10 Tips for Living in Colorado Springs

Okay, so I've only lived here for, like, two weeks. (Oh god, is that really it? It feels like it's been two months.) But nonetheless, here's what I've learned during my brief time here so far!

1. Water. Carry it with you pretty much everywhere.

2. Chapstick. Carry it with you pretty much everywhere.

3. What other hydrating things am I missing? Eye drops, lotion, a humidifier... Basically, your skin will flake and your nose may bleed and your throat will get scratchy and your contacts might stick and your lips will crack and you will dehydrate. IT'S REALLY DRY HERE.

4. You need a car. But drivers are actually courteous here, so there's that! And parking is ridiculously cheap!

5. ...But you might also have to try really, really hard not to crash said car while looking at the mountains while you're driving. (SO PRETTY!)

6. 40 degrees in the morning at 80 degrees in the afternoon is not only not unheard of, but totally normal. So good luck figuring out what to wear every day.

7. One word: sunscreen.

8. I don't care what anyone says. This is not a city. This is a town.

9. Everyone is friendly. Everyone. It's a little weird at first, but don't be alarmed. Go ahead, be chatty. But staying away from the homeless people is still a smart move.

10. The Incline and/or Pike's Peak might kill you. But you're going to climb at least one of them anyway and be glad you did. (At least, that's the hope...)

I'm actually thinking about making training for the Incline my summer fitness goal to give myself motivation to work out. It's a mile of stairs straight up the mountain. I'm a little bit terrified.

I hope you've all been at least mildly entertained and informed about the places I've lived. :) It's been a fun retrospective for me, but I'll be back to my regularly scheduled posts (lol, do I have such a thing?) this week!

10 Tips for Living in London

I miss London. So, so much. Every day. It's kind of an issue because IT HURTS. I really think I'm going to have to move back there at some point in my life because, really, you'd think the homesickness would've faded by now, right?

1. Buses run all night, but be careful not to drunkenly fall asleep on the 25 or you'll find yourself in Ilford at 4 a.m.

2. The tube is your best friend. The map actually makes sense, each line has a different color and name... I could wax poetic about the tube forever. But it closes at 12:30, so plan accordingly.

3. However, avoid rush hour if at all possible, unless you enjoy being crammed into a car like a sardine and standing with your nose in some strange person's armpit in a hundred degrees. And if you MUST travel during rush hour, avoid the Central line. And Bank station. And Liverpool Street station. And... ugh, just avoid rush hour, okay?

4. Big Ben never gets any less beautiful.

5. Out exploring in the city for a day? It's entirely possible to not spend a dime (other than for food and transportation).

6. For as much as I love the tube, it's a ridiculously walkable city. Do yourself a favor and wander.

7. ...Because there are MAPS! EVERYWHERE! Pretty sure they were put in for the Olympics, but it makes the city laughably easy to get around. If you're in a main area of the city, there's a map posted every couple of blocks. It's impossible to get lost (and that's coming from me, born without a sense of direction).

8. What Londoners call "rain" isn't actually rain. It's more of a gray, drizzly mist that you're not really sure you need an umbrella for. But you WILL most likely be wearing long pants through most of the summer.

9. Fish and chips. High tea. Just do it.

10. Appreciate the fact that this is the greatest city in the world.

Ugh, now I'm a little bit depressed. Seriously, if I had the money for a plane ticket...

10 Tips for Living in Miami

Funnily enough, I'm posting this on the first day it's rained/been even a little bit humid since I've been in Colorado. It was much more the London variety (gray, damp and chilly) than Miami, but still. It's like someone knew my hair hadn't been a poofball in several weeks. Which brings me to number one...

1. Girls, don't even bother doing your hair. Humidity.

2. See this?

It's a tiny umbrella. Buy one. Carry it with you everywhere.

3. ...Because it rains whenever the hell it wants. Weather app says there's a 10% chance of rain? It's going to rain.

4. Wear Uggs (or any other winter clothes, really) and prepare to be judged. (Fun fact: it's never cold enough for Uggs. Put them away.)

5. Use public transportation only if you have a couple of extra hours to spare.

6. ...But really, the metro is no sketchier than any other public transit system in any other city. Just don't be an idiot and you're perfectly safe.

7. Wear Gators or Seminoles clothing and expect the dirtiest looks you've ever seen. Depending on the person, you might even get a snide remark or bald-faced insult. Basically, just don't do it.

Grab the pitchforks!

8. Bring a sweater with you everywhere. It may be a billion degrees outside, but the air conditioning inside is set to negative a billion degrees. Your sweat may form icicles.

9. You WILL sweat like a pig. Even if you're just standing outside. And 70 degrees is a perfectly acceptable temperature to break out the long pants and sweatshirts, because it's your only chance to wear them.

10. Watch out for the lizards.

(Yes, I recognize that most of my tips are about weather and transportation. But they're two things that are in every city! And, let's be real... they're both super important. Or they are to a person that has to struggle with both!)

Because the weather is so British today, I've decided that London is up next. :) Happy Wednesday!

10 Tips for Living in New York

In the last calendar year, I've lived in four (very) different places; London, New York, Miami and Colorado Springs. I'll no longer be able to say that starting June 9th, as that's when I left London, so to commemorate this pretty awesome (if I do say so myself) feat of mine I came up with this little series. I'll be offering random little tidbits on living in these places, starting with "home": New York. I may have never actually lived in the city, but growing up in its shadow definitely makes me a pseudo-local!

1. New York City = "the city." Embrace the inherent arrogance.

2. Nobody that's actually from New York calls the city "NYC" when they speak. It's the city. To avoid sounding like an outsider, avoid saying "NYC" at all costs.

3. In the city? You're going to have to take the subway.

4. ...Unless you're rich enough to want to pay for cabs. In that case, have fun in the traffic.

5. On Long Island? You're going to need to have a car.

6. Upstate and downstate are two very, very different worlds. (And Westchester is upstate. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.)

7. Three words: GET COMFORTABLE SHOES.

8. You know that place you're going right now? You need to have been there yesterday. If you're on time, you're late. MOVE MOVE MOVE. FASTER.

9. If you're walking in the city, for the love of god, do not stop in the middle of the sidewalk. You WILL cause a collision and everyone will assume you're a tourist. Pull off to the side.

10. The subway map? Yeah, still can't really figure that one out. Good luck.

Up next is Miami -- stay tuned! :)