These boots are made for New Yorking
…and that’s just what they’ll do. As a NY newbie, I spent the first weekend exploring in my pink cowboy boots in jet-lagged sensory overdrive. Car horns tooting and wind whistling between the buildings is the soundtrack of the streets, and the smell is a blend of coffee and onions frying. Eyes are partially blinded by sun reflecting off the glass buildings and the sight of sidewalks bursting with people, or at night feast on the flashing lights of billboards and neon signs. Wandering from block-to-block exploring the never-ending streets and avenues, I racked up 45,000 steps and the equivalent of 34km (practically a marathon.)
On Monday morning I laced up my converse and, despite the blisters, trotted eagerly into the Havas HQ. My first interaction in the New York office was on level 3 in the Reception where I met Pat; the self-proclaimed mother of the agency whose welcome speech set the bar for my host agency. Loud, warm, funny and approachable — but with the perfect amount of sass (she warned me it would be best to refrain from committing her pet peeve: walking and texting or face a telling off). I knew I was going to feel right at home here.
There’s a lot to learn, see and do, both within the agency and outside of it, so the first days have been non-stop. I’ve joined my mentor Jill in meetings, explored Soho with my two fellow Lofters, listened to live music at an Acoustic gig, eaten my first American Chilli Dog and shopped for vintage clothes in East Village… the list goes on.
Everything here feels supersized, whether it’s the portions or the sky-scrapers, even compared to a metropolis like London. It feels like a city on steroids and getting the most out of it requires energy, buckets of the stuff (which fortunately I’ve got). As Sinatra put it, ‘these vagabond shoes are longing to stray’ and since touching down in JFK that’s exactly what they’ve done. New York city is a BEAST, a beautiful one, but if there’s one thing I learnt from my first few days here — it’s wear comfortable shoes!
