Q&A

Life in Manhattan is very different from life I’ve experienced anywhere else. Many things are easier in Manhattan: transportation, exposure to art- both visual and performance, entertainment. Many things are more difficult than I would have expected: laundry, grocery shopping, things of that nature. I’ve noted some of the simple questions I’ve been asked, or that I’ve asked myself, that aren’t so simple to answer in New York…

 Is there a Walmart nearby?

            No… To get to Wally World I would have to take a train downtown, transfer to another train that would take me to the path train, then take a bus. In a perfect world, it would take me an hour and a half, but if I were to miss one bus or subway train, the minutes would start adding up and it could be a three hour adventure just to make it to the front door… Then I would have to get back. It’s not worth it. There is, however, a Target about 35 blocks from me, so that works out nicely.

Have you found sweet tea?

                First, I’m not much of a sweet tea drinker anyway, but when I was at the Mississippi Picnic (back during my 2^nd weekend here) McAllister’s had huge cups of sweet tea, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. McDonald’s claims to have sweet tea, but I don’t really even want to bother. There are some wonderful tea places in the area though. I was introduced to this delightful little tea shop near my church called Alice’s Tea Cup. It is all decked out in Alice in Wonderland themed paintings and wall fixtures, and the iced berry tea I had there was delicious! They also have incredible scones. I’ve become slightly addicted to scones since I tried them a few months ago. YUM!

How does a date work? Does a guy pick you up, or meet you there?

               I still don’t really know about this one. I’ve been on a couple of dates, and it seems to be the general consensus that the guy lets you know when and where to meet, and gives directions if needed. After you’ve enjoyed the date, he will either walk you to the nearest subway station and make sure that you can get back, or commute with you to your local stop so he knows you can get home safely. That’s been my experience anyway… Others may be different.

Are you safe?

                Manhattan is one of the safest cities in the world. I have never felt threatened or uncomfortable. Granted, I’m always very aware of my surroundings, I take busses instead of subways at night, and I call my mom if I’m walking by myself late at night. People tend to keep to themselves for the most part, and I live in a very family-oriented part of town.

 What do you do for fun?

                What do you NOT do for fun?? There are so many things to see and do! Movie theatres are expensive, but it’s definitely an experience.  The Harry Potter midnight premier at Lincoln Center was an absolute madhouse and I loved it. I’ve been to midnight premiers before, but I’ve never seen lines wrap around an entire block four times. There’s an overwhelming amount of wonderful restaurants, and I wish I could eat at every one of them; however I don’t have the time, the money, or the stomach for that. Central park is also a wealth of entertainment opportunities.  Whether you want to have a picnic, see the opera, experience Shakespeare, throw a Frisbee, or go for a jog, Central Park is where you want to be. There are also museums, Broadway shows, shopping, libraries, and plenty of sights to be seen.

Laundry: how does that work?

                I wish I had a laundry room in the apartment. A lot of apartments do. However, when I want to wash clothes, I have to go to a Laundromat. I’ve found a nice little place about a block and a half from my apartment that is very reasonably priced and pretty quick. You can have laundry picked up, washed, and delivered for you, but it’s a little more expensive, and I don’t really want strangers touching my stuff.

What do you miss about home?

                Of course I miss my family like crazy. Mom came to visit me last week, and that was incredible! (That deserves a whole blog in itself) I miss Montevallo sometimes- especially my buddies, but it’s nice to hear from them on facebook or texts. I miss being in a show. Granted I’m doing a lot of career-oriented stuff still: taking classes, going to workshops, watching other performances, making connections… but it’s just not the same as being in rehearsals or getting ready for a show. I’m really excited to start working on Pippin. Sometimes I crave Sonic, and I really missed Chik-fil-a until I was told there’s one at NYU so I’m going to try to get a chicken sandwich before too long.

Groceries:

               That’s not really a question, but it’s definitely worth addressing. I love Trader Joe’s. It’s a grocery store that sells its own brand so it’s a lot less expensive than most around here. Groceries are RIDICULOUS! A box of cereal cost me $6.78 the first week I was here. That’s just not right. So Trader Joe’s has been a wonderful alternative. The only drawback: it’s about a 20 minute train ride, and the groceries are usually pretty heavy on the bus-ride back home. I’m super excited though, because they just opened a Fairway on 86^th street – just 3 blocks from my apartment! I haven’t been yet, but apparently Fairway is a lot like TJ’s except they have more brands. YAY! I’m excited to check it out.

Where can you get a bag of ice?

               We had a hard time answering this one at a going-away party I went to last week. There’s no gas station down the road with ice coolers. The grocery stores don’t usually have them either. Ice machines in refrigerators are also really rare. Nobody knew where to get ice! The only option we could thing was to send Steve, Meredith’s scientist husband, to his office to pick up some dry ice they use to freeze scientific samples. We decided just to be satisfied with ice-less drinks from the fridge. I found that rather amusing.

Ok, I think that’s enough for now. If you have any questions, just let me know and I’ll update.

Grace be with you,

Lindsey Shea