Arrival and week-end in NYC
I arrived in New York City from Paris on Thursday, April 30, and immediately booked a tiny room in an ultra-low-cost hostel ($150 a night, almost nothing!) right in the heart of Manhattan. At least I had a somewhere to put my suitcase to allow me to visit, while still being in the middle of the place to be. A friend visiting from San Antonio, Texas, was spending a few days in NYC during my first weekend here, so I wasn’t alone! Among other things, we visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC.
Finding a place in Harlem
I was put in touch with someone who rents out their apartment in Harlem, NYC. The apartment isn’t available for me right away, but I was able to pick up the keys, visit it and get the main information and rules of the place, and drop off my suitcase there. I met the current tenant, who will be moving out in early June and will let me take her place.
Business Trip to Montreal
Timing worked out perfectly: the company I work for hired a new French employee at our office in Montreal, Canada. NYC is only a 1,5 hour flight away! So I took the opportunity to be closer to Montreal from NYC and flew out on Monday with Air Canada, for a French speaking connection business trip. This way I spent my first week working in Americas from our Montreal offices.
A series of temporary accommodations
While I wait to move into my apartment, I’m bouncing between hotels and Airbnbs. So I’ve spent a few days in Manhattan, Harlem, Union City in New Jersey, and finally Brooklyn! This way I could see different parts of the city, and the surrounding areas. Very different atmospheres. Brooklyn looks like a rich borough with a lot of expats and startupers. Union City feels like country side, where you need a car for anything or take the bus with fellow travelers in despair. Then comes Harlem, with its Hispanic and African American communities, that is currently undergoing gentrification. Proudly soon part of it.
First week at our NYC office
So I’m now in my second week at the NYC office. I’ve been warmly welcomed by my colleagues there. Seems they are happy to finally have their local lawyer working in person. The office has a wide open space and I chose to join my favorites Sales teams’ bench, with whom I was already working closely, but from Paris until now. Clearly, working alongside them in person allowing me to focus on their market makes all the difference. A whole new professional adventure starts for me, and I take you with me!
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