Empire State of Mind (I WISH!)

Evening all! So it looks like J1 season is approaching and two of my friends are brave enough to go and tackle NYC for two months. They left last Saturday and I will miss them so much but I'm so excited for them. One of them is my absolute best friend and this will be the first summer in ten years that we've spent apart (tear) but I know she's going to have so much fun. I have her on fashion patrol while she's over there and have made it clear that she must approach any celeb and ask for a piccy with them whilst holding up a sign saying "I love Shannon". It's the small things ;) Their venture has inspired me to do a quick survival guide for living in New York with the help from one of the city's current residents, Dee Keaveney. Dee moved over there a couple of months ago to pursue her dance career and she looks as if she's living the American dream!

Survival advice from Dee:

What I brought with me... sewing kit, adaptors, tea bags, memory stick, envelopes, razor blades, contact lenses, waaaaaay too many pairs of high heels.
Food... It's SO DIFFERENT!! Even the brands we have at home like Cadburys don't taste the same. Supermarket food is not great, too much sugar in most things and so processed... Having said that, farmers markets and fruit and veg stalls have amazing fresh produce that is really cheap so that's where I do most of my food shopping, Eating out is amazing if you can afford it and the amount of amazing bakery's and cafes and candy stores... The Americans got something right when they invented peanut butter because it tastes amazing with everything. Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, peanut butter ice cream, cookies, cheesecake... So many hot dog stands and dollar pizza parlours... so hard to resist! 

Clothes wise, I brought two suitcases of clothes and shoes over, including a huge amount of dance stuff. Right now I'm wearing all summer gear because it's really warm and humid. I mostly wear leggings, skirts and tops and cardigans because they're easy to wear for the studio. If I'm going out then I like to get glam in dresses, shorts and heels. I had my friend bring me over loads of socks from Penneys recently. Who wants to go to H&M and pay $7 for 2 pairs?!

The shops are basically the same, high street wise. Massive Forever 21's, H&Ms, Zara, Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, and then all the amazing flagship designer stores on 5th Avenue and in Chelsea, we're talking McQueen, BCBGMaxazria, Banana Republic, Diane Von Furstenburg, Chanel, Prada, Fendi, Gucci... and shit loads of tourist shops!

Entertainment, there's always a million things happening but most of the time I prefer to chill because I'm so wrecked from dancing. Going out can be pretty expensive in my experience. Drinks aren't cheap UNLESS you hit a bar early for Happy Hour and then most things are half price. But clubs can be tricky, You just need to know where to go and knowing the promo reps is always a help! Movies are scary expensive, $18.50 for a ticket to Gatsby in 3D. Broadway is dear too much to my dismay, if I had the money, I'd be at a different show every week. There's a great comedy scene here although I haven't been to any gigs yet. In the summer there does be loads of free shows in the parks, like Shakespeare in Central Park or early live performances for Good Morning America in Times Square, where I was actually part of a performance.  The tourist spots are always hopping but too much for me, I'll get around to them one day. Places like Rockefeller Centre, Madame Tussauds, Ripleys Auditorium... What I have done was walk the Brooklyn Bridge, AMAZING, got the free Staten Island ferry past the statue of Liberty, went to the free day at Museum of Modern Art, went to a Yankees baseball game and I volunteer with Dancers Responding to AIDS and get to see free dance shows. 

So there it is. The NYC life. I wish Dee all the best of luck on her adventure and can't wait to see her perform in a huge production. This chick is talented so watch out! To hear more from Dee, visit her blog at http://blingonthesolesofhershoes.wordpress.com/. Thanks again to  Dee for writing a piece for this post!!

Much Love and Luck, 

Shannon.

xoxo