I grew up in the MOST picturesque place EVER. See this beach here – it was a 4 minute walk from my childhood home – and I swam there often. Now, I live even closer to the lake (but farther from the beach). This little community has, at most maybe 400 people living in it – and more than half of them only live there during the summer.
When you left your bike outside at night, it would still be there the next day.
Well, guess where I’m going to be this summer? Not anywhere near this lake, that’s for starters.
Here’s a hint.
Guess where that is? You’re thinking maybe the closest large city to where I am (I go to school in Bloomington, IN, remember)… Indianapolis?
Nope. Not Chicago either.
I’m going to be in New York City! OMG!!! New York City!! I’ve never even visited there before!!! EEEK!!!
Ok, so the details. I’m currently an RA, right… and I want to work in colleges in the future… and now I have an internship at Columbia University! It’s a really great internship because I’ll be getting some new, very marketable skills. And room and some food is free – and I’ll be getting paid for this FULL time position! I am so, so, incredibly excited!
But I’m also sorta scared. I have only one relative who lives in the city – an uncle. I know no one else. But I’m also really excited! A number of my friends are going to come and visit me!
Is anyone out there from NYC? I’m excited to go to the awesome yarn stores (Like The Point, and Purl), but does anyone know what the closest yarn store to there is?
I am so, so, incredibly excited!
All Buttoned Up 
Congrats! That’s amazing for you and a wonderful opportunity. I’m from NYC (Brooklyn part) but in NJ now, though not far. Here is a link borrowed from the Harlot’s Represent page : http://www.batchgeocode.com/map/?i=f5f723954d28fe6cc0d5d1c49bb09eb2
Someone was kind enough to put together a list of the yarn shop in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens for a yarn crawl. heh… I haven’t hit any yarn shops in the NY area, so if you’d like some company I’d be up for a bit of a yarn crawl when you get in!
Congratulations! That’s so exciting!
I’ve only been to the yarn shops in Manhattan and I’m always shocked at how TINY they are. The people working are usually kind of snotty too (I had a really bad experience at Purl yesterday…).
BUT those are only the Manhattan stores. I’ve been led to believe that shops in Brooklyn and Queens are much friendlier and bigger. I’m from Philadelphia, so if you want to do a NYC yarn crawl when you move in I’d definitely go on an adventure with you.
Congratulations! That’s wonderful. I’m sure you will have a wonderful summer. Don’t leave your bike out at night though. 😉
Hey Nicole–I stumbled across your blog through the SP10 Participants List. Congratulations on your internship! I agree with Elizabeth above that NYC yarn stores are surprisingly tiny…you do, however, have a nice one not very far from Columbia: Knitty City on 79th Street between B’day and Amsterdam. Not huge, but you can actually stretch your arms out, and the sales people are quite sweet!
Wow, that’s a big change- how exciting! Congrats on a great sounding internship!
That is exciting! How wonderful to get to spend some times there and not have to worry about finding housing! And be getting job skills at the same time!
Heya. I’m a lurker, but since I’ve been living in the CU ‘hood for 8 years as a grad student there I felt compelled to step in…though I’m not sure if I have anything worthwhile to say! Being part of a university community is a good way to dip your toe into big city life (NB: never put any body part into any public water supply in NYC). CU is kind of a village unto itself. I’ve had bad experiences at both the upper west side and (less surprisingly) some upper east side yarn shops, but I love School Products and The Point. And definitely the Brooklyn shops. I haven’t yet tried the ones in Queens, but I’ve heard good things. Basically, the CU neighborhood has very little of the classic college-town things (hip shops, cafes, etc) because why would anyone bother when you can get on a train and go to any one of 50 infinitely cooler neighborhoods? I recommend taking the 1 train from 116th & Broadway (the center of campus) downtown to 14th street. Get out, walk east to union square. Wander your way south from there, spending a whole day just checking everything out. When I first moved to NYC I kept looking up specific places I wanted to go, looking at a subway map, and only going above ground to visit that place, then go under again. Finally I made friends with some New Yorkers and realized that, first, everything below 14th street is a really small area containing everything you could ever want in a city (nearly). Second, the places you stumble onto unexpectedly are often more fun than any planned journey. Another good trek is just to walk downtown on Broadway from campus to as far as you’re willing to go on foot. A summer is a great way to experience New York – shorter trips can be expensive, frustrating and exhausting if you don’t know someone who can be your guide, and longer stays (trust me!) can make the whole dirt/noise/nastiness really get on your nerves. But a few months is enough time to learn the ropes from the inside out, but still get back to the civilized world when you’ve had enough…That’s my feeling anyway!
Yay for you!!!!! I’ll be there at the end of May! But only for a day trip, I’ll be in Philly for a week long conference and we’ll be taking the train in for a day to NYC. We’ll probably just miss each other huh?
Congrats, you’ll love it!
That is so exciting!! I have been in Res Life for years and an intership is a great way to move on. Good Luck to you and I cant wait to hear more about your experiance!
Hi! I found your site through SP10 and I just wanted to say hi cause I went to IU and I now work in NYC! So what will you be doing in NY?
Oh wow, congratulations! What a great opportunity (and getting paid for it as well is pretty spiffy, too :). I’ve wanted to go to NYC for a while now, but primarily to hit that one fabric shop they always go to on Project Runway. 🙂
Welcome to New York! You will love it. Don’t be scared. I came here by myself 7 years ago and I only had one cousin that lived here. It was scary at first, but also very exciting. If you love food, NY is the place to be.
Don’t forget to check out Seaport Yarns. They have floor to ceiling yarn in every room. It’s overwhelming.
Awesome! Congratulations! I have a friend who did her undergrad at Columbia, and I visited her frequently. It’s a great campus.
As for what’s in the area, make sure you go to Amsterdam Cafe (aka AmCaf) that was a pretty chill place to get a drink, from what I recall. I didn’t knit at the time so I can’t help with yarn stores, but I think you are pretty much taken care of on that count. 🙂
Hi! I found your site looking for methods to dye yarns in small places (doesn’t get any smaller than a dorm room, does it?) Thanks for a great tutorial. How exciting that you’re moving to the city! It was a little overwhelming for me at first, but I’m sure you’ll love it. Congrats on the internship.
Hi! I stumbled across your page looking at the participants page on the Sp 10. I live in Queens, and I have pretty much been to every single yarn store in the whole city, even the ones I could find on long Island. let me know if you need help or anything in the city, or if you just need a friend:~)
you’ll love it here! Everyday you’ll see and learn something new! good luck!
Hi,
There’s a yarn store right near columbia on 108th and Amsterdam–it’s called Yarntopia.
how funny: i was just checking out ballband dishcloth color combos on flickr in a desperate attempt to be productive during my bout of insomnia. i found your lovely rainbow assortment, clicked over to your blog, and found a fellow hoosier! my husband and i are both transplants (from ft wayne and muncie, respectively), and i recently left a job at columbia. anyhow, i definitely second kate a’s suggestions: venture away from morningside heights and experience what union square, the village, the lower east side, and brooklyn have to offer. as one poster mentioned, you’ll find many of the shops (yarn and otherwise) to be tiny, but they make up for their size in personality and inspiration. congrats, enjoy yourself, and feel free to send me an email if you have any questions!