Pace University NYC

It’s like Jay-Z says… Concrete bunghole where dreams are made up, there’s nothing you can do…

That’s how it goes right?? I think I’ve been watching too much 30 rock… (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knnIEY3bmQI)

Wow, what an awkward introduction. Sorry!! Must be all the ice coffee I’ve consumed this morning- as I’m writing this I’m sitting in a cool little cafe on Orchard st, Lower East Side. If you’re anything like me and feel irrationally uncomfortable reading (or writing) things in first person, you’ve probably already cringed at my use of the word ‘cool’. I apologise, it was chosen purposefully I swear. Let me paint you a picture. The cafe’s called Lost Weekend in NYC. It’s half a graphic-Tshirt-and-other-indie-merchandise store, half an organic-coffee-where-a-percentage-of-all-sales-go-to-charity cafe. And the people in here are hilarious. Not intentionally I’m sure. For the past hour I’ve been listening to a guy, probably in his late 20s, with a pink beard and japanese fighting fish ankle tattoos (I don’t usually notice people’s ankles but my God his chinos are rolled up high) complain about people coming up to him on the street and saying ‘omg, I follower your Tumblr!’… ‘Like, gahd leave me aloonnee, I post things online to avoid the real world’. Okay, maybe I made up that last bit. Anyway, I’m sure he’s a lovely guy. I’m suddenly feeling really horrible and judgemental. I’m also feeling the growing need to get a tattoo or at least an eyebrow piercing. Regardless, it is my first morning in NYC and I’m already having the best day. The weather is gorgeous- 27 degress and it’s only 11am! After spending a few hours walking around the neighbourhood, I bought a giant box of blueberries (only $1!) from an outdoor grocery stand in China Town and found myself drawn to this Cafe and its amazing looking iced coffees. Here’s a photo of my current situation:

After all that ranting I should probably backtrack a bit and introduce myself. My name’s Sam McGill and I’m studying Public Communications, starting a semester at Pace University in a few weeks time. I arrived late last night in NYC after a 10hr flight to Korea (long story) and a 14hr connecting flight to JFK. As you can imagine, 24hrs on a plane was not so pleasant, you should have seen the size of my ankles. Seriously. If I had Japanese fighting fish tattoos on them they would have turned into pufferfish. Okay, that was my first and final attempt at a joke. I’m really struggling writing this without feeling awkward. So I’ve arrived in NYC two weeks before my semester starts so I can explore by myself for a bit. I stayed at the Holiday Inn last night but will be staying in an apartment on Orchard st, China Town (which I’ve rented through AirBnb) for the next two weeks. I’ll be checking in there later today, which I’m really excited about. For future AirBnb recommendations I’ll let you guys know how that goes!

Well thanks for putting up with me!! I promise my next post will be more thought out and less caffeine induced and irratic.

🙂

Sam McGill

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