NYC: Rose, Bud, Thorn

I’m BACK! There’s a little less money in my bank account, but I’m back in one piece and feeling much better about moving to New York City in the fall. For those of you reading this who don’t know my “life plan” (if God doesn’t decide to pull a fast one on me in the next few months), I am pursuing a career in music performance, hopefully in both the musical theatre and classical music arenas, and I’m moving to New York City this fall. I feel very convicted that this is what God is calling me to do. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared at all. Honestly? I’m a little terrified. But the truly great things in our lives are never the easy ones, and I know that this is no different. At the same time, if God has placed this incredibly strong desire to perform on my heart, then I know he has amazing things in store for my life.

Those of you who have been in church small groups may have laughed when you read the title of this post. Don’t we all love a good “rose, bud, thorn” discussion? For those of you unfamiliar with that phrase, “rose, bud, thorn” is a great way to kick off small groups by sharing what’s going on in your life. A rose is something great that’s going on, a bud is something you’re excited about, and a thorn is something you’re struggling with. So I’ve decided to write about three roses, three buds, and three thorns about New York City!

ROSES

Walking everywhere and public transportation

I was in a FitBit challenge last week for the first time… and I kicked people’s butts from walking around NYC! On Wednesday alone, which happened to be my biggest exploration day, I got 26,000 steps without even thinking about it. It was awesome. New York City is laid out in a grid, so it’s actually very easy to navigate (until you get to southern Manhattan, but that’s a story for another day). I loved walking around and taking in all the different architecture, people, and other sights in the city. I also rode the subway every day to get to the different places I stayed with friends. After triple checking which line I was supposed to get on, it was nice just to listen to music and ride on the train instead of having to get in a car and drive somewhere.

Availability of music and live performances

I swear I saw an advertisement for some kind of live performance on almost every block. And I was considering putting together a fun collage of the Broadway marquees but I couldn’t even keep track of all of them. Music is EVERYWHERE, and I love it. My favorite spot to hang out was Lincoln Center. Lincoln Center encompasses the Metropolitan Opera, performance spaces for American Ballet Theatre and the New York Philharmonic, the Vivian Beaumont Theater (the “Broadway” theater), the NY Public Music Library, and part of Juilliard. Woah. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my favorite part of the trip, which was seeing The King and I at Lincoln Center. It was the best production I have ever seen. Kelli O’Hara stars as Anna, and she is my absolute favorite. If you want to know what I want to do, click copy and paste on her career.

Combination of hustle and bustle with places to rest

When I was wandering around on Wednesday, I felt the need to constantly be moving. It’s almost like I felt required to move quickly from thing to thing, but that wasn’t the case. As I grew more comfortable with my surroundings on Thursday and Friday, I found favorite places to sit and rest awhile. One of my favorites was Bryant Park. There are a lot of small tables and coffee shops in that area, so I enjoyed taking in the sunshine and people watching. New York City is the kind of place that becomes what you make it. If you want to constantly be on the move, you can. If you want to sit in a coffee shop all day, you can. It really is what you make it.

Bonus rose: Men in suits. I can’t deny it. They were everywhere. And it was lovely. (I finally realized I was in the banking district, and it all made sense.)

BUDS

Performance opportunities

They are endless! I can’t even begin to cover them all, but there are so many different ways to find fulfillment through performance in the city. Broadway, regional theater, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, summerstock, opera, concert singing, choral music… the list goes on. I have no idea what God has in store, but I know that the opportunities to make music are there. It’s a matter of walking through the right doors!

Catholic NYC

I can’t wait to get involved in the young adult Catholic scene in the city! I may or may not have already signed up for the newsletter to see what’s happening with this group. This group is also a great way to find roommates in addition to social events. I was invited to some of the events during the week, but I had plans with friends during most of them. There are a lot of different Catholic churches in the city, and I’m looking forward to finding the one that is right for me. I spent a lot of time in St. Patrick’s on Wednesday, and it was one of the most exquisite buildings I’ve ever been in. But it was almost too large for me. I don’t know if I would want to make that church my home, but I will definitely be visiting often!

All the things I don’t know about yet

There are a lot of them. Moving to New York will be a huge adventure, and there is a lot of uncertainty involved. But as I said, I feel so convicted that this is where God wants me, and I know he will provide. There are people to meet, music opportunities to be explored, and so many experiences to be had. I am very excited for all the unknowns.

THORNS

Sheer size

Guys. New York City is massive. I know, DUH. But it was incredibly overwhelming at first. On Wednesday morning, I rode the subway with my friend to work, and pretty much dropped her off at 57th and Broadway and was by myself with nothing in particular to do and nowhere in particular to go. It was very scary. Not only is it large geographically, but the buildings are just so darn tall! I’ve lived in Carmel, IN my entire life… so I know the size of the city will be a major change.

Expense

Also a “duh,” but NYC is expensive! I was honestly shocked by the rent that my friends pay for their apartments. But there’s a lot of choice in how you spend your money. If you live uptown, it’s a little cheaper but then you have to pay for a monthly metro pass. If you live in midtown, rent is higher but you don’t necessarily need an unlimited metro pass. If you choose to eat out a lot, that will cost you. I know that I will need to actually learn how to budget my money and plan my spending better.

All the other Broadway hopefuls

I tell you… the look you get from strangers when you tell them you’re moving to NYC to pursue a career in music… it’s not a kind one. You can see THE question on their mind: what is your backup plan? I don’t have one. Why? Because my “need” for a backup plan would tell me that I don’t actually believe that I can do what I want to do. And gosh darn it, I can. And I will. But there are so many people pursuing the same thing as me, and that is overwhelming. I got a taste of that at IU because the music school is so large, but the Jacobs School of Music is nothing compared to the competition in New York City. But I always keep one thing in mind, and it’s something my mom has always said to me: someone has to make it, so why shouldn’t it be you? And mom is always right, isn’t she?

I am VERY glad I dropped the money to take this trip last week. I needed to visit the city again before moving there, and I feel a lot better about the move. I have more knowledge about the day-to-day business of living in NYC, and I know that I have people supporting me from within the city and from home. God is opening doors slowly but surely… so now I pray that I walk through the right ones!