The late entry

Hi everyone! I can't believe I'm the last one to get on board with something that everybody else in our friend group is enjoying. That's so... freshman year...

Well, I'm in NYC and have been for about two weeks, so I think I've forfeited my right to a long, detailed post about moving to the city. I'll substitute this Limited Attention Span-approved post of tiny oddities that I've noticed in the past couple days.

I'm currently living in East Harlem, which has apparently gotten a lot nicer over the past few years but is still rather widely regarded as a "shithole" by many New Yorkers. It is what you expect, with lots of graffiti, homelessness, and people who lean against dark buildings and stare at you during your entire walk down the block. There is also predominantly Spanish spoken in the streets and so much fried Mexican food in the area that I think I gain weight breathing, but I'm not Carolyn so that doesn't really do it for me (Zing! From six time zones away!). I have a room in a cozy, cozy apartment that always smells of weird spices right next to the Corsi Housing Project, namesake of our good friend Ryeon. Amy came to visit me this past weekend, and while she was very polite about the living conditions, we both can recognize that it's not ideal. However, until I can move to another area, let's take advantage of the situation and play Anthropological Tourist White Kid!

There is a poultry slaughterhouse one block down from my apartment. Apparently the freshest meat you can get, anywhere. Several times a day, they hose out the floor of the warehouse-like space, flushing into the sewers whatever blood and feathers escaped cleanup. Walking over that is fun. I was told that the tap water in Harlem contains bacteria, and I have to buy gallons of spring water. I wonder if this is not somehow contributing to that.

Every vendor in Harlem offers you a straw with your beverage, no matter what it is. I've bought water, they offer me a straw. Gatorade? Straw. Sierra Nevada 24oz IPA? I declined, but was offered a straw. I've seen folks (like my housemate) drinking 40oz Colt .45s out of a brown bag, using a straw. What's the appeal? Nobody likes foamy beer!

As I've told Amy, I fully plan on getting mugged at least once before leaving NYC. However, to prolong that mugging until I've finished my Muay Thai training (yes, there is a gym here in Manhattan and yes, I'm going to train [Life's goal accomplished, right?!]), I am going to blend in with the crowd. That means instead of tight, cuffed pants, Pumas, and an ironically bad T-shirt, as would be appropriate in the Upper East Side, I will buy some huge jeans with a dragon embroidered on the back pocket, a hooded sweatshirt with an unpopular sports team logo, and I'm going to get a buzz cut except for the last half-inch of hair on the nape of my neck, which I will allow to grow out. Fuck yeah. Ain't nobody going to mess with Andrew "Harlem for life" Widmer.

But! Pizza is plentiful and phenomenal in Harlem. A plus!

That's good for now, right? If you made it to the end, thank you! and I will probably post again in another two weeks. Don't worry, though, because I check it far more frequently than that and I do like to read about our collective exploits! Love you all, and I miss you. Come visit sometime after I'm established elsewhere, and we will have much fun!