry and Gâteau Nuage are also super awesome!
We passed by a historic little coffee shop called Porto Ricco Importing Co. In addition to dry coffee beans, there’s also fresh brewed tea and coffee for thirsty people just like us.
Some more photos…
So today is actually the first day of school. Before that we had a whole week orientation, and we had to go to school literally EVERYDAY before school even officially starts. Well me and my roommate skipped a few sessions, but we still participated most of it. We are just too afraid to miss important infos and, most importantly, we’re afraid of being a student again! (guess we are just too old for college life lol) Anyway, FIT is really a nice and cute school, and you can find stylish girls and boys everywhere in the campus. It’s great to get some inspiration on daily outfit from your classmate or just a passersby, the whole campus is like runway. Literally.