Celebrating 5 Years in New York City!
Hello! I kind of forgot about this whole blog idea… Oops!
Just Kidding, I didn’t forget at all. Actually, I thought about it a lot. I stressed and dreaded that I had created something I couldn’t keep up with or crank out enough content. Then I remembered I started this for me and no one else, and I need to stop giving myself such a hard time.
What helped me finally get back to it? I decided not to go home straight after work and rot on the couch for once. Instead I stopped by a coffee shop on my way home for a bit to see if I could get those creative juices flowing. Thanks to my lovely friend Agata for sharing an inspiring video that helped me. She shared this with me months ago, and I’m finally getting around to taking her advice.
Anyways, I wanted to reflect a little on the last five years living in New York City. A place I dreamed of living for a long time. I also wanted to create a bucket list of all the things I have still yet to do or would like to do again over the course of the next year. Some big, some small, and a lot of food spots I want to try that will keep me fueled along the way.
My first trip here was in 2011 to participate in the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival. From then on, I knew I had to live here. There was no place that was going to have the same energy and access to all the opportunities a budding classical musician would need. On that trip in 2011, I even got to have a rendezvous with my very good friend Sarah. She and I lived together in college at that time and were both in the city for summer programs. Me for music and her for theater.
Playing for Paula Robison at the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival in 2011
Sarah beat me to New York by several years because she moved here right after we graduated college, but we stayed in touch and she played a vital role in finally getting my ass up to NYC. From 2014 onward I would visit Sarah about once a year, and on every trip she would prod me about moving here.
Before I moved to New York, I was living in North Carolina where I had taken my first real job out of college. In 2018, the friend group I had built in North Carolina was starting to dwindle due to friends moving away for job opportunities. One friend in particular who moved to New York in the summer of 2018 pushed me to a breaking point. I wasn’t enjoying living in the south anymore, and I wasn’t particularly enjoying my job. The real “Ah ha!” moment was when I had the chance to see Kylie Minogue live for the very first time at NYC Pride. She had just released a country inspired album earlier that year which was helping get through a tough time. Before I could afford therapy, Kylie’s music (and music in general) has always been there to bring me out of funk. Kylie ended up headlining Pride that year and she also announced last minute a very intimate gig for about 500 people to which I scored tickets. At that more intimate gig, she ended up singing an unreleased, unfinished demo of a song called “New York City.” On top of everything else that was going on in my life, this was the final sign I needed to just figure it out and move. If you would like to know more about how Kylie Minogue played a pivotal role, please see the “Move to NYC” highlight on my instagram. It has zero chill and you will learn what a fan girl I am.
Kylie Minogue singing her demo of "New York City" at the Bower Ball Room in June 2018.
Almost a year later, Sarah reached out to me and told me a room in her two bedroom apartment was opening up, and I had just under a month to decide if I was going to take the spot. I fretted over it for about a week. I had been planning to make the move, but I hadn’t saved as much money as I wanted or found a job in New York yet, but with reassurance from friends and family, I decided to just take the leap. I also have to give a shoutout to my employer at the time which let me stay on remotely before working remote was as prevalent as it is now. I was prepared to put in my notice and move here without a job, but they made the transition so much easier. Though I no longer work there, they were far more supportive and gracious than they needed to be and I will always be grateful and have a lot of respect for them.
In the end, it has been the best decision I have made in my life so far. When people ask me about the move or living in New York, I always describe it as feeliing like I had been sitting in the biggest traffic jam you could imagine for the longest time and the moment I decided to move, the traffic jam cleared. Everything just started falling into place like it was meant to be and so far I am still cruising along pretty damn effortlessly. Things have not always been easy, but I have a chosen family here that has supported me. Whether it was having my friend Lee take an extended lunch break to help me move all my stuff into the apartment when I got here, Sarah and I making dinners together and eating them on our rooftop drinking wine, getting entirely too intoxicated at a Kylie night at Rockbar with my friend David, or the friends I have made since living here, I feel pretty damn lucky with where I am at in life now that I live in New York City. I even got to meet Kylie Minogue, what a full circle moment!
Meeting Kylie Minogue in New York - June 2022
Even with a global pandemic you would think that would have turned me off from living here or feeling like moving here was a mistake, but it challenged me to not give up on this dream, and I ended up falling in love with this city more than I would have had the pandemic not happened.
Now, because of that pandemic I also have some catching up to do when it comes to enjoying New York City, which is where the bucket list below is going to come in handy. I wanted to create more than just a list of things to do. I wanted to create a list of things that mean something to me and name the people I want to do some of these things with and why. Not everything on the list is full of deep meaning, but for my friends and family who are reading this, if you want to do some of these things with me, let me know! I would love the company and to have the chance to make even more memories with you all.
Me after moving into the cutest little Brooklyn brownstone apartment on June 12, 2019
Alex’s NYC Bucket List
This is not an extensive or static list. Send me suggestions! I plan to keep this updated as I go and add things throughout the year.
Brunch with Sarah Q. at Olea the week of my 5 year Anniversary
This is one of the first places I remember having an amazing meal. It was on my second trip to NYC to visit Sarah after she had moved here. Almost every visit after we would come here for brunch or a quick bite and a drink and it just feels right to kick off my 5th year here with Sarah at this restaurant.
Flushing Chinese Feast with David F.
My best friend David spent some time abroad in Hong Kong and really got me addicted to good Chinese food, especially Sichuan cuisine. David is now splitting his time between Washington DC and New York, but we’ll figure out a time to go eat and drink until we burst
5 Boro Bike Tour
This one I actually already did, but I still wanted to mention it because it was special. A little back story as to why it’s important … While living in Charlotte, NC for 5 years prior to New York, I became a pretty avid cycler. Mostly casual with friends doing social rides a few times a week. When I moved here I started biking to work whenever I could (the pandemic also forced me to use my bike more). However, since moving here, I haven’t found that same biking community that I once had. What I did not expect was my mom accepting the invite to come do this with me! This deserves a whole post, but we did it and I am so proud of us both.
Eat at a lot of restaurants
Coney Island with Kugan - Ride the Cyclone (hopefully don’t die on that rickety old thing)
See Several Shows - I crossed out ones I’ve seen since creating this list .
Oh, Mary!
Merrily We Roll Along
Little Shop of Horrors
The Wiz
Titanique (for the 3rd or 4th time) - I bring a new friend each time it’s that funny
Cabaret
Spamalot
Tammy Faye
Hadestown
See a show on Little Island
Go to the Met Opera and NY Phil more often
Metropolitan Museum
They actually do a great “date night” event on Fridays. It’s a fun way to see the museum in smaller chunks and eventually see it all after several visits.
The Met Cloisters
Walk from the Top of Manhattan all the way Downtown (a la Broad City)
Visit Governors Island
Visit Rosevelt Island
Movie Night at Bryant Park
See SNL In person
Go to the filming of a talk show like Late Night, The Daily Show, or Tonight Show
Comedy Cellar
Bronx Zoo
Brooklyn Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden
Sleep No more
Get Good Russian Food in Brighton Beach
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (suck it up and go early to get a good spot just once!)
Rockettes Christmas Spectacular
Ice Skate at Rockefeller Center
Queens Night Market
See at Show at Little Island Amphitheater
Little Italy in the Bronx
Pelham Bay Park