Concrete Jungle

Well, it's official.... I am now a New Yorker. I have been living in the city since August and am still adjusting to all of the random characters I see on the subway during my commute, the rats that scurry around the streets at night, the dog urine that seems to coat all of the sidewalks, and the seemingly constant rain. BUT, I have to say that I am IN LOVE with my apartment, my neighborhood, Central Park, the INCREDIBLE restaurants that seem to be on every corner, The Shopping!, and all of my new friends here in the city. Yep, I'm falling in love with the Big Apple! It was definitely an adventure finding an apartment here but we got lucky. We found a beautiful 3 BR, 2 BA on the Upper West Side on 85th and Columbus. We're about a half a block away from Central Park and the subway. We have almost completed decorating the place and it finally feels like home.

One of my favorite things about where I live is how close I am to my brother and his family. I've been able to go out and spend a few weekends with him since the move. I am excited to spend Thanksgiving with the whole family in Pennsylvania.

Even though my life seems like it's all work at times, I've been able to squeeze in some really fun things.

During orientation at Citi they took us to the New York Stock Exchange and we got to be on the floor when they rang the bell. I felt really lucky to get to do something that hardly anyone gets to do anymore. I even got to execute a few rapid-fire high-volume trades while on the floor.

I fulfilled a lifelong dream and spent a weekend at the US Open. I took the subway with the Marshalls and the Smoots to Flushing, Queens and basked in some of the most beautiful tennis I've ever seen in person. We saw the men's semifinal matches and the women's finals. I thought Roger Federer was trying to give me a heart attack at times, but luckily I made it out of the match without being rushed to the emergency room... Roger, on the other hand, didn't fare so well... he lost that one.

I survived an earthquake and a hurricane in my first week of work. When the earthquake happened we were at work and I saw something I never thought I'd see... tons of traders on our floor running for the fire escapes. It made an interesting second day on the job, that's for sure. We hunkered down in Libby's apartment in the financial district during Hurricane Irene and watched as the rain and wind beat down on us. We even ventured out to Battery Park during the eye of the storm to see what the damage was like. Needless to say, we got soaked but enjoyed the chance to play in the "big kid size" puddles.

To give you a feel for my new home, watch this video... I LOVE how it really portrays so many different aspects of the city.

A Year in New York from Andrew Clancy on Vimeo.