And it is by Grace ye shall be saved . . .

Friday night I arrived a little late, but entirely in one piece to my new humble abode on the Upper East Side. I checked in and immediately called my mom to let her know that I had arrived safely. She asked how my accommodations were and I firmly replied, "well, they're very utilitarian." I think I was definitely expecting a little more plush surroundings, but it will be just fine temporarily until I find an apartment of my own soon. I grabbed some sushi for dinner (it too was purely utilitarian) from a little cafe down the street and then headed back to my 8 x 10 white-walled sanctuary to begin unpacking my luggage. And, within minutes of returning, my next door neighbor Grace knocked on my door to introduce herself and to say "Hello". What happenstance?!

We ended up going to Starbucks and later to rent a movie at Blockbuster. My first night in NYC was very enjoyable, thanks to her! She then invited me to Sarabeth's for some scrumptious Saturday morning brunch (did I mention Sarabeth's is my fave place for brunch?) We spent a great weekend getting to know each other; she's definitely helped me to avoid any feelings of loneliness during my first few days here. I finished up Saturday fetching some clearance-priced necessities at K-Mart (yes, NYC has a K-Mart!), dodging the Japanese photo-taking tourists at the Flower Show at Macy's while picking up some moisturizer, and mastering my first successful subway transfer!

Sunday morning I rounded out the weekend by visiting the Armory Show with a friend to view all the modern artwork from around the world that could possibly fit into Pier 94. The artwork was exquisite, sometimes comical, oftentimes strange, but always thought provoking.