Syracuse

weekend wrap up: thanksgiving!

November 29, 2009 by Rachel 13 Comments

I am in a word: Sad. Our long Thanksgiving weekend was great, but it always ends too soon. He left about an hour ago to drive back to Ohio and now I’m sitting here watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith, budgeting and doing bills, and stalking some Cyber Monday deals.

Sigh.

Anyways, our first Thanksgiving alone was fantastic! The twice-baked potatoes, well, turned into mashed potatoes. And I accidentally put out the fire in the smoker (that was supposed to smoke the turkey)… oops! So we didn’t eat until around 8:45 PM, but it was delicious! And now I have wayyyy too many leftovers!

{our feast}

We did a lot of sleeping this weekend. Which is perfect. I did drag BF to the mall on Friday afternoon because I was sure I could get a super cheat Kitchen Aid hand mixer, but of course, they were out. So we walked around the mall ~~watching the crazies~~ while eating some gelato! Friday night we went to a Syracuse Crunch hockey game. It was a LOT of fun (except for the creepy guy sitting next to me who sneezed on my face… no big deal. Umm, wait… YES this IS a big deal!).

Saturday we woke up and went to the farmers market. Love the farmers market! What did I leave with? Five-year aged cheddar. Why? Because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

We also went to our fave Chinese restaurant, China Road, last night for dinner. It was delish, as usual, and left me with a belly ache, as usual.

Today I was bumming. Big time. Nothing like saying goodbye every two weeks. It pretty much sucks. So now I will just look forward to the next few days we will spend together and PRAY that a job situation opens up in Syracuse.

how rachel got her apartment back

August 15, 2009 by Rachel 34 Comments

There once was a girl named Rachel who lived in a town named Syracuse for about 3 years. After about three years she decided to take a pay cut and go back home to be near her family and her ill grandmother. She, reluctantly, said goodbye to her cozy little apartment with extremely low rent in a really great neighborhood, packed up her belongings and went back to a place called Ohio.

She lived in this magical place called Ohio for two years. Why is it magical? Because that’s where BF and Rachel met! After two years of working in Ohio, Rachel decided to take a different job back in Syracuse. She went up to Syracuse without an apartment! How crazy! But was staying with her friend, CGirl.

She searched and searched and searched for a place to live. Craigslist.com. Rent.com. Apartment Finder. Syracuse.com. SIGH. No luck. Then one magical day, she went back to Craigslist. And she sees “2 Bedroom. INSERT STREE NAME HERE. Upper.” The number to call? Her old landlords number!

Quickly dial. Sure enough, the current tenant is buying a house and her old apartment is back up for rent.

“But the ad says no pets. Can I still have Oscar puppy there?” says Rachel.
“Of course. And what were you paying before? I know I posted $550, but how about $500?” says Old Landlord.

Ummm. YEAH!!

Rachel went to go look at the place just to make sure. When she walked in to the apartment she saw it: her old kitchen table that her parents have had since she was born. She wasn’t able to get it out of the apartment when she left perviously so she had to leave it, which broke her heart. But there it was.

The current tenant said to her “Oh this table was here when we moved in. We’re leaving it when we move out.”

Security deposit? Paid. Sigh. Fate, that’s what this is.

i made it.

August 9, 2009 by Rachel 18 Comments

Don’t forget to enter my Starbucks giveaway! Last day is tomorrow!

I’m here! I made it! I’m in Syracuse! PHEW!

It took me about 5.5 hours to get here, which is awesome considering I stopped twice to pee, once to eat, and got stuck in a monsoon! When I got here I went directly to the gym. I did not pass go. I did not collect $200. I went straight to the gym!

I got a gym membership for $19.99 a month for 12 months with no other strings attached! I love Planet Fitness.

So before I saw anyone or did anything in Syracuse, I worked out at Planet Fitness (oh how I’ve missed you, PF!). Then I hit up a Panera for some soup and headed over to CGirls apartment where she has so graciously offered to put me up until I find an apartment. So here we sit, sipping wine slushies, missing BF.

I’ll have more info for y’all later, inluding pictures! How was everyone’s weekend?

Syracuse: Places to See

July 27, 2009 by Rachel 13 Comments

As you know, I’m getting anxious about my upcoming move to Syracuse. In light of all the anxiety and pressure, I thought I’d share with you some places that I cannot wait to (re)visit when I move back. (And I figured Sarah might be interested in this as well)

So, I give to you… my list of…

~~Things to see and do when you move to a place that’s winter 7 months out of the year~~

Sorry, that was the working title. The final title is…

Places you MUST see when you go to Syracuse:

1. Syracuse Un iversity.
I know, I know, I’m slightly bias considering I am an SU alum. But seriously, the university is gorgeous. And the area surrounding the university is definitely catered towards the university undergrads but I love it.

2. Marshall Street.
This is part of the area that surrounds the university. It is where you will find my favorite vegetarian restaurant, Syrajuice. They make the best burritos.
{image of Marshall Street courtesy of Syracu se University}

3. Syracuse Real Food Coop.
People have been asking me about my SRFC bumper sticker ever since I moved back to Ohio. I have to explain to them that it is the most awesome coop ever. I buy a lot of my groceries here.

4. Wegmans.
The other place I buy my groceries. SIGH. I miss vegan/organic food that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg (fyi, it does in Ohio).

5. Planet Fitness.
I honestly am not sure how I ever lived without Planet Fitness. It is the best gym ever. Only $19 a month for unlimited working out and tanning. Not to mention they have the Cybex Arc Trainer:

6. Dinosaur BBQ.
They are very well known and there is always a ridiculous wait, but the food is delish! My dad is from Memphis so I was brought up on BBQ. This place is worth the wait.

7. The Landmark Theater.
I have been there twice. Once to see Carlos Mencia (yay for free tickets!) and once to see Al Gore (love of my life. don’t judge). It is a beautiful venue.

8. Onondaga Lake.
While filthy and on a cleanup list, it is a gorgeous park with plenty of room to explore.

9. Phoenix Used and Rare Books.
My favorite used bookstore ever. It’s in a giant red barn in the middle of nowhere (on your way to Ithaca). It’s just beautiful. I can get lost in their for hours.

10. Skaneateles Lake.
Such a beautiful lake. I love hiking there and found a gorgeous waterfall at the end of my hike that I was able to swim under.{photo courtesy of Skeneateles.com}

11. Carousel Mall.
I just miss the stores, k? 😛

12. Turning Stone Casino and Resort.
It’s just neat to see. I go and spend like $20 on the nickel slots and leave. It’s a gorgeous building.

13. Boom Babies.
Vintage clothing store on Westcott near the University. It is by far my favorite store of all time. I buy most of my clothes and accessories there. Love it!

14. China Road.
Absolutely the best vegetarian Sesame chicken EVER.

15. CNY Yoga Center.
While I have not yet practiced there, Emmy says it’s a great place. So I’ll check it out!

16. The Beginning II.
My favorite local bar. I was a member of their summer volleyball league. It is a blast.

17. MOST – Museum of Science and Technology.
It’s a cool place. And they have an IMAX theater.

18. Hanover Square.
They hold weekly block parties. It can be fun.

So if you’ve made it this far into the post, you MUST come visit me in Syracuse! 🙂

This is just the beginning of the awesomeness that can be found there. I’ll have to dedicate a whole other post to more places in the future.

bursting at the seams

July 7, 2009 by Rachel 14 Comments

I’m bursting at the seams! I’m exploding with excitement and anxiety! I’ve been fretting and freaking and losing my mind for the last week. I can finally reveal my secret.
I’m moving back to Syracuse, New York.

If you’ve been reading a while you may know that I used to live in Syracuse and graduated from Syracuse University (a blessing and a curse). I’ve been working in Akron Ohio for Big Company since July 2007. Prior to that I was working for same Big Company in New York. I will be moving back to Syracuse to work for Big Company (again) later this month.
It is official.

So now that it’s official, I’ve got so much on my mind that I need to get out…

Where will I live?!? Oh dear. I have wonderful friends that have offered me a couch until I find a place. This means that I will be leaving my puppy, Oscar (who isn’t really a puppy anymore. He’s 4) with my parents for now. It also means that I will be leaving BF here in Ohio.

Leaving BF in OHIO!?!? UGH! This kills me. But he will be looking for a job in Syracuse so I hope (and pray) that he will be joining me up there very soon. I don’t know what I’ll do without him in the meantime. This is tearing me apart. For real. The 5 and a half hours between us will likely kill me.

Finances. So this is the main reason for moving. Big Company pays slightly (ehh, more than slightly) less in Ohio than they do in Syracuse. The cost of living in Central NY is not dramatically different. In fact, the demand for things that are pricey here (gym membership, organic food, yoga, etc) is so much greater in NY so it’s way cheaper (Umm, gym membership for $19 a month there! YEP!).

Home. Yes, Ohio is my ‘home.’ But I definitely have always felt very at home in Syracuse. To say that I haven’t missed it since I left would be a lie. I’ve missed that place like crazy… Planet Fitness, Syrajuice, Halo, the parks, the neighborhood, the university… Sigh.

So now that I am officially moving I am officially planning my big going away party. I want to think of it as my “finally starting my life” party. I’m not sure if everyone understands what a dramatic change I am making here. I will be leaving everything I know is safe and taking the biggest risk of my life. I’m so excited and so terrified at the same time. If anyone has any words of wisdom they would like to share, I’d surely be grateful and appreciative.

missing pictures.

June 27, 2009 by Rachel 3 Comments

So there’s a lot going on in my mind right now, but I’m not going to really talk about any of them at the moment. Instead, I’m going to post some photographs that I found on Etsy and google of some places that I miss!