grocery store adventures

While New York has its conveniences like the subway and incredible delivery service on anything you could ever want, some normal routine occurrences become grand escapades that require a great deal of problem solving, optimism, and humor. Case in point: the grocery store.

I'm sure the subject of this post sounds a little sarcastic, but in New York (especially when you don't own a car) the weekly trip to the grocery store truly is an adventure. We are lucky to have a Fairway Grocery about 6 blocks from our place. Fairway is known for its great selection and decent prices (not so decent if you compare to Kansas prices...but that’s how just about everything is here). This grocery store is huge! But, don't let that sentence fool you; while it has a large square footage relative to New York, just about every square inch is covered with every food you could imagine. Nonetheless, for me, being the self-proclaimed foodie that I am, it is a divine weekly treat just to walk the aisles.

Alex doesn't quite picture our weekly walk through the store as such a treat. He is a great sport because he realizes that he has to come because I can't possibly carry all of the bags home on my own. He pushes the cart along the main walkway while I scurry through the narrow aisles and strings of people, returning to the cart with the goods. He doesn’t get excited until we get to the cold room.

The cold room, in my opinion, is Fairway’s successful attempt at conserving space. Rather than having large, bulky coolers set side by side, they have a gigantic freezer (a big room that they pump freezing are into). The room is so cold that they even have ski-jackets on hooks by the door for people to borrow while in the cold room (side note: I think borrowing these jackets is a little gross, but then again…so is the subway. Regardless, I still choose freezing temperatures over used-coats). Al’s eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning when we enter the cold room because the first thing he sees to the left is the seafood counter. Huge crab legs enter his peripheral vision and as he turns to the right he sees massive racks of ribs dangling a few steps away.

After a chaotic run through the Fairway, the second and more comedic portion of the adventure takes place: the walk home. With $150 worth of groceries and a 6 block trek up-hill in 90 degree heat, it did take us two times to finally get an efficient system in place. The first time, we didn’t have one of those pop-up carts that people here use. We laughed the whole way home as we each maneuvered seven stuffed bags. I thought my fingers were going to fall off from the twisting plastic. The second time, we had back up. We bought one of those carts the day prior and the walk home was so much easier.

In an attempt to prove my cooking skills, as well as an attempt to compete with the cold room for making Al smile, I agreed to try my hand at steamed crab legs for dinner on Sunday. These aren’t your Midwestern crab legs either. We purchased two pounds thinking we’d get a couple of legs for each of us (how it would be in land-locked Kansas) and we got two HUGE legs. Alex pulled the meat out of his in one fell swoop and it was the equivalent of two fillets of fish. Not only were they big crab legs, I did a pretty good job at cooking them (if I do say so myself). You would have thought the Royals had won the World Series or something when he tasted them. All in all, a yummy celebratory dinner after ‘conquering’ our grocery store adventure.

Love and miss everyone back home!
-Katie








Me with the cart. (Not nearly as full as when we go to the grocery store).










Happy Alex and his crab leg Sunday dinner.

our very-small-but-so-great-for-us apartment

Our apartment is small. We'll be the first to admit that, but its size isn't anything out of the ordinary for a city place and it really does work perfectly for us. We are both so happy in it...and Alex even helps clean...his vacuuming skills are quite impressive. Well, here are the pictures that everyone's been asking for. Again...comments encouraged on this post as I'd love to know what everyone thinks or if there are any questions! Enjoy...

What you see when you walk in. Al's desk, kitchen table, wine area. To your right is the small kitchen and door to living room. Down the hall is the bathroom and bedroom. The desk came as ready-to-assemble in two flat boxes. It took my dad about 12 total hours to put it together. Thanks dad!


Turning right off the main room, entering the living room. Window and TV stand on right, couch is to the left. **Note: the pictures in the frames will all be changing soon. Right now it looks like a Loyd-fest (not that there's anything wrong with that), but I don't want Danny & Loretta to think we don't like them! :)



Couch. Alex's closet is to your right, full wall length with storage compartments above. Alex hung those sconces last night, he's becoming great with the drywall screws and a level.










Sitting on the couch looking forward toward the window. Our TV looks huge. We watched "Batman Begins" last night on it with all the lights out, it felt like a movie theater. Alex has proposed stadium seating.





Kitchen area off main room. Its little, but it does make cooking pretty efficient since everything is one step away. Sorry its a little cluttered in this picture, I was making dinner when Alex took the pics.
Bathroom, down hall and to right. And in response to my cousin's husband, Matt's, question...no you don't have to step on the toilet to get in and out of the shower. But it is possible.



Mirror/vanity area of bathroom. First time I've ever had a medicine cabinet, I find them fascinatingly functional.



Bedroom. (Thanks to Aunt Kathy for the cute bedding)! There is a closet on the right side of the window that I use. It is smaller, but it too has an above storage area. We put the bed on risers so we could fit plastic drawers underneath for more storage. Our bed skirt to cover that will be here any day.





Other side of bedroom.

Front door. Kitchen is to your left. And yes, the fridge is in the entryway, but its in an alcove that makes it less awkward.








Thanks for "visiting" our apartment. We can't wait for non-virtual visitors!
Love,
Katie

first impressions

I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
-Frank Sinatra

Well, I've managed to accomplish part one of Sinatra's famous song. As for being king (or should I say queen) of the hill...not so much. And for top of the heap? I don't think a 4th floor apartment in an elevator building quite classifies as top of the heap, but it is better than a walk-up building.

The first few days in the city (after the 21 hour drive in a Budget Truck with my dad) were spent moving everything in, cleaning, assembling furniture, arranging furniture, rearranging furniture, more cleaning, and organizing. Dad left on Wednesday, Danny & Loretta (Alex's parents) left on Thursday, and Mom and Emily left on Sunday. We did some fun things with everyone in town including showing them Columbia, going to the Macy's Fireworks Display (and getting rained on), and spending four hours inside a two story Bed Bath and Beyond.

It was terribly sad to say goodbye to family and it was just after they left that it started to sink in that we weren't on vacation and would be living here...in New York. Sunday night it really started to feel like this was our place. We went to the grocery store (more on that in another blog), did laundry, and I made dinner. Over dinner Alex and I started cracking up because we seemed so tickled that we lived together in New York City. We actually live here. Crazy.

I'll try and post things every day or at least ever other day. Please check in and feel free to leave comments. Questions are encouraged about what we're up to and what it's like to do (fill in the blank) in a big city.

We miss everyone back in Kansas, but we're so happy to be on this adventure together.

-Love always,
Katie