3 Weeks Wiser

It's been raining and pouring on and off all month.

7th Ave

The tip of Hillary's finger & a sunset over the Hudson

People's Improv Theatre - "Improv your life."

I've been living in the West Village for 3 whole weeks, and I'm starting to get a little more comfortable and jaded with city life. I still find beauty and inspiration, but my glasses are a little less rose-colored. It was 91 degrees in the city today, and in a black polyester dress I felt like an egg boiling on the sidewalk. The subway is a game of trying not to rub against other sweaty people, and it's definitely tourist season. It's amazing - and scary - that in just 3 weeks, I could observe so much. I feel like I aged years and grew an internal street smarts compass.

The amount of homeless people I have encountered on my walk to work and in the park is extremely sobering. I'm normally equipped with a granola bar or banana to dole out if someone asks for money, but I'm taking steps to do more. On Sunday I attended an orientation at a soup kitchen in Chelsea for New York Cares, a service network that connects able volunteers to projects in the five boroughs in the areas of children's recreation, adult education and literacy, hunger, revitalization, seniors, and beyond. I'm excited to attend my first service project next Sunday at a senior center on 103rd street, and hope that I'll be able to help make a difference in someone's day.

In other news, I've chosen to explore the free improv shows and vinyasa yoga classes that the city has to offer. Next on my list is to find some free poetry slams and attempt to student rush some plays. City life is proving to be sobering yet entertaining. For every homeless man sleeping on a stoop, there is an artist sharing their gift in Washington Square for loose change or an English teacher leading a volunteering orientation for free.