Guys, as of last week I have officially lived in NYC for 4 years. This last year seriously flew by! When I first hopped on a plane headed east, I swore I was only going to live here for 1 year, maybe 2. Somehow I’m still here though!

There’s been a lot of ups and downs along the way, but I can say the last year has been my favorite. Between moving into my first solo apartment, and then the second, adding some great new friends to the mix, and exploring the city some more, this year has really been one of feeling more grounded. I’ve definitely had my home-sick and some of those fork at a road moments, but in the end I’m pretty content with where I’m at right now.

So, in true anniversary fashion I want to dedicate this post to a few sets of 4 to celebrate the occasion!

4 of the Biggest Changes in my Life Over the Last 4 Years:

1. Getting my own apartment. This is something that I’d been wanting for a long time so I’m very proud to have been able to make it a reality!
2. I’ve really taken an interest in real estate and interior decorating. Nothing professionally… but these are two things, 4 years ago that I wasn’t all that concerned with. I’ve always enjoyed making my room cute, but I definitely think I’ve stepped up my game a little now that I have my own place. My 2 new loves are pretty evident by the amount of time HGTV is on my TV too… Like, it may have been one of the big reasons I actually caved and finally ordered cable. {confession moment!}
3. Embracing just who I am! This might totally sound silly, but I think living in the city along with growing up a little has really allowed me to feel more comfortable with just who I am. I’ve really embraced my quirks, my approach to life and prioritized the things that are most important to me.
4. I’ve become a pro-budgeter. It’s no secret that NYC is an expensive city to live in but I’ve certainly managed to make it work! I was never a huge budgeter before moving here, and even though I don’t have to be as strict as I did when I first moved, I work really hard to get the best deals on groceries and other household essentials.

4 of my Biggest Tips for Making it in NYC:

1. Be realistic! I hate to be a bubble burster but if you want to make it here, take your head out of the clouds for a moment and try and take in the city for all it is. You probably aren’t going to live in that fancy apartment on Central Park West when you first move (if so, I’m seriously jealous) and things aren’t always going to be easy. Accept that fact first and you’ll make it far.
2. Set your goals high. I may have just said take your {living} standards down a notch, but don’t lower your goals! What do you want to accomplish while you’re here? Start out your career and work your way up? Start a business? Whatever your goals may be, NYC is the place to make it happen. There are so many career opportunities, industry events to attend, and helloooo people to network with. That phrase, “if you can make it here you can make it anywhere”? Absolutely true, again, things won’t be handed to you on a platter probably but the potential is here.
3. Make the most of the city! Whether you plan on being here for a short time or you’re thinking more long term, get out there and enjoy it! Try everything once. Just get out there! We have museums, music, parks galore, food, parades.. you name it, we have it! Make the most of your time!
4. Don’t be afraid to connect with others. NYC may have a bad rep for not being friendly, but I 100% disagree. So many people come here from all over and are mostly receptive to a friendly conversation. Whether that’s someone on the bus, reaching out to someone at a charity you want to volunteer at or emailing one of your favorite bloggers. Don’t be afraid to say hi! You never know where you’ll meet your next mentor, best friend, or even significant other.

4 of my All-Time Favorite Memories While Living Here:

1. My 25th Birthday weekend — Super Bowl Boulevard, DirecTV’s Beach Bowl and Great Saturday Night, my Birthday Super Bowl party! The whole shabang, it was AWESOME!
2. Apple picking! I absolutely loved going to pick apples on Long Island. Everything about apple picking just screams fall, and I love fall.
3. Exploring the city during one of my friend’s visits to the city. We started the day at the Holiday Market in Union Square, went to the Duck bar to watch the football game and then explored the Holiday Market in Bryant Park where it started snowing. It was a fun out-of-the-movies moment when the snow started to come down and the perfect way to wind down the evening.
4. Every 9th Avenue Food Festival. I look forward to it every year and always have a great time no matter who I end up going with!

4 Things I Look Forward to in the Next Year:

1. One of my besties is moving here this fall and I absolutely cannot wait. It will be so fun to have another person to enjoy the city with and a little piece of the west coast!
2. Working on an ebook about moving to the city! I’ve connected with so many people from my blog who want to move to the city from around the country but don’t know where to start. You think there’d be an abundant of resources for moving to NYC, and there’s certainly travel books and whatnot but there surprisingly aren’t a lot of resources that are current. That’s where I come in.. Something a little more in-depth than my blog, but written in the same real-world, and fun way (or so I hope!)
3. Launching my print shop! Something that I really enjoy doing is working on typography graphics. I’ve been working on some prints over the last year and am excited to unleash them for the world! Stay tuned for more details on that in the future!
4. Further immersing myself in the NYC blogger community! When I first started this blog I really just wrote to share some of my adventures with friends and family from home with no real further thought beyond that. As time has gone by though I’ve really discovered my passion for sharing the city and connecting with others who have the same spirit.

So there you have it. 4 years down! Excited to see what the next year will bring!

This song.. awww love it! has me pumped for some Oregon football tomorrow too! Go Ducks!

Dose of my “Subway Mixing” Playlist

Today’s preview, Mat Kearney- “Coming Home (Oregon)”

This Labor Day weekend I hopped on a bus and headed north to New England for a little exploring with two of my favorite people! First stop? The lovely, Boston!

Let me start by saying I LOVE this city! I visited a couple of years ago but somehow hadn’t made it back until this weekend. It’s about a 4 and a half bus ride from the city, so it’s a little way, but totally doable for a weekend trip. 

There’s just something about this city that just gives off good vibes. The city is gorgeous, clean, full of colonial charm and the people come across as very friendly! It didn’t hurt that the weather was beautiful when I hopped off the bus either! 

My bus ended up getting caught up in some traffic on the way up, but it actually ended up getting me into our hotel only a few minutes before the Hardersen, which worked out perfectly!

Kathy booked us a totally fabulous hotel for the evening in the Back Bay of Boston. The very nice man at the concierge desk explained to us that back in the day the area was very industrial, but in the last several years it had gotten a complete facelift and become a hub for new developments. I’m totally obsessed with the design and decor of our hotel too!

Industrial, yet super modern. Sliding metal doors, exposed pipes and beams, aw interior design heaven! Love the look! The area reminded me a lot of the Pearl District in Portland too. 

For the evening we took a walk across the water and went to a dueling piano bar called Howl at the Moon! I’d never been to a piano bar before and this location was a great place to be my first! How much FUN! It was remarkable to hear some of the piano versions of songs as well as a few surprises.. “Baby Got Back” and… “The Circle of Life”? Yep, that happened!

On our walk back to the hotel we ran into a fireworks show too! The perfect way to end the night! 

We started out the morning with an awesome breakfast at the hotel (please admire my first waffle I’ve made!) and then we headed to the North End with one place on our agenda…dun, dun, dun. Mike’s Pastry!

If you go to one place and one place only in Boston. Go to Mikes. Their cannolis are out of this world! The hype is real and delicious!

Once we had our cannolis in tow it was time to head to Route 3A towards Cape Cod! 

Along our way we came across Plymouth, the city where the pilgrims landed. Talk about going back to your colonial roots, right!? So that was pretty cool, we got to see Plymouth Rock too which, spoiler alert, was kind of underwhelming.

It was still cool to see though.. even if it probably wasn’t really what the pilgrims saw when they arrived. Did you know they didn’t talk about Plymouth Rock until over 100 years after they landed? Sounds a little fishy to me!

Either way, Plymouth was cute and we got to see a recreation of the Mayflower too. Let’s just saw, I’m glad I live in modern days and wasn’t traveling thousands of miles across the ocean in that boat. Can you imagine!??

Along our drive to Cape Cod we got to see some really adorable architecture. I’m totally a fan of the old colonial homes and the cape cod shake style homes. SO cute! We also got to go through some fun little towns like Sandwich! Yes, there’s a town named Sandwich!

The weather had clouded up a bit by the time we made it to our destination but we still got in plenty of adventure time! 

We definitely hit a couple of firsts for me on this trip! Another being trying a lobster roll from the Summer Shanty. I have to say, I’m not sure if I’ve even had lobster prior to that roll, but man was it tasty! Their chowder was seriously on point too! Cape Cod, you’re serious about that seafood thing ;-)

The next morning we did a little more sightseeing and stopped at this cute little beach style coffee house in Brewster. I really liked the town of Brewster, it was seriously cute! there were several Inns, antique shops, and art galleries.

The Cape definitely has a very laid back vibe. There’s some cute little shops to check out and some restaurants, but for the most part you can tell that people really go there to head to the beach and just relax with family and friends. Oh, and play mini golf, if you want to open a mini golf business, that is the place to do it!

To wrap up my time in the Cape we headed further up the peninsula to Provincetown so that I could catch an express ferry back to Boston to catch my bus back home, I didn’t spend much time in Provincetown but it looked like a colorful and hopping little city! Would love to explore a little more if I make it back one day!

And that’s a wrap! What a wonderful weekend with two amazing people! So thankful I was able to tag along their trip and check out a new part of the country!