I was so afraid to move out of Manhattan. I had just spent my entire life dreaming of living in Manhattan, and suddenly that wasn't a financial option anymore. I probably would have found a place sooner had I not been holding out for another miracle to happen to keep me in Manhattan. Commuting to Manhattan everyday seemed someway like I was cheating my dream, like it wasn't really what I came here for. But moving to Queens has actually been the best thing that could have happened to me. Ever.
Living in Queens is like living in West County St. Louis --you get all the perks of living in a big city, but when you go home you can actually walk on the sidewalks and fall asleep without a million people, lights, and noise everywhere. Astoria is full of young people and families, so my street is very residential but I live off Broadway with hundreds of restaurants, stores, bars, etc. so I'm minutes away from everything I need. Not only is my new area more convenient, but everything is cheaper--and I mean everything. If I order food, most of the time I don't even reach the delivery minimum because things are so cheap, and the portions are normal sized--not rip off portions like Manhattan. I also live less than 5 minutes away from 2 major subway stations, and I actually get to work the same amount of time or even a little quicker if the trains are running fast. It's funny how living across the East River still gets me to work in Manhattan faster than when I was living on the same damn island. Plus, no longer to I have to squeeze myself amongst the sweaty pedestrians of the 6 train--I get a nice, cool seat on the M or NQR train for the entire ride.
The best part of Queens is all of the mom and pop stores and discount stores with everything I could ever possibly need in my life ever. I bought so much stuff for my new room for under $100. And I mean like 15 different purchases and trips to these stores. I bought 6 items once and the total was $9. I'm in financial heaven in Queens, that's for sure.
My neighborhood is so cute and quiet, I pass by the nicest looking families and store owners. I even have a stoop neighbor who sits on his stoop playing the guitar some nights (okay that might be a little weird, but I'm just going to pretend it's quaint). I have been walking around a lot just trying to get familiar with the neighborhood, and the only thing I don't like is that the nearby school & church is named "Our Precious Blood" (I mean come on Catholics...that doesn't sound creepy to you?)
These past few weeks have been so eye opening to me, making me realize Manhattan may be the center of New York, but it's not the only New York out there. I even crossed over to the Bronx last weekend for a Yankee game, now having visited 4 out of 5 of the boroughs (I'm coming for you, Staten Island). I feel like I've discovered this world over here that all the people here were smart and keeping secret because it's so amazing. I can definitely see myself staying here a while, and I even had a sign at my first grocery store visit--look what they sell in Queens:
Living in Queens is like living in West County St. Louis --you get all the perks of living in a big city, but when you go home you can actually walk on the sidewalks and fall asleep without a million people, lights, and noise everywhere. Astoria is full of young people and families, so my street is very residential but I live off Broadway with hundreds of restaurants, stores, bars, etc. so I'm minutes away from everything I need. Not only is my new area more convenient, but everything is cheaper--and I mean everything. If I order food, most of the time I don't even reach the delivery minimum because things are so cheap, and the portions are normal sized--not rip off portions like Manhattan. I also live less than 5 minutes away from 2 major subway stations, and I actually get to work the same amount of time or even a little quicker if the trains are running fast. It's funny how living across the East River still gets me to work in Manhattan faster than when I was living on the same damn island. Plus, no longer to I have to squeeze myself amongst the sweaty pedestrians of the 6 train--I get a nice, cool seat on the M or NQR train for the entire ride.
The best part of Queens is all of the mom and pop stores and discount stores with everything I could ever possibly need in my life ever. I bought so much stuff for my new room for under $100. And I mean like 15 different purchases and trips to these stores. I bought 6 items once and the total was $9. I'm in financial heaven in Queens, that's for sure.
My neighborhood is so cute and quiet, I pass by the nicest looking families and store owners. I even have a stoop neighbor who sits on his stoop playing the guitar some nights (okay that might be a little weird, but I'm just going to pretend it's quaint). I have been walking around a lot just trying to get familiar with the neighborhood, and the only thing I don't like is that the nearby school & church is named "Our Precious Blood" (I mean come on Catholics...that doesn't sound creepy to you?)
These past few weeks have been so eye opening to me, making me realize Manhattan may be the center of New York, but it's not the only New York out there. I even crossed over to the Bronx last weekend for a Yankee game, now having visited 4 out of 5 of the boroughs (I'm coming for you, Staten Island). I feel like I've discovered this world over here that all the people here were smart and keeping secret because it's so amazing. I can definitely see myself staying here a while, and I even had a sign at my first grocery store visit--look what they sell in Queens:
xoxo,
Ms. Manhattan