Getting Familiar

Cole and me
I traded taking a selfie with mom for lunch, 

I grew up small town. So small in fact, my home town didn't even have a traffic light. There was no rush hour and a traffic jam was most likely just a couple of folks stopped in the middle of the road to chat (that was a habit my father, who grew up in a city, never got used to-- who the hell stops in the middle of the road to chat?).

So, when son #1, Caleb, chose NYU Law as his school of choice, that first visit to the city had me a bundle of nerves. New York City is a far cry from rural West Virginia. I spent the summer before classes started bugging anyone and everyone I knew who had lived in the Big Apple. I got information on everything from train schedules to grocery deliveries.

The first night in the city, I won't lie. I was a rookie. My heart raced every time a horn honked. I was shocked by the mountainous piles of bagged garbage on the streets and the people picking through it. I made super slow progress down Broadway stopping for every street hawker and up-and-coming rapper. I bought at least five CDs, a hat, and more prints of the NY skyline than I knew what to do with.

Now, a few years later. Boy #2, Cole, was invited to interview at Columbia University for their Film and Creative Production program. The interview was on a Thursday and my husband couldn't get the time off work, so I'd be the parent on point. Three years ago, I'd have had a coronary at the thought.

But I'm no longer a newbie! My years of experience, all the questions I bugged friends with, and by doing my own research, I made this trip without breaking a sweat.

Cole
waiting on the subway
(And so happy about the pics!)

I now know...

~it's a good idea to bypass  the craziness of Time's Square (sorry rappers and artists!)

~how to use the trains and the subway.








~how to find the less obvious NY city icons. 

Tom's is the front for the Seinfeld diner
No, I didn't get the big salad and no,
Paco wasn't cooking. 

I got this picture from Facebook. It's a better angle.
I would have had to stand on a busy corner for this angle.
and well, I'm not that bold yet. 

~to expect the unexpected in the city 

Dinner at Cafe Du John? 

Then drinks later at Le Crapper?

Where there once was insecurity and fear, there is now a new adventure in every trip. Each time, I am a little smarter, a little wiser. The same goes for writing. In the beginning, there is so much to learn it can feel overwhelming. But dive in-- ask questions and do research...pretty soon you forget that you were ever  insecure in the first place.

This was an IWSG post. The IWSG is a database resource site and support group for writers and authors. Featuring weekly guests and tips, a monthly blogfest gathering, a Facebook group, a book club, and thousands of links – all to benefit writers! #IWSG

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Thanks to our leader, Alex Cavanaugh and this month's co-Hosts: Stephen Tremp, Pat Garcia,Angela Wooldridge, Victoria Marie Lees, and Madeline Mora-Summonte!

The IWSG made The Write Life's 100 best sites for this year! Way to go guys!! And be sure to check out Alex's book, Cassastar. It's a great beginning to a wonderful series and it's on sale this week for 99 cents!