Getting setup in NYC
Getting my TN work permit at Dorval in Montreal was nice and simple. They were even happy to let me pay for it by credit card. On the other end of the flight, the cabbie who drove me to Williamsburg from LGA kept whining about how short a distance I was riding in his cab, as though I should feel guilty for it! And then he turned down a $5 tip on a credit card in favour of cash fare that was almost a buck lower than what the meter demanded. So weird. I couldn't stay at my sister's place because they were hosting a French juggler but I did get to have dinner with them on my first day in NYC and he entertained us by juggling random fruit, including a banana. The guy was amazing: he could juggle under his leg and behind his back!
My primary reason for moving to NYC a couple of weeks before I was scheduled to start work was to find a place to live. I had already been combing through Craigslist for the past week and lining up appointments to see places in Williamsburg and the East Village, the two affordable areas within convenient commuting distance. I only ended up looking at one place in the East Village and it was half a living room that had been partitioned off for use as a bedroom, which I didn't like. Funnily enough, I ended up living in the 2nd place I saw, which is only a 5 min walk South of the L train and comes with an awesome roommate.
Although the NYC subway system is supposed to be one of the best in the world, I had a poor experience wth it during my first week in town. On the first day there was smoke in the tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan, causing service on the L to be suspended for 2 hours. A few days later there was a nasty tornado that toppled trees onto the track and delayed the L in Brooklyn again. And on the weekend when a friend and I were taking the L with our bikes, the driver was a jerk. Hopefully things will be better once I get back from SF.
Another thing I'm looking forward to in NYC is games night, when a bunch of awesome people get together weekly at Google to play board/card games. They've been doing this for the past 3 years now and I've had a great time on both occasions when I've attended.
