Three New York Years

Today marks three years since Eric and I first stepped off a plane at JFK Airport, and officially became New York City residents. Three years already! Time flies when you're having fun, people. For the past three years I have felt like we "just moved to NYC from Washington, D.C." But now that we have hit the three-year mark in New York, we have officially lived in NYC for as long as we lived in D.C. It's madness. I guess we actually live here now, right?

I think a more accurate description of our New York (/NJ) resident status is that we are "permanent tourists" in New York. I feel like so many people live here and don't take full advantage of all that the city has to offer, and I get it. It's easy to get sucked into working, paying bills, grocery shopping, errands - all that normal, everyday stuff that you have to do no matter where you live. But Eric and I have really tried to also treat these past three years as one big vacation. Our time in New York City will not last forever, and we have known that since the day we stepped off that plane. So, we try to live as "permanent tourists," not only doing regular-life things but also seeking out touristy and/or uniquely "New York" things to do. And really, it's been a blast. We have been very blessed with this opportunity.

I thought it only fitting to look back at some of my most favorite NYC memories today. Join me, won't you?

- Settling in and feeling just OMG SO EXCITED to be in NYC at first, including our first night out at Rent on Broadway:

In front of the Nederlander Theater, and PSYCHED about it

- Experiencing the 2008 Presidential election in true New York style:

Rockefeller Plaza lit up for the festivities

- Watching my dad and the rest of the Second Time Arounders Marching Band of St. Petersburg, FL march in the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (after standing around in freezing weather to do so, as is done in NYC):

Second Time Arounders marching along in the parade

(source: tampabay.com)

- Experiencing our very first Christmas in the city, and being amazed that every time we roamed around town we found something new to see (I can't even link to an old post for this one, because there were so many!):

There is just SO MUCH to see in New York at Christmas!

- New Year's Eve 2008-09 in Times Square, for hours on end, in one-degree weather:

You can tell this picture was taken shortly after arriving, because we still look lively and happy at this point.

- Unexpectedly stumbling upon the Easter Bonnet Parade on Fifth Avenue on Easter Sunday, 2009:

Some of my favorite Easter costumes

- Our second Manhattan apartment, and more specifically, the view from our windows:

Love.

- Meeting Billy Mays at our first Big Apple BBQ Festival:

Good times! (The BBQ was good too, of course.)

- The 2009 Hot Dog Eating Contest on the Fourth of July at Coney Island:

Now this is just gross.

- The gala we went to at the Plaza Hotel:

I'm not even going to try to play it cool here - we felt pretty fancy.

- Halloween 2009 in the Village with friends (to see how we created Dexter and Victim Halloween costumes, click here):

At a bar with my friend Amanda (Eric was Dexter, I was Dexter's victim, and Amanda was a very damp rag doll thanks to the sudden downpour we ran through to get to this bar.)

- Our second try at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, this time with tickets to the VIP area at the ESPN Zone, so no more cold and crowds:

Now this is the way to do it. My advice for watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person: luck into knowing somebody who can get you VIP tickets.

- Being able to watch the New Year's ball drop from the comfort of our apartment as of 2009-10:

Our last apartment rocked.

- Dancing the night away in a tiny NYC nightclub with a goldfish that I won at a carnival-themed club earlier that evening (RIP Zippy the Goldfish):

That fish is a party animal.

- Watching circus elephants march down 34th Street:

It was rainy and took forever, but this was pretty awesome.

- My first discovery of the fun of red-carpet celebrity-watching at the Sex and the City 2 premiere at Radio City Music Hall:

Holy guns, SJP.

- Discovering Fashions Night Out 2010 (and now making plans for the 2011 edition!):

We went to Armani, ate free caviar and drank free champagne, and then made kissy faces with Bar Refaeli. Just another night in the Big Apple.

- All of the great Dexter finale/premiere events we've been able to go to (it should be starting up again soon!):

Jennifer Carpenter and I are totally BFFs.

- Blizzards, NYC style:

Relaxing on a giant Sixth Avenue snowpile

- I GOT TO HUG TIM TEBOW:

Other than my wedding day, quite possibly my most favorite day of my life.

And this is just to name a few of my most favorites. This does not include all the other incredible events, great visitors, fun celebrity-sightings, fabulous concerts, incredible Broadway shows and days of random fun - the kinds of days where you just set out to run some errands and end up stumbling upon something totally awesome. Really, this city rocks my socks.

Thanks, New York, for letting me set up permanent tourist status in your fair city for three years now. May the adventure continue!