Sunset, Skyline, & Swedish Meatballs: Date Night in NYC

Are you looking for an evening out?  Have I got a deal for you.

First, you and your loved one will take a quiet stroll through the heart of the Financial District until you reach the water's edge.  Next, you'll take a ferry ride where you can see beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty.  Then, you'll enjoy a European meal as you watch the sun set on the East River.   Finally, enjoy the lit skyline against the night sky as you head back to Manhattan.

How much would you expect to pay for such an evening?

$50?

$100?

Try

10 bucks!

That's right, a certain Englishman and I have figured out the cheapest date in NYC.

Go to IKEA.

You see, IKEA is in Brooklyn, which is across the East River.  So they have a water taxi that costs $5 to ride.  BUT, if you spend $10 at IKEA, they take $5 off your bill, and there isn't a fare to get back home.  So the ferry ride is free, because really, who goes to IKEA to spend less than $10?

Here we are starting our ferry ride. 

After we docked at the IKEA parking lot, we went upstairs to their cafeteria and bought their Swedish meatball dinner which is $5.

You can sit with a view of the Manhattan skyline, or a view of the Statue of Liberty.

After dinner, we went downstairs to do our shopping.  Tonight's theme is called, "Bedding."

They even have an escalator just for your cart to make it easier to get out the door.

As we waited for the ferry to take us back, we got to watch the sunset behind Lady Liberty.

By the time we left, it was dark.

As we made our way to the pier, I looked over at the Brooklyn Bridge were Johnny was with a large group of teenagers for his first NYC MTC activity.

He ended up walking home all the way from Brooklyn, crazy kid!

I'm learning to feel like I'm close to home when I see the Freedom Tower.

Not bad for a $10 date!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Week of September 11

Something I promised my friends before I left for NYC was that I would write about everything, not just the fun and glamorous parts of my NYC life.  I've decided to start a weekly roundup called "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" in order to keep this promise.  

Online Ordering

THE GOOD: 

I'm so glad that Google Express got here before I did.  I can have delivered to my apartment just about anything that Costco, Target, Walgreen's, and other stores sell that's non perishable.   If I realize I need something on Monday night, it can be at my door the next day, sometimes as early as noon.

THE BAD: 

Furniture delivery.  Ugh!  These can be tricky.  Some items must be scheduled in order to be delivered, especially if they are bringing it into my apartment.  If we bring it in ourselves, we have to pay a $500 deposit and let the building know 24 hours in advance.  If we don't break anything on the way up, we get our money back.  

I've been waiting on three large pieces from West Elm.  I called to find out where they were.  I discovered that 2 of the 3 items have been sitting in their warehouse for a week waiting for the third piece.  While they are willing to deliver them to me one at a time, they weren't going to let me know that.  

THE UGLY:

About 50% of the furniture we have already received has been damaged or broken.  Returns are tricky in NYC, because you are responsible for transporting it back.  When a certain Englishman bought a couch at IKEA, he paid $50 for a driver to bring it back to our apartment.  He took the huge boxes upstairs only to discover that one piece was damaged.  So he had to pay $55 for an SUV Uber to go back to Brooklyn to switch it out and then another $45 to get the right piece back to our place.  This was over 10% of the cost of the couch.  

DOORMEN

THE GOOD:

I LOVE our doormen.  They are really amazing.  After our first meeting they know our name.  With 548 units, I don't know how they do this.  These are the most friendly, funny, New Yorkers I interact with on a daily basis.  It's like having a loving family member looking out for you.  I want to give them all a hug.

THE BAD:

While the doormen themselves are wonderful, it can be tricky having them.  They aren't allowed to let anyone up to your apartment unless we tell them in advance that they are coming.  So visiting and deliveries aren't anything like they are out in the suburbs.

THE UGLY:

Fortunately the doormen are there to receive all packages, 24 hours a day.  Unfortunately, they receive TONS of packages every day.  Each one must be processed, scanned, put into a computer, and then the apartment is notified of the package.  They do this by putting your apartment number on a big screen, emailing you, and even calling you if it is Google Express.  As you can imagine this takes quite a bit of time for them to do this.  So a package that you desperately need may be downstairs but you can't pick it up because it hasn't been processed.

SUBWAYS 

THE GOOD:

I really like taking the subways.  They bypass all the street traffic and can get you around town much more quickly than a bus or car.  There are lots of apps that help make using the subways much easier.  My favorite is Citymapper.

I don't know how I'd get around without Citymapper.  It tells me how much an Uber would cost, how long it would take to walk it, which buses and subways I can take to get there.  It even alerts me to delays.  It was through Citymapper I found out about the explosion in Chelsea.  

THE BAD:

Weekends are tough on subways.  This is when most of the construction happens and you never know what will be open and what won't.  A certain Englishman was an hour late getting to the airport to meet us because of a line closure he didn't know about.  We have had to travel by foot long distances because of unexpected train delays or closures.  

THE UGLY:

As convenient and inexpensive as subways are, they are also a popular place for the indigent.  While illegal, many times someone will beg for money with a prepared speech.  Last night as word of the explosion made its way to New Yorkers, many of us discovered that we are on a subway line that was shut down preventing us from getting home.  Many people had out their phones and were trying to book Ubers or find alternate routes.  While all of this was happening, a man who was trying to start his speech asking for money, started to yell at everyone to be quiet and to listen to him.  He didn't realize what was happening.  All he knew was that no one was paying him any attention.   We finally stepped off the train so that we could hear each other, as did most people.  

We had just bought our weekly groceries at Trader Joe's and had two heavy bags.  We ended up walking about a total of 12 to 15 blocks at various points throughout the city so that we could find a line that was running.  

Which leads me to.... 

Compeed

THE GOOD: 

This pretty much is the best thing ever when it comes to blisters on feet.  It comes in a carrying case that I keep in my purse. 

THE BAD:

Shoes that have been really comfortable in Utah, are not so much in NYC.  Fast walking to catch a train or get to a meeting, puts lots of stress on my feet and shoes.  Ouch!

THE UGLY: 

What my feet look like when I don't put on Compeed fast enough.  

NYC Walls and Ceilings

This week our wall mount for a 55" TV came in.  A certain Englishman set aside Wednesday night to install it.  He finally got it finished Saturday afternoon.   Here's why: 

THE GOOD: 

According to NYC code, all walls shared with another apartment must be double sheet rocked.  This equates to about  1 1/4 inches of sheet rock.  This means we can't hear anything coming from the apartment next to ours, even their yappy little dog.  The ceilings are made of concrete and keep us from hearing anyone above us.  We also don't have to worry about making noise and disturbing anyone below us.  

THE BAD: 

The screws and anchors that came with the wall mount, wouldn't work.  NYC doesn't use wood studs in high rise buildings, they use metal ones.  This means you have to use an anchor system with togglers.  

These actually work pretty well but can be tricky to use.  And when one breaks and slips behind the sheetrock, you have go back to the hardware store to buy another one, which is a 15-minute one way journey by foot.  Thank goodness for teenage sons!

THE UGLY:

As frustrating as learning how to navigate thick sheet rock can be, figuring out how to hang from a concrete ceiling is worse.  This requires a special carbide drill bit and special anchors.  And as we learned the hard way, a different drill.  A normal drill can't cut it (literally).  You need what is called a hammer drill.  Fortunately, our neighbor already has one we can borrow.  But it was a long afternoon figuring all of this out on our own.

Grocery Shopping 

THE GOOD:

Grocery stores and fruit stands are everywhere.  It's hard to walk very far without someplace that sells food.  Trader Joe's has national pricing, which means while it can be expensive in some cities, it is incredibly low-priced in NYC.

THE BAD:

Grocery shopping is tricky because you have to be able to carry what you purchase.  Lots of grocery delivery places exist, but some can cost $300 a year just in membership fees, and I'm just not ready yet to have someone else decide which bananas we want.  A certain Englishman is very particular about the level of ripeness in his banana.  So I like to make my own purchases.  Which means weighing the trade off of getting the larger size with more savings versus having to carry it home.

THE UGLY:

Living with a teenager, we go through lots of milk.  I found a market in TriBeCa where the milk is only $4.29 a gallon.  (I can't believe I just used the words "only" "milk" and "$4.29" in the same sentence.)  But the store isn't too close, and if we suddenly run out of milk, it would take a while just for one gallon.  I decided to see what the market across the street from our apartment charges.  I figured it would be more expensive, but maybe worth the savings in time.

Are you sitting down?

First of all the store only sells half gallon sizes.  I guess there aren't too many teenagers in Battery Park City.

Secondly, half a gallon of milk cost $5.00.  

That $10 for a gallon of milk!

Think about that next time you load up on milk at Costco.

And there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly of our first week in New York City.

You Are Now Ours: The LDS Church in NYC

For those not familiar with the LDS Church, our congregations are divided geographically into what are called wards.

Here's a short 2 minute video that explains what a ward is in our church community.

I've always wondered how those not in the LDS faith move to a brand new place with no friends or family close by.  It must take a lot of bravery and confidence.  Or, I imagine it would, because I have never had to.

When my two youngest kids and I lived in France one summer, one of the first things we did was try to find the LDS Church building.  At the building we met two sister missionaries and were invited to a baptism which allowed us to meet several members of the ward.  By the time we attended Sunday service, we were already part of the family.


Here in NYC, the wards are divided based on subway lines, not neighborhoods.  Our ward is relatively close to the 1,2,3 subway lines in lower Manhattan.  We are called the Union Square Ward because our church building is near Union Square.

New York City's population is .36% Mormon.

Which is a huge change from Pleasant Grove, Utah which is 89% Mormon.  Which might explain why my last ward's boundary looked like this.

Almost every home in our ward has a Mormon living there. 

After a long day and night getting moved into NYC  , we pulled ourselves out of bed (the 2 hour difference from Utah is felt the most in the mornings) and went to church.

We have attended service in this ward before, so it was nice to see familiar faces.

As the Bishop (the congregational ecclesiastical leader) opened the meeting, he welcomed the Stake President, President Buckner, who was sitting next to him on the stand.  The stand is the area behind the pulpit.  Multiple wards are grouped together in what is called a stake.  Manhattan is one stake with 15 wards and branches (small congregations are called branches).

I didn't think anything of the announcement because a Stake President will frequently visit the different wards within his stake.

The Bishop then said that the Stake President was going to speak to us.

Pres. Buckner stood up and said that he was there to call a new Bishop.

He then gave some interesting statistics.  I learned some others that day as well, that I'll also include.

• The Manhattan Stake has 15 units, because of this, the stake has permission to have 15 members on the High Council (a group of High Priests who support the Stake President and his two counselors), most have 12.  
• The average time someone is a Bishop of a ward in the Manhattan Stake is 1.8 years.  That number is skewed a little high because two bishops have been currently serving for 7 years.  Typically an LDS Bishop serves for 5 years.  
• In the Manhattan Stake, there are 3000 members of the Relief Society, the women's organization within the Church.  Many stakes have around 900 and many much less than that.  
• The membership of the Manhattan Stake has a turnover rate between 20 and 30 percent, every year.  

President Buckner said that being the Stake President is like running an aircraft carrier.  There are airplanes constantly landing and taking off.

While learning all of this, I was starting to wonder if we would just be viewed as one of those many airplanes.  Today you land, tomorrow you take off.  Please get out of our way and leave quickly so that we can get back to work.

Later that night, I ran into the wife of the newly called Bishop.  We ended up riding the subway home together (another great reason to divide wards by subway lines.)

She said something that brought me comfort.

"Once you move to New York City, you are now ours.  We will immediately bring you into our family.  Some accept the embrace and jump right in, others just wait on the sidelines until it is their time to go back home."

I plan on jumping right in.

Moving Day Pt. 2: Reunited with a certain Englishman

A certain Englishman moved to New York City a couple weeks ago.  

You can read about that day by clicking here.

On Saturday, Johnny and I joined him.  

The past two weeks have been spent, packing, cleaning, ordering furnishings online, and saying goodbye to friends.  

Finally moving day arrived.  I decided to bring my world traveler, my Jane Austen action figure.  

Also my favorite paper weight from a dear friend. 

We boarded the plane and I settled in to read the book I'm currently reading, Primates of Park Avenue, but the people behind me were really loud.  I decided to listen to music instead.  

My plane ticket was less than a seat at the theater.  

I discovered that the Hamilton soundtrack was available.  Both CDs took most of my flight to listen to.  It was a good flight.  

We met a certain Englishman at the airport and grabbed a taxi because I didn't want to have to wait for a car.  

As we got closer to Manhattan, the skyline appeared. 

This reminded me of when I visited New York City 9 years ago.  As we took the airport shuttle back to JFK, I turned around and saw the skyline through the window.  I started to cry, I knew this was where I was supposed to live, but I knew I never would.  

Thankfully, I was wrong.

We arrived at our building and unloaded the taxi.

I was surprised that the driver didn't make a comment about how heavy and large our luggage was.  My guess is, he didn't care.  

A certain Englishman introduced us to our friendly doormen, and took us to our apartment. 

Where we dropped off our luggage and promptly left.

You see, Johnny had to be at the LDS Stake Center at 7:00 p.m, and we were already late.  It was the Seminary Kick-off party a chance for Johnny to meet the other LDS teenagers living in Manhattan. 

So we got our Metro cards refilled 

and went to the LDS Stake Center.  We stayed to make sure that Johnny knew where to go and would be taken care of.  

We met a wonderful couple who had just moved to NYC three weeks ago.  

Well sort of.  

A couple of years ago, they moved to NYC with 6 of their 12 children as what they called "a dry run."  They kept their house in Utah and rented an apartment with the intent to move back eventually.  His project ended 9 months later and they returned back to home.  

Only to discover that they didn't like their home in Utah anymore.  It was too big, and too far away from people.  So they sold it, got rid of most of their stuff and came back to NYC where they are happier.  

"I wonder if that will happen to us," I thought. 

After exchanging numbers with the couple, we went to check on Johnny.  He was surrounded by a large group of teenagers, we knew he was in good hands.  I was starving, so we went to our favorite pizza place, called Little Italy, which was close by. 

Then we stopped at Trader Joe's for some groceries. 

I love how their dairy section is called "Moo" York City.  

Are you wondering why we shopped at the expensive Trader Joe's?  Well, two words.  Nationally priced.  Meaning it's not expensive at all in NYC.  

This Trader Joe's has all the same food and prices as the one near you.  With maybe one exception.  

Over 30 registers and a person who stands at the front of the line letting your knew which register is yours.  

When we got home I told a certain Englishman to relax and watch some football.  He has been working so hard these last two weeks that he's lost quite a bit of weight and now has a cold.  I unboxed and put away many of the deliveries.  I worked until 2 in the morning, or what my body thinks is midnight.  

Johnny got home on his own after hanging out at the Stake President's home with a bunch of boys to watch the BYU football game after the Seminary dance.  He fell into bed and promptly fell asleep.  

I'd say moving day was a great success.  

Remembering 9/11: Sharing a local tragedy with the nation

When my mom passed away in Arizona, my father chose to have her buried in Price, Utah where she was raised.   Her brother chose a beautiful, peaceful plot on a hill overlooking the town she had called home for almost 2 decades.

After my mom's interment, her resting place was covered in flowers.

Afterwards,  my dad selected a headstone for her. He put on it her name, birthdate, and death date.

 He also had room for their marriage date and sealing date, a picture of the Salt Lake Temple, a picture of daisies, the CTR emblem,a place to hold a large vase of flowers and the first and middle names of all 6 children on the back.  

My mom's brother and wife do a wonderful job taking care of my mom's plot.  They visit often, decorate the tombstone, and clear away the debris.  It's a nice peaceful place.

Why am I telling you all this in a post about 9/11?  Because yesterday, I realized that thousands of people who lost their lives that tragic day don't have any of that.

Sunday, September 11, 2016 marks the 15-year anniversary of 9/11.  It also was my first full day living in New York City.  

I walked outside my building to attend church and was met with tons of news vans, reporters, lights, and cameras.

 

It took me a second to remember why.  (It's easy to get focused on self when moving across the county.)

After church, we made a quick lunch and decided to walk over to the Memorial.  

It was a nice little short walk.  A gentle breeze had blown away the humidity and mugginess and I felt even a hint of a promise of autumn to come.

I have been to the Memorial before, but I felt like I was seeing it for the first time.  I wondered what it would be like to come to this place not as an observer, but as one who had lost a loved one.  

What would it be like to visit the final resting place of my mother only to find it surrounded by thousands of people?  That's what it is like for the 9/11 families.

The two pools serve as the headstone for the thousands of people who have one thing in common.  Their death date.

Picture of North Pool taken from my rooftop

With only their name as negative space on the panel.  

Which makes it possible to insert flowers or pictures to decorate the grave. 

But even then, the space is limiting.  

Crowds seemed to gather around the most decorated names.  

In some places, I had to wait my turn to be able to walk up to the panel.  I thought, "What if I had to wait my turn to see my mother's name?" I don't think I'd be able to.

While walking through the crowds, I saw a woman with a handful of flowers, carefully pulling off the blooms and placing them in a name.  She did it calmly and methodically.

As I saw her move from name to name, I wondered if she knew these people or was just paying respect to the tragedy as a whole.

And then I realized that we as visitors here are not invading these families' space.  We are sharing it with them.

 We may not personally know the individuals who died, but something died in all of us that day.

Their personal nightmare, was our nightmare too.  We all realized how precious and fragile life is.   We lost our false sense of security, the belief that America was safe.  Every time we take off our shoes at an airport, or have our bags checked when entering a stadium, we are reminded that danger is everywhere, even where we stand.

But while thousands of people died on 9/11, something else was born.  New York City became a symbol of  a united front, of perseverance, of patriotism.

Whenever I see the museum, 

I think back to that day when those firefighters placed an American flag among the rubble.  

As if to say, we cannot be stopped; we will rebuild.

And we did.

I think I'm going to like my new neighborhood.

Here are more pictures from that day: