- Of course New York is better if you’re a local because of all the secret (or non) communication that I mentioned yesterday. BUT if you’re not a local, all you have to do is ask. The vast majority of the time if you ask, you’ll be helped. With a smile – really!
- New Yorkers actually like to talk to you. If you are brave enough to ask a stranger a question, you often can’t shut them up.
- Don’t be scared, even in skeezy parts. If you’re scared, it’s hard to hide it. Look relaxed and confident and everyone will leave you alone. I saw some scared tourists on the subway and it’s just so obvious, I felt bad for them.
- New York has the very best shopping in the world – yes, better than London. No, I didn’t shop more today, although I wanted to. It was so awesome to see stores open – real, full fledged stores – at 7:30 this morning. And they stay open late too! (I really, really wanted to go to Tiffany’s. They just introduced a new handbag collection and you know those are my two of my biggest weaknesses: handbags and little blue boxes from Tiffany’s. But I didn’t let myself go. What does an unemployed girl living out of her car need with a Tiffany’s handbag???)
- Don’t be afraid to wear your non-New York team apparel. Just be ready for some friendly banter with the enemy!
- It may not be London, but you really shouldn’t leave home without an umbrella. I was practically soaked to the bone in a downpour trying to get to my meeting this morning!
- Every where I look, it’s a picture. New York is so incredibly photogenic – and of course, I left my camera at the hotel today!
It was actually ok that I left the camera because I was in an office the entire day. Today was the first day of my job search. I had an orientation session and meeting with my job coach, then used their research library. Waking up at 6 am, getting dressed in work attire, joining the rush hour bus and subway crowds, I simply wasn’t looking forward to it. But it was great. Once I was there and focused on it, I was excited by the prospect of throwing myself back in the working world – as long as it’s in a role that I’m truly passionate about. I think my cousin is right: once a workaholic, always a workaholic. It really is in our blood!
So this is another thing to work into my daily road trip agenda: the job search, research, networking, professional development, interviews – luckily a lot of it can be done online and via phone, although I’ll have to do some face-to-face. My dream would be to find the right job, in the right place, that I could start in January. Of course, I have to figure out what that right job is and where the right place is, but hopefully the research and the road trip will help me figure all that out…
Amy's America 