Some of our NYC firsts....

Well we're trying hard to establish ourselves in this crazy city, and it is proving to be more challenging than we would have liked. Jobs are starting to come through, but slowly. I had an interview at Cornell Med for a cancer research lab, and fingers-crossed they'll call with an offer today. And yesterday I actually got to interview at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia...whoa. I was way overwhelmed by the opportunity, actually getting to go into one of the offices here in New York, but I do not yet have the experience or skills for a position there. I am on their call list for temp work, so that's a start. It was quite an honor to go there though, and I'm glad to have had the chance. Colleen has an interview tomorrow, so wish her luck!

We've been searching for apartments and finding it very disheartening. We found the perfect place, only to lose it. We had the applications in and were told we were the only ones going for it and they took it off the market, then somehow they gave it to someone else. Go figure. Now nothing is quite as good as that one, so we're taking the day off. Too many negative thoughts about apartments clouding our ability to find a good one. And have you heard of broker fees? They should be illegal! Long story short, a broker helps you find an apartment, then you owe them a fee of 15% of a year of rent....so like $3000 off the bat! It's awful, so we're trying to avoid them.

But in the meanwhile, here are some of our NYC firsts!

Our first picture in New York, at JFK. Yay, we made it!


First glimpse of the Chrysler Building, and the Empire State is peeking out too.


The first place we ate - good deli sandwiches.


First grocery shopping trip! D'Agostinos...milk is way expensive!




First Metro card - we're already feeling pretty good about the subway.


First (and only so far!) cockroach, yuck! This one was in the display window of a drug store.


First view of Central Park - and from the Plaza Hotel no less - talk about beautiful!


First trip to Times Square - Colleen compares it to Vegas: just a bunch of ad space. So many tourists, we didn't stay long and won't be going back any time soon.


First outing to Trader Joe's. I'm so happy they have one here!


But oh man, it's soooo crowded! Apparently everyone else is pretty excited it's here too.


And to top it all off, our first subway rat! Tyler informed us that they run all over the subway tracks and from the street garbage bags on the sidewalk. So far this is the first and only one, but we definitely walk quickly by the garbage...

I know it's hard to see, but I promise, it's there.

Back in Time - Some Pictures of Leaving

So now that we've arrived safely and we're getting our bearings, it's time for a bit of reflection - a look at our exit from San Diego. We had so much love and support from friends and family, it made leaving very sad but it's great to know how excited you all are for us.

After cleaning my stuff out of my apartment, it took over Colleen's. Thanks Z for letting us invade for a couple of weeks! Amazingly, everything fit in boxes or suitcases, but you would never know it at this point.


See! These are the boxes we are shipping, about 25 in all. Not so bad for 2 girls moving cross-country, right?


We went out to celebrate Michelle's graduation and birthday, for a final night at the Shack in La Jolla. Miss you already!
(Me with Mark, Brenna and Scott)


Brant and I spent the weekend soaking up downtown San Diego one last time, including a trip to the "famous" Pink Berry. Honestly, I could take it or leave it, but gotta try it once right?



My dad and Bonni took us to the Brigantine in Del Mar for a goodbye lunch the day we left. I never knew it even existed! Such a cool view of the Del Mar Race Track - we even ran into jockey Mike Smith at the bar!


Us and our luggage - there was way too much, but the guy at the counter didn't even weigh them! So even though we are pretty sure they were all around 50lbs, we got away without extra charges. Good news!



At the airport, our flight was a bit delayed, but it gave us more time to say goodbye.


Us with my mom and Bonni - nothing better than 2 moms to help us with last minute packing and keeping things under control. Thanks! (sorry for the blur, my camera was dying)


At the check-in counter, we're really leaving!


Parents waving us goodbye through security...sad to say goodbye, but very nice of them to send us off.


Now we're here! Stay posted for our next post, with many of our New York firsts! Now it's time to find a home and jobs...wish us luck!

We made it!

We're here! We had our last meal of carne asada fries before we got on the plane. Took off at 10 pm, landed at 6:30 am eastern time, and got to our temporary apartment around 10 am. It's been a bit of a long day, but already exciting! We've taken a lot of pictures, but those will(still) have to wait as we just have too much to do already!

We'll keep you updated, but if we slack off a bit, don't be worried, we're just out enjoying our new city!

Start Spreading the News....

We're leaving in 2 hours....Whoa.

So the boxes are all packed and taped shut, some of them are already en route to NYC, the suitcases are stuffed and just under 50 pounds (fingers crossed!). Stress is high, but so is excitement. There have been some tears, but we're managing. We have taken a lot of pictures this past week of all our stuff, but then the camera cords got packed so you'll have to wait to see them! Colleen isn't really sure what to expect, and still hasn't fully realized the fact that we're moving to a place she's never been. Fun times! We're looking forward to the flight, trying our best to be calm, and maybe even looking forward to some sleep. Once we get in tomorrow morning, we'll give you more details...that is, if we're not too disctracted by the excitement of the greatest city in the world. Talk about a new life (=

Moved Out and Moving On

It took 3 days and with only 45 minutes to spare, I successfully made it out of my apartment Sunday night. I should say we...Colleen was an amazing help, and Brant adopted much of my stuff to put in his new place. Why did I have to live on the 2nd floor??? Those darn stairs - no good. But I was able to sell or give away all of my furniture which was a huge relief. Otherwise, about 20 bags to Goodwill and 20 bags to the trash, and yet Colleen's apartment is still full of my things! Now I have the next week to go through it again and thin it out significantly. That's part of what this trip is about - learning how to live life without stuff. But as you will see from the photos to follow, I have a long way to go!

Some of the many bags taken to the sketchy donation collection guy - he's either an ax murderer, or will be one some day.


My closet after some work: at this point, I had already gotten rid of a third of my clothes and 1/3 of my shoes. It was nuts, and yet still looked this scary and full.


Attack of the living room covered in stuff!!! I swear, scarier than a slasher movie.


My bedroom...and the amazing amount of stuff I accumulate.


Half-way-ish! And my motivator Colleen taking a break.


Progress at last! A mostly empty closet!


I can see floor again!


A completely empty closet - good news for sure.


It really is sad to be out of the home Brant and I had together, but I'm trying not to think of it that way. It was a great place, cozy (albeit soooo hot at times) and the idea for RottenNeighbor.com came out of our experiences there. But now Brant is in a fabulous new place, and my new home is an exciting mystery! Stay tuned for photos of when Colleen and I eventually find our new home.

~Kendra

Packing like it's my job

This post was written by Colleen on behalf of Kendra

I have to be out of my apartment in 3 days, including today. Good thing yesterday was my last day at work! Colleen is here helping me pack, and making me throw things away that won't fit in our new place. Most of the furniture is gone, so now it's just a matter of sorting and stashing. It's good to have a friend to help you pack, otherwise I think I'd freak out right now. If you know me at all, you know that I have a lot of things.

The goal is to be done before Sunday. I think we can do it if we work really hard...and maybe have a few beers to keep us calm. (=

Holiday Weekend

I'm sitting on Jen's couch here in Hollywood, just got done applying for a few new jobs, and got some NYC advice from Savannah, Jen's neighbor. My last trip to LA was supposed to be July 11th to see Butch, but then things got cancelled, I got sad, and decided to come earlier. We've spent a lot of the weekend looking over maps of my new city, talking about the different neighborhoods and what they are like, and even using a cost-of-living calculator to figure out how much I need to make in order to actually live in New York (interesting fact: living in Queens actually costs less than living in San Diego!).

Jen and i went to The Griddle this morning for my last breakfast at my favorite place; I had a really good Barry Yellow pancake and some really good coffee; I even contemplated buying a bag, but then decided I didn't want to pack it. On the way back to the car we saw some paparazzi following a semi-celebrity, which was a good LA experience, too. At 4:15 it's off the the Arclight, a fancy movie theatre where you actually have assigned seats and someone introduces the film before it starts. Ahh, the Hollywood lifestyle.

It was really good to get up here one last time before I move 3000 miles away, and to talk to fantastic people who have actually done the New York thing. Talk about the inside scoop. :) I'll take the train home tomorrow to continue packing, selling, and applying. It's been a great weekend.