kristina-marie: Harlem World

“New York has always been going to hell but somehow it never gets there.”

Its my first time being home in three weeks and no matter how much I love being in the city, I miss little parts of home all the time. I FaceTime with my mom every week but something about drinking coffee at the kitchen table and staying up till 3am talking in person together is the true definition of home. Also cuddling your pets is a+.

My life has drastically changed within the past couple of months. Its kind of strange how attending college can make you fall in love with living. I guess that doesn’t make a lot of sense to people.

Living in East Harlem has also opened my eyes up to so many new things. Hearing the word “Harlem” has always been associated with being a “bad” place. This isn’t necessarily true. There is a certain charm in Harlem that I have never seen before. People hug each other on the streets and ask how their families are. I’ve lived in the same house on Long Island for 23 years and I’ve never even had a conversation with my neighbors before, let alone know their names.

Every weekend my friends and I go to a new museum and try to find the best coffee in manhattan. I’m taking a social movement and change class, and as a requirement, I have to visit 5 museums this semester. Some people may find this incredibly boring, but I’ve always loved museums and learning and seeing new things. When I was in London, I went to a new museum every single day, sometimes I’d go to two (most of the museums are free in the UK if you show a student ID). There’s something about getting lost in a museum and taking it all in that I love.

(taken at the MoMa)

(taken at the Brooklyn Museum)

(taken at The Museum of the City of New York)

My mother can drink coffee with any meal. I used to find it disgusting because really, how can you drink coffee with dinner? I used to drink a lot of tea but I’ve turned into my mom. The first thing I do when I leave in the morning is get coffee. The first thing I do when I leave for class is get another cup of coffee. I walked 83 blocks for a cup of German chocolate cake coffee. Was it worth it? Yes. Very much so.