Summer has arrived and it is a beautiful time to be in New York City! June has definitely been the most challenging move of the month to date, but the lowest lows have also come with a few of the highest highs.

The difference between moving and travelling is being felt loud and clear this month – funnily enough, when I wrote about this the first time I was writing this about moving to Melbourne, the place I’m now homesick for. It has sunk in that I’m not on holiday and I’ve become keenly aware of everything I miss about my old life. Starting with my friends, my job and the way I always felt like I had somewhere to go or somewhere to be. Right now, I’ve been here too long for New York to be completely novel and exciting, but not long enough for it to feel like home. It’s that awkward part in the middle!

I knew this was going to be part of the growing pains of moving to a new country and I knew I’d miss the life I loved so much in Melbourne, but I wanted to move anyway. These growing pains are all part of moving, and these challenges are part of the reason I think moving is such a valuable experience.

Throughout June, I’ve focused on reminding myself that I can pick up my life again when I go home and it will feel like I never left, and finding the shiny, magic things that made me want to move to New York City in the first place. Late May and early June were pretty low-key, as we settled in. It was good to slow down but it meant that there wasn’t much excitement to counterbalance some serious frustrations of life in a new country. It’s time to tip the scales back!

The solution: We spent a weekend celebrating our anniversary at a restaurant we’ve wanted to try, saw a show at Comedy Cellar, spent an afternoon strolling around the West Village and went to The Whitney, found the perfect park bench for watching the world go by in Central Park, gawked at the Natural History Museum, and I spent a lot of time at some of the city’s best bars and restaurants when some friends I used to work with in Australia were in town.

My next move is to get out of town for a day. Somewhere quiet where we can go for hikes, get some fresh air and enjoy a slower pace. I’ve been recommended Cold Spring and Beacon, so I’ll start there! But first: we have two weeks in Greece coming up at the end of July, for my friend Lia’s wedding!

Since I moved from Melbourne to New York in April 2019, I’ve started writing a series of monthly blog posts, NYC Life, to capture the the big and little moments that have shaped this move. It’s easy in hindsight to forgot the everyday joys, struggles and frustrations of life in a new city, so I wanted a place to for it all to live on the blog. I round up the most fun things I did, saw and ate near the end. For more specific New York City tips, check out my New York City Travel Guide.

Highlights

• A visit from Australia! I used to work in the marketing team at a large hospitality group in Australia, and this month two of the team came to the US for a research trip. I had so much fun with Kylie and Selena during their brief time in New York, it was so nice to see some friendly faces and we had a great time zipping all over the city in search of the most innovative hospitality concepts and ideas. Tough gig!
• Spending an afternoon in Central Park on the ramble, a section near the Upper West Side which is a mess of little hills and winding pathways, that feels very peaceful.
• Judd Apatow dropping in during a show at the Comedy Cellar
• Recognising so many places that I’ve been to in TV shows and movies – it’s weird but fun. I’m sure the novelty will wear off, but you have to understand this very rarely ever happens if you live in Melbourne and never happens if you live in Brisbane.
• Some beautiful flowers from David
• Going to the movies! I know it’s something you can do pretty much anywhere, but I loved going to the movies this month. I saw Booksmart and Late Night – two whip-smart comedies with heart, directed by intelligent, funny women and both with not one, but two intelligent, funny female leads. Yay!
• New friends I’ve met some really lovely people this month, and I’m looking forward to catching up with them again over the next few weeks

Lowlights

• Feeling very far away. This month, there have been many times I’ve wished I could be there with my family in person, rather than over a video call. This is definitely one of the hardest parts of living on the other side of the world!
• Missing my life in Melbourne. From my friends, to my job, to my daily coffee run with my work wives to my pilates studio and the street I lived in, to attending my uncle’s concerts and catching up afterwards over a bubbles. There’s a lot I miss right now, but it’s a reminder to actively build a new life here while also being grateful for my time in Melbourne
• Moving is a long process. Moving overseas or interstate SOUNDS like it takes as long as it takes you to catch a flight, find a place to live and unpack, but it actually takes three months. At least.
• Using banks over here has been an unadulterated nightmare. I never understood why Venmo was such a big deal in America, because it just does the things that your bank lets you do in Australia normally. Now I get it. Venmo is of today, the rest of America’s banking systems are of 1985. To add insult to injury, customer service at my bank (both in the branch and the online call centre) is almost comically bad (almost comical, it is definitely bad).

New Blog Posts

• Exploring Miami’s Little Havana neighbourhood
• In Photos: First Bloom Cherry Blossoms in Central Park
• Itinerary: 3 Days in Tokyo
• NYC Life: May 2019

West Village & Comedy Cellar

One of my favourite afternoons in June was spent wandering around the West Village with David. I love the architecture in this neighbourhood! We ended the evening with a show at Comedy Cellar, which I really should go to more often. Five hilarious comedians, plus a drop in from Hollywood producer Judd Apatow!

The Whitney & The Meatpacking

When I first visited New York in 2015, I absolutely loved The Whitney, a major museum in the Meatpacking dedicated to American art. I was so excited to revisit The Whitney, and dragged David along to their current exhibition, The Biennial. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I just did not vibe with this exhibition at all. Call me uncultured, but I just didn’t really get into it! Last time, the exhibition America Is Hard to See did an amazing job of telling the stories of America with a broad array of American artwork arranged thematically. It was a great introduction to the country as a foreigner and I found so many moving pieces of art. This time, it went a bit over my head. I will always love the views over the Meatpacking from the roof through!

Upper West Side

We spent a day on the Upper West Side, starting with the Grand Bazaar Flea Market. The flea market wasn’t as large as I was expecting, but I’ve come to realise that there aren’t many markets on a grand scale in New York. Instead, there are multiple smaller markets all over town, serving the local community. I’m very keen to check out Brooklyn Flea some time!

Afterwards, we visited the Natural History Museum which is always interesting, and is especially impressive considering how old many of the exhibits are and how groundbreaking they would have been when they were first unveiled. We took a break in Central Park and then tried one of Levain Bakery’s famous cookies before heading to Midtown to meet a friend. Levain’s cookies are worth the hype, and are very decadent (but don’t warrant a special trip to the Upper West Side).

I love the beautiful brownstones on the Upper West Side – the streets here are just as stately as the Upper East Side but much more charming.

Central Park

I found one of my new favourite parts of Central Park – the Ramble. It’s a mess of winding, hilly pathways amongst overgrown greenery and it is so peaceful. We found a bench with a lovely view of a little wooden bridge and the lake, and sat for a long time just watching the world go by.

Pride Month

June is Pride Month, which was particularly significant in New York City, which was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall Riots, which occurred around the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, were seen as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the USA and around the world. The whole city has been decked in pride flags for weeks leading up to the Pride Weekend, which culminated in a huge parade around Lower Manhattan. We missed the parade, but we ventured out in the late afternoon to see what was happening in Greenwich Village. Unfortunately, by this stage in the day it seemed to be a lot less about Pride and a lot more about getting wasted. I didn’t really feel the presence of the pride community at this point in the evening, it seemed like the crowd could have stumbled in from a music festival. It was pretty chaotic and feral by the time we were wandering around and I was keen to get out of the area ASAP. I’m assuming most of the day was more about pride than those who remained in the evening!

Rose Mansion

We’ve reached peak Instagram. Rosé Mansion is a summer pop up back for it’s second season in New York City, which celebrates the ever popular pink wine with a multi-room exhibition with tastings and interactive exhibits along the way. No one is really there to learn, but it is a lot of fun!

Bowery Mural Wall

I love the bright new mural on the Bowery Mural Wall by the artist Queen Andrea. It’s so uplifting!

Lower East Side

I love the history of the Lower East Side, and took a photography walk there this month to capture some of the area’s interesting facades. I also recently published a blog post about the Lower East Side food & history walking tour I did last year with Urban Adventures.

Columbus Park, Chinatown

I love Columbus Park in Chinatown! It is always filled with elderly Chinese-Americans playing mah jong and traditional music. Right near by is Mosco Street, a little laneway which is home to Fried Dumpling – some of the tastiest and cheapest dumplings in Chinatown.

Eating & Drinking

I was also very lucky that I was able to visit quite a few of these places with my colleagues!

Some of my favourite meals this month were at Italian restaurants Rubirosa in Nolita and Osteria Morini in SoHo, seafood at Catch in the Meatpacking, Saxon + Parole in NoHo and Marlow & Sons in Williamsburg. When my friends from AVC were in town, I returned to some of my favourite cocktail bars in the city, Death & Co in East Village and Maison Premiere in Williamsburg.

Read more: The Best Bars in New York City

Epistrophy in Nolita is quickly becoming one of my favourite brunch spots, particularly because it rarely comes with a long wait time like nearby The Butchers Daughter (and I prefer the food there). When I had some time to kill in West Village one morning, I finally had the chance to try Buvette, without waiting in line!

It’s rooftop season, so I’ve been enjoying the fresh air and city views from Westlight and Summerly in Williamsburg (the absolute best views of Manhattan and the East River) as well as Catch and Restoration Hardware Rooftop in the Meatpacking. I finally made it to the famously floral rooftop restaurant, Serra Birreria, on top of Eataly too. Grand Banks in Tribeca isn’t a rooftop, but it’s on a boat so it’s also been a favourite.

Sel Rrose on the Lower East Side is one of my new favourite bars in New York City, and not because of any tricks – it’s just a beautiful bar with a lovely atmosphere and an impressive cocktail list. I also was super impressed with the delicious and healthy summery salads at Little Prince in SoHo and the charming courtyard at Entwine in West Village.

My bagel obsession continues this month, with multiple trips to Baz Bagel. Definitely one of the best bagels in New York City!

Reading

My favourite books that I’ve finished reading this month are Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and City of Girls, Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest novel which is set in New York City in the 1940s. Sapiens is brilliant, and much like his latest book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, it is one of my favourite books. It’s such an interesting read, relevant to any human roaming this earth.

Since I’m not working at the moment, I thought it would be a good time to tackle some of the classics that I don’t always have the headspace to read. Older styles of writing can take a bit of “getting in to”, and it gets much easier to read older books (and enjoy them) if you’re not stumbling over the different writing style. Now is the perfect time to binge read! I’ve been reading Middlemarch by George Eliot, and I’m nearly finished. I picked it up mostly because it keeps getting named as one of the best books in the English language, and I wanted to see what all of the fuss is about. I’m really enjoying it so far!

I finally finished A Brief History of France, which did not feel brief at all and made me appreciate what a talent it is when history writers can make history so engaging. I’m still reading A Little Life, which is beautifully written but so heartbreaking that I can only read a few chapters at a time, and need a break with something lighter in between. I’m also still reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. I’m interested in reading more work by feminist writers, and even though The Feminine Mystique has its (valid) criticisms and describes a very different world than the world today, I was curious to read the book that is so widely associated with second-wave feminism (the feminist movement from around the 1960s).

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