#nyclovenotes

So, we all know that thing we do when we accidentally catch a stranger's eye? Instantly avert our eyes and bow our heads in shame as though eye contact with another human being is forbidden and punishable by death. What? That's a bit extreme? Fair enough, but you see where I'm going here. 

It's so easy to go about our day to day business without needing to be nice to the people we come into contact with, it's not quite as bad as 'Stranger Danger!!' but we'll wonder why someone smiled at us - are they laughing at me? What's wrong with my hair? Do I have something stuck in my teeth? You know the drill.

So, when I was at the 59th Street stop and saw this:

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I read it and thought, that's awesome. 

OK, so I know it's completely generic and from a stranger, but I think that's the magic of #nyclovenotes. These little notes, planted all around the city, remind us to be our own champion from time to time. 

It''s super cool that there is a wonderful human being behind this going a teeny step out of their way to make others feel good about themselves and it is surprising how effective it is (this shouldn't be surprising right?). I posted my encounter on Instagram and got on board with the whole hashtag thing and then I decided to see who else had come across these lovely little notes. @nyclovenotes' Instagram account only started four weeks ago and is full of notes that other people have stumbled across and tagged. Reading the comments reminded me that happiness and kindness are contagious and really aren't that hard to put into action.

#nyclovenotes don't require a huge amount of effort to create or stick up, but it's pretty cool that someone, somewhere out in The Big Apple, is putting that effort in and creating a ripple effect of warm fuzzies.

Thanks #nyclovenotes!

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@arkbuilding101

@adrianaluvslife

@yeah_bolinho

@astronomicat

Dear New York

Dear New York,

It sounds like you are settling in very nicely! Culture shock is always a big part of going anywhere new - just remember, you can’t make a New York omelette without breaking some cage-free, organic, $1 extra eggs. I expect the omelette will be that extra bit tastier for it, too.

I am glad you are getting the basics sorted – just remember - routine is very important, and the best part of living in these big, exciting and vibrant cities is the diversity of the routine you can choose. Having a diverse routine sounds like a complete contradiction, I know, so before I completely lose everyone by spouting nonsense here’s a rundown of what I mean.

My lovely girlfriend and I have got ourselves entrenched in a pretty set weekend routine, and we love it (and very quickly and maybe unfairly resent anyone or anything that pops up to break it!).

We start the day with a good breakfast (usually around lunchtime, of course!). Living in bigger cities means you have more access to a wider choice of food, drink, and restaurants - we usually eat at mine though and ignore the plethora of cafes serving delicious brunches (as I like to cook something tasty myself to kick the day off) and this is usually one of three choices: bacon and scrambled eggs (the normal British kind, none of your fancy NY nonsense), American style pancakes with streaky bacon and maple syrup, or a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon (it appears as I write this, you may have the upper hand with my breakfast choices now, dammit).

Obviously it’s important to add fresh coffee and a few glasses of Prosecco and orange juice as a suitable accompaniment.

Then the “routine” is to go and see an exhibition somewhere. There are so many free museums and amazing exhibitions running constantly in London that it is really easy to make it part of your weekend schedule to go and see something new. Learn something interesting. Take advantage of living in a place where shows and exhibitions are constantly changing and refreshing.

This weekend we went to see the Ancient Rome and Greece collection at the British museum. Next week it looks like we are going to go to a late night exhibition about Butterflies and Moths. Last week we went on a day trip to Cambridge (not London I know, but a 50 minute train for £16 from King’s Cross makes it faster than my weekly commute to work and so basically the same thing!).

Then dinner, either at home from any of the literally thousands of restaurants offering take away, or out to go and visit one in person.

So, we have a routine. But the choice of things to do, see and eat as part of that routine is incredible and something I am 100% sure I would miss if I lived anywhere else.

Anyway, enough of my rambling about how much better London is than anywhere else in the world (for now, anyway). Time for the photos!

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“Bridges” turned out to be really fun for me - last week I treated myself to a shiny new 50mm lens (the same model as you have, which is awesome) and although the Thames is possibly one of the most photographed rivers in the world (citation needed, but sounds likely) I am pretty happy with my pic! I managed to go for a walk along the shore of the river when the tide was out - something I think everyone should try at least once, just to investigate all of the cool (and sometimes gross) stuff that gets washed up over the years, and I found some different views of bridges than I usually see day to day.

Perhaps we should introduce a critique section so people can let me know how I can improve as I go (maybe along with a guest submission gallery, I loved the addition last week from Ross!)

Anyway, my turn to choose the theme, and here’s one that both goes hand in hand with the topic of routine and that is an integral part of both of our cities:

Commute!

I hope you don’t have to break your morning routine to get the photo!

London

5 odd things about being a Brit living in NYC…

Awesomely, since moving to NYC we have settled in and can go about our day to day business without really noticing any massive differences. But as mentioned in Across the Pond, culture shock is hidden in NYC, in places you just weren’t expecting.

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Reactions to my voice - Love Actually would have us believe that the British accent is charming and irresistible to Americans and many friends have assured me that I’ll just need to open my mouth and all New Yorkers will fall at my feet. Needless to say, I was a little bit skeptical of this gross stereotype. However, there is no ignoring the reactions that my accent has been getting. I was in Starbucks getting a Passion Tango iced tea (a-ma-zing!!) and when I ordered, the barista looked at me like I was a little bit crazy. Assuming I’d ordered incorrectly I started apologising profusely, subconsciously kicking the British accent into full gear. After clarifying that we were British and not Australian he continued to ask us what London is like and shared that when he has finished training to be a pilot, London is at the top of the list of places he wants to fly. The British Accent (not Australian) - making friends and building bridges one awkward apology at a time.

Plugs - Firstly, it is a pain to try and find all the right adaptors for our laptops etc. Apple do make it easier because the cables all have changeable ends, but in true Apple style it costs an arm and a leg to get the new cables. Sorry, Apple, but we need our arms and legs for other things. Secondly, the wall sockets here look like little shocked characters all over the apartment, and it’s as though they’re mirroring my feelings about how shockingly awful they are… on most devices there is NO EARTH PRONG! On the ones that do have them, the socket is upside down, meaning as the plug invariably falls out over time, it reveals a load of live metal.  Buuuut they do look fun. Meet Fred, Petunia, George and Rodrigo who hang out in our wall.

Guns - Now obviously people aren’t just swinging them around all over the place but I know they’re out there... This oddity (read: terrifying fact) was highlighted to me as we were setting up our U.S. bank account when I noticed a police man (sorry, cop), standing behind us in line. I saw his gun and instantly felt woozy. Even though his job is all about protection I suddenly had visions of him whipping off his mask revealing himself to be a green villain with 12 arms from a marvel film (I know that that isn’t actually a film, but you know what I mean), pointing his gun at me and yelling "GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR. DO NOT LOOK AT ME, I SAID DO NOT LOOK AT ME." A bit intense, sure, and Ted pointed out that the cop's presence probably made getting held up in a bank robbery a tad less likely.

Tipping - It’s not that I don’t approve of tipping - I’m fine with tipping, it is just that it’s not always obvious who you tip and how much of your life's savings you should tip… I don’t want to be the ignorant Brit that tips appallingly or the one that's naive and can be walked all over. Luckily, we’re getting to the point where we know enough true New Yorkers to give us some tips (not the monetary kind) about these complicated customs.

Apartment hunting - I will write (a lot) more on this topic in the future but for now let's think on this: in New York, to be considered for your apartment, your annual income needs to be 40 to 50 times your monthly rent. There are, just about, ways around this rule, BUT it means paying both our arms and both of our legs! See Apple, I told you we needed all of our limbs to pay for other things.

There's no doubt that it's a learning curve when you're a newbie in NYC, but it's learning that I'm willing to do, because after all it's New York (cue lights, camera, action... music meistro...'start spreading the news').