City vs. Suburbs

I've been thinking for a while that I need to do a post about how I do little everyday things in the city. Our life is vastly different than it used to be, but surprisingly, on the whole I wouldn't say it's necessarily more difficult. Before we moved people who'd visited New York as tourists would always say things like, "Oh, I love the city, but I just don't know how you could do it with a family!" They'd go on to describe why they felt that way and they always supported the comment with things like, "How would you go grocery shopping?" or, "I just couldn't live without a car!"

I had the same concerns before moving. I wasn't quite sure how little tasks like grocery shopping or bigger tasks like having to take my kids to the doctor or hospital would go. (Yes, unfortunately I've done both). I was really unsure how I'd do with our double stroller being our family vehicle. However, while things are at times difficult the city is full of conveniences that you can't get in any suburb. All of these conveniences have a price tag, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend the city to everyone on any budget, but if you have the right personality the city really can be an incredible place to live-even with a family.

I've gone through some serious highs and lows. The highs due to all the incredible things there are to do here, and the amazing history and overall beauty of the city. I just love that I step out my door everyday and feel like it's an adventure. The lows mostly due to my intense fear of getting those dreaded bed bugs, or cockroaches, or any other disgusting creature that seems to thrive in this city. I've also experienced some lows due to my husbands crazy work hours, (the other night he worked for over 36 hours straight-no sleep), the price tag on many activities for kids here (pre-school runs typically between 20 to 40 thousand per year). Then of course just missing being with family, (though having my sister Ashlee living nearby has helped considerably in that area!).

Enough of me rambling though. Here's an idea of how I do a pretty basic thing...go grocery shopping. Believe it or not Manhattan has a Costco! It's actually not too far from us. In the building above Costco they have a Target too. The prices there aren't, as far as I can tell, any different than they are in Utah. I try to get all of my big things there. Getting there can be an adventure. They're in Harlem. I usually ride the Subway up to 116th street and then walk the four blocks East to the stores. It's an interesting walk! I started taking the girls, but quickly realized that was a good way to loose my mind, and so now I've started only going when Marc is home to watch them. Here are some pictures of a Costco trip:

I wanted a picture of our "interesting" walks through Harlem, but this picture doesn't look bad at all. I had just passed a project and a few sketchy characters and because no one else was around I thought this would be a good spot to take this picture, but it doesn't really capture it perfectly. Don't get me wrong it's not like a super scary neighborhood, it's just not quite as calm as the picture above makes it look.
I'm too cheap and lazy to make one trip for Costco and another for Target, so I always combine them. Because I don't have a car to take my groceries back to I go into Target first, then I carry all my bags down to Costco put them on the bottom of the Costco cart and go into Costco to finish my shopping. Once I'm done I just go out and wait for a town car. (They have a line and a coned area with people that help get your car and load all your groceries into it.) It's 9 dollars to get from Costco to our place. Plus the two dollar tip I give the Costco person that loads my groceries into the car and the 2 dollars I tip the driver.
It always feels exciting now to get into a car and hear the radio. It's fun to take this drive home and scope out Harlem a little more.
When we pull up I run into our building and grab one of these carts and take it out and load the groceries onto it. Then we head up on the elevator to unload everything. Hailey thinks the cart is pretty cool.

So that is Costco...that's why I only do it once a month.

As for other grocery shopping. We actually have a grocery store just a block away from us. It is the tiniest store in the world though. I can't take my stroller in because it has the most jammed isles in the world. So when I go there I typically have Hailey walk and put Avery in the carrier, then I carry my groceries home in my hands. I usually only go there for little things that I may have forgotten.

The nicer grocery stores in the city, like Fairway, have elevators. I usually go grocery shopping here when Hailey's at pre-school so that I have an extra seat to carry groceries home. (You can have groceries delivered at any store. I think it's usually around 5 dollars to have them delivered to your door). Another convenience in the city is in a building like ours and most that have a doorman, have storage. You can go out shopping have groceries delivered, and you don't even have to worry about being home when they bring it. At our building we have cold storage, so if I'm not home they put it there and I can just pick it up when I get back.
Avery and I headed back with our stuff.

OK last grocery related piece of info is that you can actually do all your shopping online too. There's a place called Fresh direct, and you just order everything online on your computer and they deliver it to you the next day. I haven't used it yet, but I'm planning to if the weather ever gets bad enough. (No snow yet this year...weird!) Grocery shopping can be an adventure, but it can also be easy. It just depends on what you want. I have a good amount of time on my hands and I care more about saving a few dollars than saving time, so this is how I do it. Things can be very convenient though.

Within a block and a half of us we have: a park, a library, the girl's doctor's office, a pharmacy/convenience store, a grocery store, 2 dry cleaners, restaurants, fruit carts, and of course a Starbucks. (I think there's one of those every five blocks). Everything in this city can be delivered. Even laundry. People will actually come to your door pick up all of your laundry take it and wash it and bring it back clean and folded. They charge typically about 99 cents a pound for that. There is a website here called seamless that has become one of our favorites. You go onto their site and browse menus from all the restaurants in your area. You order right there and can even include the delivery tip amount. Before you know it it's at your door. It's awesome.

I'm certainly not planning to live in the city forever, but there are some really cool things about it. While I still dream of the day I'll have a house and a yard, I love to think of the experience my girls are having. Hailey for on day of pre-school this week did a scavenger hunt in the Met, and the week before they visited the Museum of Natural History. It's definitely an adventure living in this city!