We All Want to be on Broadway (or some kind of stage)

Before I came to New York I had a vision in my mind that I would use my accounting job as a way to break into the city and pay rent while auditioning to become a dancer.  Accountant by day, dancer by night. That was the goal.

4 years later, I'm an accountant by day and (wait for it, wait for it) sometimes......an accountant by night! Whomp whomp. Such is the life of a CPA.  Although I didn't become the famous dancer I initially thought I might, I did make some half-hearted (or 3/4-hearted) attempts to pursue a career (or at least a part-time, low-paying gig) in dance.  I auditioned... for 2 Broadway shows, 2 professional sports teams, a random music video, and a small unknown film.

That's something New Yorkers do. We audition for things, because we can (there's always something being filmed), because we want to be in the limelight (with millions of people around, you'll always have an audience), and because it's the concrete jungle where dreams are made of (sing it, Keys!)

In chronological order of appearance, my dates with dance on the NYC stage..

1) The Pulse gala, pre-move to NY, circa summer 2007. The Pulse is an amazing dance convention put on by Broadway Dance Center. I sent in a video audition to be in the special intensive program led by Brian Friedman, dancer/choreographer extraordinaire. We spent 3 grueling days learning 3 routines from Brian and performed them in front of an audience of several hundred, which also happened to include some other choreographers (Laurie Ann Gibson, Tyce Diorio, etc).  This gave me a little taste of what dancing in NYC would be like...

(for more info on the Pulse, check out:  http://www.thepulseontour.com/... I highly recommend it :)

2) Knicks City Dancer auditions - July 2008.  Made it past the first cut (from about 300 down to 150 beautiful, talented girls).  

(the MSG.com cameraman recording my reaction to my performance. "Pretend I'm not here." Really??)

(my parentals and Matt E. came to support me [Matt, how do we not have photos of us this day???]. It was pretty cool to dance on the court of Madison Square Garden, even if just for a day.)

3) Sex & the City II -  August 2009.  If "auditioning" can be defined as playing hooky from work, dressing up as "trendy New Yorkers", and waiting in line for a few hours before prancing up to a table of judges so they can take a picture and dismiss you in 5 minutes or less, I auditioned for Sex and the City II to be an extra.  Me, Matt, Laura and her adorable son Noah made an event of this. And we met some fun strangers along the way.  Good times :)

4) Little Mermaid, Central Park live.  Summer 2009.  Since my dance/acting career wasn't panning out as planned, I took actions into my own hands and held an independent performance in Central Park. When I become famous, you can all post this on Youtube and say you knew me then :)  (Note: if you're not my Facebook friend, you may not be able to access this link. Sorrs!)

Little Mermaid

5) Chorus Line and West Side Story on Broadway.  Fall 2009. I put my Little Mermaid skills to use and decided to crack down and take a voice lesson to equip myself for a real live Broadway audition.  My biggest fear of an actual Broadway audition was the fact that I knew I'd have to sing.  So, I decided to stop making excuses and sign up for voice lessons to conquer that fear. I went to an amazing vocal coach, Bob Marks (check him out:  http://www.bobmarks.com/cms/) to get prepared for these 2 auditions.  Bob was fabulous.. he didn't judge me (at least not to my face), but gave me encouragement, practice and techniques to prep me.  We chose the song "Part of your world" from the Little Mermaid. How appropriate :) I made my roommate/friend Jill listen to me over and over. God bless her soul!  Anyway, I never even made it past the first rounds to show off my new-found singing skills, but it was an experience nonetheless :)

6) Jets Flight Crew. Summer 2010. My amazing boyfriend Matt drove me and my college dance friend to Fairleigh Dickinson University for two long days of try-outs. We both made it past the first cut, but sadly didn't get to the finals. It was a great day though, filled with hairspray and shattered dreams. :) (again, if you're not my FB friend you might not get to see the video).

jets flight crew

So, although it's kind of sad that I didn't succeed at any of these auditions or at becoming a professional dancer, I became a little braver by putting myself out there on the big stages of NYC.  Who knows? Maybe it's never too late and you may see me on the big screen yet :)

When have you done something you were afraid of?  What's a dream you think it may be too late to pursue? And what are you going to do about it?

xoxo

Alone and its Opposite

Me: "What's the opposite of "alone"?"  Matt: "Together."  Me: "I don't think so." [pause for google search of 'opposite of alone'... search results: "together" but I don't buy it]... anyway...

New York can be the loneliest place even when you're surrounded by millions of people --  literally.  It's the most populated city in the United States (8.5 million, beating LA by a long-shot which has a mere 3.8 million), and the 19th most populated in the world.  That's probably why it came as shock to me when I moved here in January 2008 and I didn't immediately have a huge group of new friends with social plans every night.  For the first year and of half I lived in the city, I lived by myself. Probably not the best move for someone who is brand new in this huge city.  After taking many a lonely walk through Madison Square Park chumming it up with the oddly unafraid squirrels, being hit on by creepy strangers at Barnes & Nobles on 86th Street on Friday nights, and eating by myself at restaurants (ranging from a sports bar where it's not as obvious, to an upscale restaurant on the UES where I stood out slightly more) I slowly made friends and established meaningful connections.

Long story short, I ended up with 2 fabulous roommate-friends in a luxury high-rise in Hell's Kitchen in August 2009.  This was the best month I had yet experienced...these were the most social girls I had known to date, and they included me in all their plans. Suddenly I wasn't lonely anymore, and began having tons of fun in the city (pictured below) :)

Then I met my boyfriend Matt, and well, here we are.  I now live in a semi-over-crowded apartment with 3 room-mates (I love them dearly), 2 of whom have their boyfriends over each weekend, add in an extra friend here or there and the population usually hangs around 8 people.  No more lonely. :) [pictured here: me and my Man Matt; me with my 2 lady roomies; and me with my 4th roommate/longest friend Matt E.... love them all :)]

In honor of that first year of living alone in the city, here's a few excerpts from my journal during those times...

4/7/2008: "Tonight when I came into my apartment after work around 9pm, I really appreciated independence and my own space, and just how I feel being on my own. I'm laying on my floor. Looking up I see the view of the building outside, with lit up squares for windows. Jack Johnson is on and I also hear buses pulling through the stop right outside my building.  I feel like I'm in a crib in a treehouse in the city. Up high but feeling really safe and cozy." (First NYC studio apartment pictured here...)

5/3/2008: "Last night I went to the movies by myself and saw "Made of Honor."  Was cute and funny and just fun to go to the movies by myself. I hadn't done that in a while." 


6/8/2008:  "I'm sitting on the stoop of my new apartment on 81st street between 1st and 2nd Ave. It's an interesting feeling being here right now. It's new and I'm mostly comfortable and I feel at home. But there's a little apprehension in me. Like I need to see and just feel it out. I feel much cozier and brighter, normal and more functional in this apartment and hood. So many people are walking by :).  There are lots of young people. And people with friends and boyfriends. I think this would be a fun place to have a boyfriend. We could cook together, and cuddle and watch movies and sit on the stoop together with coffee and talk and take walks." (pic of me on first day in new UES apartment -- my 2nd of 4 NYC apartments)

6/15/2008: "Central Park. It's my new park. I was a little sad to leave Madison Square Park but this one is unbelievable. I feel like I'm in "Pride and Prejudice" when they take strolls through the meadow. I'm looking out onto rolling fields of grass, and there's a lantern, benches and birds chirping everywhere. So romantic.  And I'm realizing romantic doesn't have to be tied to 2 people. You can have completely romantic moments like these by yourself." (me having a blast in central park during a visit from 2 of my Florida friends)

What's a time you've rejoiced in time spent alone? When have you ever felt alone even amidst a crowd of people? Thoughts welcome :) Til next time!

INTRO.

After four years of living in Manhattan, and four years of debating every year whether I should leave or stay (inevitably choosing to stay each year), I've finally decided to move out of the Big Apple. With 7 more months left to enjoy my life here in New York City, I've become a bit nostalgic and have a rekindled desire to savor the City as much as possible.

That being said, I've come up with a New York bucket list of sorts... a list of things/places to experience over the next 7 months. Not that I will never come back to NYC to visit after I move away, but I want to make the most of this place while I still call it home and can tap into its majestic chaos by just walking out my front door.  This blog will document my last months and days in the City, including my experiences crossing things off the bucket list. I'll also share some of the cooler things I've done in my time here, and write about the random daily occurrences that would only happen in New York.

To kick things off, I'm paying homage to the inspiration for this blog's namesake... the "Shit New Yorkers Say" video.  Here it is in all its glory.. The part that really hits home is the "I love it here... I hate it here..." scene.  If there's anything that's epitomized my time in NYC, it's that internal fight between loving the City one day and hating it the next. Loving it for the crazy people on the streets, amazing food, high energy.  Hating it for the crazy people on the streets, expensive food, high prices of, well, everything.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRvJylbSg7o

And now for the main event (drum roll, please)... the Bucket List.  I am wide open to suggestions if you have any recommendations for amazing things you've done in the city.  Here goes (in categories for your reading pleasure):

Food
1.  Eataly early July 2012
2. Per Se (this is a reach item.. kind of like Princeton on my college app list)
3. Dos Caminos (seems basic, but it's a Mexican place I've heard great things about, and given my inclination for guac, it's a must-do)  3/2012 (forget which day)
4. Amy's Bread (down the street from my apt. but have yet to be patron) 1/29/12
5. S'mac
6. Lombardi's pizza (I originally had Grimaldi's on here, but per someone's advice that Grimaldi's is over-rated, I switched it out for this one)
7. Lincoln 2/11/12
8. Chelsea Market 1/29/12
9. Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken 2/4/12
10. Lani Kai Hawaiin cocktail lounge

Museums/music/culture
11. MoMA
12. Tenement Museum 1/14/12
13. Museum of Natural History 1/8/12
14. NY Philharmonic concert
15. Museum of the Moving Image
16. The Cloisters/day in Harlem
17. Concert @ Terminal 5
18. Blue Note Jazz Club
19. Opera @ the Met
20. At least 1 more broadway show   5/16/12
21. Movie at Lincoln Center movie theater   1/21/12

Everything Else
22. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (I've done this once, but this is for my boyfriend Matt... shout out to my Babaayy!)    6/16/2012
23. Bergdorf Goodman
24. 9/11 Memorial
25. Spend a day photographing New York
26. Weekend at the Hamptons (something I've wanted to do every summer but have just not managed to make it happen)
27. Walk the entire perimeter of Central Park
28.  Professional blow-out at Dry Bar (with sister :)

So that's it for now.  What's on your NYC bucket list?