A 5 day impression of NYC after buying a property

Owning a place and visiting it evoke entirely different feelings. For lack of a better analogy, it’s like the difference between going to Vegas for a weekend and actually living there. Here's an unfiltered look at the emotions and thoughts along the way:

Day 1:

  • 2:42 PM EST – Landing at Newark... wow, we’re actually doing what we set out to do eight months ago.

  • 3:23 PM EST – First glimpse of the Manhattan skyline… teary, proud, and excited.

  • 4:10 PM EST – Opening the door to our new (but old) apartment – wow, it’s a lot smaller than I imagined.

  • 5:00 PM EST – WTF did we do?

  • 5:15 PM EST – Passed Gwyneth Paltrow on the street near our apartment – holy shit (me) / "angel ;)" (my wife’s words, not mine).

  • 7:00 PM EST – Walked to Washington Square Park – people everywhere, feels so European.

  • Stopped at CVS for shampoo and shaving cream (only one block from the apartment).

  • 9:00 PM EST – We have so much work to do to get this apartment into shape. I hope we're up for it 😅. Goodnight.

  • 10:30 PM EST – Watching Seinfeld... ah, NYC as the backdrop, that makes sense. Oh, wait, so does Friends now... aka that time in life when friends are like family (the original pitch for the series).

  • 2:00 AM EST – Do I hear rats? Back to sleep.

Day 2:

  • 7:00 AM – Ok, you got this. King of New York City mindset.

  • 7:30 AM – Bagel, coffee... the city is waking up, stores are opening... wow, it’s happening.

  • 10:00 AM – Coordinating deliveries.

  • 12:41 PM – Visited the building rooftop – whoa 🤯 what a wild feeling... the city of New York.

  • 1:41 PM – Couch, desk, and console arrive. The place feels smaller, but more livable.

  • 1:52 PM – People always say, "There's so much going on in NYC," and now I see it’s true. Wow.

  • 2:46 PM – It’s still slightly overwhelming to think, "You are in NYC... not visiting."

  • 3:11 PM – The apartment is shaping up. Tight, but shaping up.

  • 3:43 PM – Repurchased the same couch we own in Seattle. It’s starting to feel homey... if homey is a closet.

  • 6:12 PM – Dinner at Union Square Cafe. Can’t wait to paint the town!

Day 3:

  • 5:45 AM – Jolted awake for a delivery from a Long Island union plumber.

  • 7:44 AM – Found the gym.

  • 8:44 AM – Workout done, not bad. Beautiful weather. Tonight, there’s a record release party – hair is going to be perfect.

  • 9:36 AM – I think I found our neighborhood anytime diner (think Seinfeld).

  • 10:11 AM – Met the building "super" – cool.

  • 12:40 PM – Sitting in the living room... I don’t regret this.

  • 3:08 PM – Greek restaurant on 3rd Ave... thought: My advice? Fucking do NYC. Whether you "make it" or not doesn’t matter, as long as you did it. I waited 20 years... I don’t regret it.

  • 6:31 PM – Still wild. At Bowery Electric meeting good friends we met in Maine, performing tonight.

  • 8:03 PM – Band hasn’t gone on yet. NYC: everywhere you look, it’s someone you know but don’t.

Day 4:

  • 8:30 AM – Went to the same gym; got denied and told to come back in 30 minutes, lol. Decided to walk a lot instead.

  • 12:32 PM – Back at Union Square Cafe – the place hits.

  • 2:00 PM – Walked to Radio City/Rockefeller Center to see the tree 🌲.

  • 2:50 PM – There's just so much, so close, so many people. All of it.

  • 3:15 PM – No tree 😂. Walked back down.

  • 5:00 PM – Texting with the real estate agent, she recommends a neighborhood spot.

  • 5:15 PM – Spirits are high.

  • 6:00 PM – Randomly ate at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Met strangers. Crashed their dinner.

  • 7:00 PM – Met up with friends from the concert. They joined us for dinner.

  • 8:00 PM – Neighborhood bar – Yankees vs. Dodgers… am I a Yankees fan? No clue.

Day 5:

  • 4:30 AM – Driver calling us, Home Alone-style – our alarms didn’t go off, and we totally forgot we had a flight this morning.

  • 8:58 AM – Made the flight. Catching up on these notes. The feeling is... I don’t regret this. Roll with it!!!

Moments from NYC

Mark Ashley