It is a lot dirtier than I thought it would be. I mean the streets, the buildings, and even the air. There is some sort of trash on the ground at all times. The buildings look old and run down and covered in dirt. The air is the worst. After spending anytime walking out side I feel like my skin is dirty. I feel like it is covered in a layer of car exhaust, second hand smoke, and over all pollution. Luckily a hot shower can clear that right up. Not so sure my lungs will ever feel clean again.
The subway is not as scary as I thought it would be. I pictured dark, damp, cold and creepy. To my pleasant surprise it was the opposite. There is plenty of light, and it is actually warm down there. Most importantly it is not at all creepy. I was surprised by how much the kids and I enjoy riding the subway. It is not an easy system to "get to know" but I am sure by the time we leave we will be old pros. I was shocked by seeing kids ride the subway by themselves, but it turns out that is how they get to and from school. We took the school bus, these kids take the subway.
The biggest difference from tv that I have noticed is people here are a lot nicer than what their reputation is. New Yorkers have a reputation for being rude, we all know this. What you didn't know, is that they are really kind and helpful. Example: My mom, the kids and I were headed to Time Sq to do the tourist thing. We got off the subway and didn't know which end we should exit from (there is more that one exit from your stop to street level). We asked some guy which way we should go. Instead of just tell us the way he showed us. Not just showed us but walked us every step of the way. He showed us to the elevator (we had the stroller). He took the stairs up and waited for us to come out of the elevator, then we walked us to the next elevator as he took the stairs. He met us at street level and walked us out to the side walk. He pointed us in the right direction and gave us some tips on how best to navigate through Time Sq. We said our good byes and thank yous. I then watched him walk back into the subway station, from where he had just left to help us. He was such a blessing to us. We have not had any issues where people have been rude or unkind. It has been the complete opposite, they have gone out of there way to be helpful. The only exception to this is when people are driving. They are quick to honk their horn and whip around you if you are driving to slow or not crossing the street fast enough.
Before we came out here a friend shared this link with me, NYC Tips and Etiquette. It is pretty much right on. I hope by the end of our 9 months here that I can earn the tile of "New Yorker".
Until next time. Love you C,M,B,C,E and L!
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| Our first New York pizza!! |
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| took a picture to know what subway stop we had to make it back to. |
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| M and B on their first subway ride. |
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| Colt and I on our first subway ride. |
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| The only place I could find to let the kids run around while we were waiting to for Colt at the doctor in Manhattan, was a cement "court yard" above a parking garage. |
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| Toll roads everywhere! |
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| My mom excited to be standing kind of close to Nick Lachey in Time Sq! FYI his arm brushed mine as he left this interview! ;) |
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