Family Fun

So two weeks in and we've already had two visits from family back home! Dan was in town for business Monday through Wednesday. He showed us a good time down in Soho at a Cuban restaurant called Cafe Habana. Good food, good friends, good times. Dan was also privileged enough to be our first Cleveland visitor to witness our Manhattan apartment. On the outside he said "it is very nice" and on the inside he said "I can't believe you live in this tiny cell."
So if a brother-in-law wasn't enough of a home-sickness cure, how about PARENTS?!?! That's right folks, even after putting up with hauling all our stuff around and helping on our house, my parents actually wanted to see us again SO much, that they were willing to drive 450 miles, pay a premium for a hotel in the projects, and traipse around the shoulder-knocking streets of New York to see us again. And did they traipse! We covered miles and miles of Manhattan streets to cover dozens of NYC tourist attractions. Who needs a double-decker bus. So let's get to a few things of note from the weekend...

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Week #1

We did it!  We survived a whole week in the big city!  It seems to be a shock for some.  I'm amazed at the perception Cleveland has by those living in Manhattan.  Last night topped it off when I was teased by a PRIEST about my hometown.  That's just not right.

So how, pray tell, did you fill your first week in New York you might ask...  WELL, eh hem, glad you asked.  Outside of doing dishes, going to work, taking out the trash, and doing taxes like every other normal American, we did our best to get our feet wet with a taste of social life and a side order of culture.

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Adjustments

The rental Ford Explorer which seemed so tiny in Cleveland suddenly seemed like a U-haul upon arrival in Manhattan.  A handy and illegal parking job across the street on the sidewalk left us with only a jack-hammer, construction fence, and four flights of steep stairs to our... cozy... apartment.  400 square feet was no longer an imagination, it was a reality.  We couldn't complain, however, to find it nicely furnished and efficiently arranged.  All our STUFF mostly fits comfortably.

So now we get to the fun part!  Yippeeee we finally made our dreams come true!  How about we celebrate at a delicious Mexican restaurant where they serve guacamole from avocados sliced before your very eyes and the best margaritas you've ever tasted.

Time for your postly pic... "Which part of Manhattan do you live in?" You might say (as many do).
I live HERE:

Queensboro bridge near our apartment

Well, very close anyway... and that's as close as you'll get or else you might start stealing my identity.
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Making it Happen

So are you curious about the recipe for taking your new marriage and putting it on wheels?  For us, here were the main ingredients:

1. A wife with nursing license.
2. A husband who can work remotely.
3. A burning desire to live someplace other than Cleveland.
4. The blood, sweat, tears, family and friends to deal with your STUFF.

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