A Tribute to 4310 Crescent St

While we were excited to move on to our next chapter, it was bittersweet to leave the first place Chris and I called home together. We moved into Apartment 2612 in late August just prior to our October nuptials. We had intended for Chris to just move into my former place on West 46th Street after the wedding and try to find a place together when that lease ended the following Spring. Coming home to an eviction notice (due to the owners selling the building) on August 1st had not factored into our plans.

I was a mess to say the least. I had lived in my midtown Manhattan apartment for nearly six years and though I knew I would eventually be moving, I hadn't intended to do that two months before our wedding - which was to take place back in Kentucky. I was completely overwhelmed with everything that would need to be done and packed. Talk about terrible timing - ugh!

Chris took over the apartment search so I could just focus on sorting out my things and packing up. He wanted to live in Queens. I was more hesitant, but I was convinced after we discovered a great place in Long Island City.

We got a great deal to move into the brand new building and really enjoyed the high rise rooftop experience for our three years at 4310 Crescent Street. We lived among boxes for the first six weeks while we focused on the wedding and all the final preparations for it. That Christmas, Chris' parents gave us a couch and chair that became the centerpieces for the entire place.

We sure managed to fill the place up in a hurry, but it was a manageable space for the two of us (most of the time - ha!). Though we didn't take advantage of them often enough, it was amazing to have a gorgeous rooftop area with a view of Manhattan's East Side and a gym on the ground floor.

Everything you needed was in walking distance. We were close to many great running routes. It was truly the perfect space for us as we began our married life. We have so many wonderful memories of this place we turned into a home together. From fun gathering with friends to hosting out of town company to simply going through the highs and lows of our life together, it was an place we'll never forget. Cheers to all the good times at 4310 Crescent Street!

Andrea :)

Improv at Magnet Theater - Level Three

After Level Two, I was so sad that my NYC improv journey was going to end there. With us moving in mid-August, it simply didn't seem possible for me to manage any additional classes with the Magnet. I really wanted to complete Level Three though so I kept hope alive.

I am SO glad that I managed to find a way to take the Level Three intensive at the end of August because I absolutely loved having Louis Kornfield as an instructor. What a fantastic improviser (and teacher)! It was worth every cent to be in that class.

I had a brand new bunch of folks in this class and thought they were all SO fun. It was another lovely mix - amazing how that always seems to work out. We were living out of an empty apartment on a blow up mattress this final week in NYC, but taking this improv class made it worth it.

We really just played. There were concepts we discussed and object work we focused on, but for the most part we just played. And it was SO fun. I had a couple friends join Chris for my final NYC improv show at the end of this class. I have no doubt they saw my best work. It was an awesome show with a great group of people.

In the end, I would highly recommend Magnet Theater if you are in the NYC area and have interest in improv. If you are interested in improv and have a week of vacation that you want to spend in NYC, I'd also highly recommend the intensives. Super fun weeks full of laughter and memories I'll never forget!

Andrea :)

Harlem 5K

After dozens of New York Road Runner races over the past seven years, I felt excited about making the Harlem 5K my last. I spent most of my time packing boxes and shuffling them around the apartment so we could still live in their midst all summer so running hadn't been my top priority. However, something just felt right about capping off my time in New York with a 5K.

I'd never done the Harlem 5K before mostly because the hills in Central Park were more than enough for me. I wasn't too interested in the challenge of the Harlem hills I had heard about in this race. In the end, I was too worn down for them to be a challenge at all.

I gave it a good faith effort, but I ended up having to walk/jog most of this one. My 13:31 per mile time is proof. At the end of the day, I still enjoyed the experience and the closure it brought as we prepared to move away from the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple.

Andrea :)

Photo A Day - August

August was a busy month for us. We packed up and made our big move to Columbus. Then, we bought a new car and drove back to NYC for one last week of fun before returning to Columbus with the last bit of our stuff and beginning our life as Ohioans.

Our friend from church was playing in the orchestra for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so we were able to go on stage and tour the set after the show - such a neat experience! I visited the New York Historical Society and we checked out the Jim Henson exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. We spotted Chris Rock walking the streets of Manhattan before I ventured out to Columbus for an interview with OSU.

Upon my return from the interview, we spent some time catching up with my former boss via the Metro North. Between packing up the final bits of the apartment and loading it into the moving truck, we visited with the Denings and their brand new little one, Rebecca. We drove to Columbus and unloaded into our much more spacious townhouse.

We bought our new Toyota Rav4 and started unpacking before we returned to NYC for a week of improv fun, running, and saying our "see you laters".

I had my Magnet Theater Level 3 class show, we ran the Harlem 5k, and then said peace out to Long Island City. I had a networking meeting at The Roosevelt Coffeehouse and we had a fun night at the Columbus Clippers game when we returned to Columbus.

Andrea :)

Date Nights - July

As we prepared for our big move to Columbus, we split our date nights this month between the old and the new. It was nice to build in some fun while we were in Columbus looking for a place to live and doing a little networking. At the same time, it was great to be able to fit in a bucket list style date night in New York City.

In Columbus, we had a blast mini-golfing at Olentangy Mini-Golf. We played two courses and each won a round. Afterward, we had delicious Mexican food at El Acapulco. It was a fun way to spend some free time as we checking out our new city. I can definitely see us revisiting these two spots in the coming months.

In New York, our bucket list style date night included dinner at Sylvia's in Harlem before heading over to the Apollo Theater for Amateur Night. The food was amazing!! I definitely recommend it regardless of how long you have to wait. Fortunately, we were there at a good time and had just a short wait before chowing down on some tasty chicken. Apollo Amateur Night was quite the experience. I can't imagine getting up in front of a crowd of New Yorkers and performing - truly a vulnerable spot! We enjoyed all of the acts, but it is tradition there to boo acts off the stage so that happened a couple times. We actually felt bad for those performers. Honestly, no one really stood out head and shoulders above the rest. There were some pretty talented acts. All in all, I highly recommend this combo to anyone. It was a super fun night!

Do you have any bucket list places or activities you'd like to experience in your city?

Andrea :)

Improv at Magnet Theater - Level Two

After my stellar experience in Level One, I couldn't shake the idea of not continuing to pursue this super fun form of comedy. With our commitments in the spring and really not knowing our plans 100%, I didn't feel like I could take another eight week course. Fortunately, the Magnet offers week long intensives for Level Two.

I jumped on it. I requested it as a birthday gift and took the class at the end of July. I was hesitant about being in class for essentially six hours each day, but it was surprisingly refreshing. There wasn't a ton of additional learning that took place in Level Two so that helped to make it feel less overwhelming.

We did a lot of character building and working on playing in groups, but the basic concepts from Level One were simply continually reiterated. There was one person from my Level One class in Level Two, but otherwise it was a great group of new, fun faces! It was also great because we had lunch together each day and really got to know one another a little better during that time.

I didn't have as much of a crew at the show, but I was happy Chris was able to be there to support me. I really enjoyed playing with so many people in this group. I thought our show was so fun!

Andrea :)

Photo A Day - July

July held some significant milestones and fun times with my favorite birthday buddy back in Kentucky along with a pit stop in Columbus.

I became an official New Yorker just in time to pack up and move. Pretty ironic, but I am glad that I made it to that 10 year mark. It sure was a decade to remember. I am glad that I took the chance and didn't give up on myself or the city that never sleeps too soon!

We spent a few days in Columbus signing our new lease, exploring around town, and visiting with the birthday boy down in Lexington for a couple days. Lots of fun and excitement!

Packing took over my life when I wasn't enjoying my level two intensive improv class with Magnet Theater. Definitely a fun birthday week - complete with a trip to the LIC Flea Market.

Beautiful birthday flowers from Reba really brightened up the apartment. We had a date night at the Apollo for Amateur Night - definitely an interesting experience! In between packing up boxes, we saw Queen in Brooklyn and went to our all-time favorite hibachi spot.

Andrea :)