The City Is Growing On Me

It's true, I am starting to enjoy the city.  I enjoy taking the subway in, walking around, grabbing a bite to eat. The other day we realized how we are becoming more of a city family when we asked Munchkie if she wanted to go to Subway with her Daddy.  She said yes and started to get ready to leave, then she asked, are we going to take the red one or the blue one?  It was then that we realized that we meant "Do you want to get a sandwich at Subway with Daddy?" and she thought we meant "Do you want to go somewhere on the subway with Daddy?"  We go on the subway so much that she just assumed that's where they were going. 

There are several things that we've learned about living in a city that we just never thought about before.  Some of these include-

• Boots- a good pair of boots is absolutely essential.  When the rain comes down, when the snow piles up, your feet need to be protected.
• Dressing in layers- because you have to peel them off and on as you sit on a crowded bus with the heat blasting or walk several blocks through  buildings that become a wind tunnel.
• A solid stroller- we destroyed a few before we realized this. Wheels popping off as you go over a bumpy sidewalk is not the most pleasant way to learn this.
• Patience- you can't do anything or get anywhere fast.  I heard someone one day on the bus in a southern drawl tell another rider that she thought that you had to be laid back in the south, but living here has taught her patience.
• You can find just about anything you could possibly want.  When a recipe calls for something interesting, or you think that there is something odd you want, you can find it somewhere in the city.

 Tonight I went into our little neighborhood shopping area to do my weekly shopping.  Some friends down the street from us have told me that they do all of their shopping in our neighborhood stores and I was always so amazed by this.  Tonight, I could completely understand how.  I went into our Middle Eastern store- Bob's Pita Bakery which sells a lot more than just pita, it is stock full of produce.  Good looking produce.  Really cheap produce.  I was in fruit and vegetable heaven.  I just kept telling myself, do not go crazy, you only have so much room in that ridiculously small fridge. I was able to get all this sink full of produce (those twelve lemons at the regular grocery store would have alone been $6), fresh herbs, tahini paste, coconut and ginger root for under $50, that to me is amazing!  This store is small, two people can't pass each other in the two aisles. I walked in and out of several stores finding a "welcome to the neighborhood" (which secretly means, sorry you live below a toddler, a dog and a Kinect) gift basket for the girl who just moved in underneath us.  We have a wine store, cheese store with all kinds of delicious things, several bakeries, a cafe, ice cream store, meat shop, Italian deli, thrift store, unique gift shops, among several other little places - all in a couple block area. I was able to put together a nice little gift basket of local treats, including a few take out menus of course! 

Needless to say, it may be a slow process, but I am starting to enjoy my new life.  I just wish that it wasn't so lonely, building up a new life in a new city.