Tag Archives: Columbia

Arrival

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Well, I’ve been in NYC for about 24 hours now, and I finally have a minute to catch my breath after running all over the place for errands and official Columbia business.

I left Chicago around 5:30 PM on Saturday (a few hours later than I was hoping, but oh well), spent the night near Cleveland, and got into NYC around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. Aside from the usual traffic delays around Chicago and NYC and some construction delays in Pennsylvania, the trip was uneventful. As of yesterday, at one time or another I have moved from Chicago to each of the three biggest cities in the northeast: Chicago to Boston in 2000, Chicago to Philly in 2002, and Chicago to NYC in 2007.

Funny how each time I moved back to Chicago, it didn’t take me long to remember why I left in the first place… Never say “never,” of course, but this time I have the feeling that I’ve finally left Chicago for good. Maybe I would have felt more inclined to stay in Chicago if I had a better job there or if all my old friends there hadn’t gotten married, started having kids, and/or moved away or if there were better education options for me there. Oh well… I’ll always have some fondness for Chicago, but for now I’m just glad to be out.

Upon arrival at Columbia University I got my housing assignment, which is for a fairly large private room within a suite on 113th Street. Nothing special, but it will suffice. So far my cat seems to be handling dorm life without any problems. He’s behaved very well throughout the trip.

Today I dropped my car off at a garage over in Newark, took PATH back into the city, did some paperwork for Columbia housing, got my Columbia ID, and took care of a few other odds and ends.

Last night I was able to take a stroll around Greenwich Village, and today I did some walking around the financial district… I had forgotten just how much of a sensory overload this city can be. There’s usually something interesting to see no matter what direction you’re looking… It’s thrilling when you first arrive here, but it can become wearisome after a while… I think the secret to staying sane in NYC is to have some sort of escape destination outside the city you can head to when things get crazy here.

I haven’t decided yet, but tomorrow I may head down to Philadelphia while I still have my car and some free time… It’s been a while since I’ve been back there, and it would be nice to see the old stomping grounds again. And one of these days I’ll make it up to Boston for a visit… I haven’t set foot in that city since 2000.

New York City, Part Deux

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Here’s a quick update, for those of you who don’t already know: I didn’t get accepted to any of my top choices for grad school this year, but it’s doubtful I would have finished my BA degree by the end of the summer anyway. So, I’ve decided to postpone grad school for another year, finish my BA degree in the fall or spring, and re-apply to grad schools for fall 2008.The good news: I’ve been accepted into the summer architecture studio at Columbia University in NYC, an intensive 5-week program that offers studio projects, lectures, field trips throughout the city, and office tours of some prominent NYC architecture firms. This program will give me some additional (and hopefully better) projects for my portfolio and provide some valuable networking opportunities for when I re-apply to grad schools next year.

At the conclusion of the program in August, I plan to remain in New York and work full-time there for a year while wrapping up my BA degree on a distance-learning basis during the fall quarter, leaving the winter and spring quarters open to tie up any loose ends if necessary.

Even though my last time living in NYC was somewhat less than pleasant, I’m looking forward to getting back there. That city certainly has a way of getting under your skin. I wish I could move there tomorrow, but then again, I also wish I had another six months to save up money for the move.

Anway, wish me luck…