Ruth K's Musings and Madness Blog

So I meant to do this last Sunday. I mean to do this every Sunday, actually, post-arrival in the Big Apple. The crossroads of the world. The greatest city on Earth. Lord, what don't we call New York?

Quiet. We certainly don't call New York City quiet. It's the city that never sleeps, right? You and me both, NY baby. But that might just be the nerves talking. Remember when you were a kid, and you slept over at a friends house, or you went on vacation, and the first night you couldn't sleep for shit? Or the first night in your college dorm, or new apartment by yourself, or anywhere that wasn't "yours?" Well I'm the world's biggest grown-ass kid sleeping in a new bed, in a new apartment, in a new city, in a new state, on a whole other side of the continent. Is that enough "new" for you, New York?

And you better believe it's exciting! Streets are longer, buildings are taller, the lights, boy are they brighter. Oh, and for a city called "New" York, everything is old as hell. The history, the stories, so much life lived in every building, it's a haunted paradise I tell ya! Even my own sweet new digs. My apartment floor creaks like I'll break it, the old elevator crawls it's way up and down, I've got an honest-to-god fire escape out my bedroom window and a trash shoot twice my age in the hallway. My bathroom is ripped straight from a 1975 edition of the Sears catalog, and I've seen EasyBake ovens bigger than mine. It's a New York apartment alright, and it's finally mine to call home.

Only, there's no place like home just yet. Hence, the trouble sleeping in this insomniac's city. To be expected, of course. You don't just uproot and take off to a new state without some growing pains in those roots. I mean, we are off to a pretty strong start, at least. I've got the grocery shopping coming along nicely, I know where my favorite sushi is already, and I'm practically a professional at the subway (fact check: I've been late to something important because of the train once, and a tourist asked me for directions I could actually give, once. Totally professional.) But the bigger things are yet to come along. My walls still need a little decorative love, for example. I need to take more walks in the park across the street. I haven't yet had my first proper rain, I haven't gone out for coffee with a friend, or visited a museum on a whim, and I haven't gotten used to the noises of my neighbors across the alley. I'm a little impatient that way. I want it to be home now, and I loathe the limbo in between waiting for it. There's a long subway line ahead, I know.

But I have cooked my first week's worth of meals. I can tell you already which burner on the stove is best to slow cook, which one rages with the fire of a thousand suns and boils your water best, and which one I will literally never use. I've been on a weekend adventure to a wild flea market, completed my first day on a job I may or may not keep, and even made a new friend there (I hope). I sat at the DMV for two hours to exchange my license for a New York one. I've changed the sheets and done the laundry and gotten packages and even been invited to one of those coffee dates out with some friends. Hell, I've got a family gathering coming up, with people I never got to see enough of, now mere miles away. It's all about the little things, especially in such a big city. The grand adventures, the juicy details, those are coming, friends. Be patient, and maybe I can be, too. Maybe this week, I'll even get my first full night of sleep.

Now, I really haven't taken any pictures, which, I know, I told just about everyone I would do. Forgive me, I was never much of a shutterbug to begin with, and this week has been all about just taking it in with my own eyes. Maybe this might give you a sense of where my head has been at, something I wrote on my phone while flying in to LaGuardia Airport, my very first day:

I'm writing this on the plane, March 10th, 2024. I move to New York today. I am moving to New York, today. I am 24 years old and moving to New York. Today. And if you had asked me 4 years ago to tell you where I would be in 4 years time my answer would not have been "Moving to New York." But today, I am on the plane bound for LaGuardia Airport, in New York. Where I am moving to, Today. I meant to write more. But there is nothing more to say. There is nothing more important to say than these words, today. I am moving to New York today. There is a hello and an I love you on the other side, words that will become the most important words.

But right now, right now on this plane, I am moving to New York.

March 10th, 2024: I moved to New York today.

Cheers, I'll see you next Sunday.