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April 26, 2013

…travelled to my 33rd state

I’ve done a fair bit of traveling throughout the U.S., but I’ve largely stuck to the coasts and avoided the middle. Today I went to one state so far out that such little attention was paid during its inception and it was sketched as a square: Colorado. It brings my number of states visited to …

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April 20, 2013

…hit golf balls at the Hudson River

When I met Dan and Amanda a few weeks ago, I made the mistake of telling them that when I lived in Atlanta, I used to play golf weekly – and even once attempted a few holes at Augusta. It looked like it was going to bite me in the tusch today when they asked if …

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April 11, 2013

…was a barista

Today I headed back to one of my old favourite haunts for coffee. But rather than doing the drinking, I was doing the making. This was something different for me, but I did really enjoy it. A lot of times, I am making my own coffee at home using my new coffee machine. I have …

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March 28, 2013

…turned the cube at Astor Place (just)

Whenever Dylan and I passed the massive cube sculpture at Astor Place, he would tell me you could spin it – and I’d make sceptical noises. Well, it turns out that he was actually right about something the whole time. The cube is a huge steel sculpture by Tony Rosenthal that was put up in …

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March 22, 2013

…had a makeover at Bloomingdale’s

When I was younger, I was a devotee of My Girl, desperate to be Vada and impress my own Thomas J. I spent many of my younger years thinking that baggy clothes were somehow flattering and generally looking very rubbish. One offshoot was that I was so late to the makeup party that I decided …

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March 21, 2013

…hacked a computer

Faced with the silence of a post-break up social life, I have found a new job to keep me busy: Computer hacking. Just kidding, FBI. (And it’s not been that silent really, fear not.) But I did pick up a few tips at an Intro to Hacking class at the Brooklyn Brainery, a great little …

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March 12, 2013

…climbed a volcano

Four days after I went to the top of the Empire State Building for a view of New York City, I have completed Edinburgh’s equivalent: climbing to the top of Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat is a dormant volcano looming over Edinburgh – one of my favourite cities in the UK. Its steepest part is at …

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March 6, 2013

…had a PB&J

Us Brits may be superior at tea and socialised healthcare, but Americans have really nailed the sandwich. So while I was munching on jam sandwiches in front of Sesame Street 20+ years ago, my genius U.S. counterparts had thrown some peanut butter on theirs. There have been audible gasps when I’ve dared to admit I’ve never had a peanut butter …

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March 2, 2013

…moved to the East Village

While it’s been a great 18 months battling tourists to get to my front door, rejecting the same restaurant hecklers each evening and hearing bar crowds just hours before my 7 a.m. shift, today I moved out of Little Italy. Little Italy was my first home in the city, and it was actually a great neighbourhood to move …

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February 23, 2013

…was in a music video

Being in New York means you get to meet great people like Lindsay Ellyn, a singer-songwriter who’s just released her first EP. Today Lindsay was filming the final scenes for a music video for Somebody Love Those Girls (my favourite on the EP) so I went along to help out. The song is about women …

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February 9, 2013

…made a snow angel

Winter Storm Nemo dumped a foot of snow on New York last night. For Lower Manhattan – where I live – that means brown slush lining every street for a few days. But for the city’s parks, it means a soft, welcoming blanket – and the opportunity to be a big kid. So I donned …

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February 4, 2013

…overcame my fear of cheese by tackling fondue

Admitting that you’re a vegetarian with a fear of cheese is awkward enough. Admitting that you’re a 27-year-old vegetarian with a fear of melted cheese because it reminds you of snot is even worse. But this aversion to squeaky, chewy, greasy cheese that leaves a taste lasting hours is getting more out of hand the …

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January 31, 2013

…performed a set in the West Village

Well, this was pretty horrific. A few months ago I sang a song at one of Dylan’s shows and felt like it was over far too soon. So when some our friends suggested a ‘couple’s music night’ at Think on 8th Avenue, I thought it would be a good chance to attempt my first ever full set …

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January 27, 2013

…meditated

I had no idea how many things could go through your mind in ten minutes. In the time I was supposed to be concentrating on my breathing at my beginners meditation class, my phone bill, John Kerry, these French-singing cats and how I really, really wanted a Diet Coke all crept into my mind instead. …

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January 14, 2013

…learned to play the cello

I know, I know, pretty impressive. My friend Jane (who I’m staying with on an island off Washington state) gave me a cello lesson this morning, and after initially struggling to balance the bow in my grip, I eventually managed to play a scale. You can’t see it on the footage, but minutes later I …

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January 9, 2013

…met one of my favourite writers

This is why I love New York. About four years ago, I devoured The Year of Living Biblically – a book documenting one man’s mission to live by the rules of the Bible – and now, I can just head out and meet that man: A. J. Jacobs.

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January 3, 2013

…start making the most of NYC

Since my job moved me from London to New York City in October 2011, I’ve done a lot of sitting around. I’ve eaten a lot of brunches, drunk a lot of coffee and watched a lot of The Real Housewives. I’ve done some things. As friends and family have visited over the past year, I’ve visited …

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