1. One time I saw a toddler sucking down an Iced Coffee from Starbucks.

It was one of those ‘double-take’ moments. The kid was still small enough to be pushed in a stroller! Seriously, who lets their child drink coffee at that age? At first it made me mad, but then it made me laugh because it was just one of those crazy New York things. It’s like: New Yorkers are so stressed that even their two year olds need to start up the morning with some Starbucks.

2. The man on the corner of my street, showing off his hot pink bra and underwear set, uses his hearing disability as a way to get money.

I think he’s gone now but for about three weeks there was this guy strutting his hot pink bra and undies on the corner of my street begging for money because he’s deaf and unable to work.

3. Once I overheard a frustrated mom ask her daughter why she has to f****** cuss all the time.

You just had to be there; as I tilted my head to my right and squinted- utterly speechlessness.

4. I’m pretty sure I’ve witnessed Obama being escorted around in a black SUV at least a few times.

I live near the UN and the word on the street is that Obama is in town. I assume it’s him just because I’ve seen a grouping of at least six or seven black SUVs speeding down the road with their lights flashing.

5. I’ve witnessed quite a few spankings.

I thought that classical parenting technique was extinct. I was mistaken.

6. I got free VIP tickets to the Dr. Oz show.

This former Marymount Manhattan student works at ABC and she offered my class tickets to come and see the show! It was a really cool experience but it was also kind of weird. Even as a member of the audience- I had to perform. They told us exactly when to clap! The only person who was really engaged with us was the person who gave us the run-down about how the show works. The guests hardly addressed us when the cameras weren’t rolling. It felt really formal and not as fun as I thought it’d be.

7. I overheard a man complaining about how hard it was getting a taxi during New York Fashion Week and then I hailed a taxi in under three seconds the next day.

People think it’s hard to get a taxi- it’s really not! All you have to do is step out there in the middle of the road and make eye contact. It works for me.

8. I had a friend who was trying to teach me how to skateboard, and well, long story short, it ended up almost getting crushed by a food truck.

He told me I was doing great- until I started picking up speed. Before I could even think about what I was doing I jumped off. I saw a glimpse of panic on my friend’s face as the skateboard headed for the road. It happened so fast. I didn’t know whether it was going to slide right under the truck or whether it was about to be crushed. The food truck stopped for it, but the look on the driver’s face was priceless. It read, “Did I just run over a skateboard?!”. Thankfully it was fine. My friend ran out and got it from the other side of the road when the truck passed. We had a good laugh about it and I promised him my days of skateboarding were over.

9. My friend won free tickets to the Global Citizens Music Festival and she gets to bring a plus one! Guess who is the plus one? That’s right it’s me!

I got to see Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Major Lazer, and Metallica for free! I was so excited!

10. I watched two sets of couples fighting on the same street within two days.

The first fight I saw was pretty intense. This girl was clearly intoxicated- beating up her boyfriend or husband figure. He just kept trying to walk away and she kept yanking at him and screaming, “stop ignoring me!”. Half of me thought it was funny, and the other half of me was concerned because of how physical she was being. The second fight I saw, on that same street, was pretty much the same thing. Although this woman wasn’t intoxicated, but was actually more vulgar.

11. As it turns out, I babysit for a former actress.

I went into her home for the interview and I asked her what she did for work. She told me that she was a former actress but that I wouldn’t know any of the films because they were 90s films. I pressed on- telling her that I watched some 90s shows like Sex and the City, she responded, “It’s funny you said that because I once did a voiceover for them.”. Pretty cool, huh?

12. The Chelsea bombing totally shifted my perspective on bombings in general.

I hear about bombings happening all the time on the news. But, it sure does put it into perspective when you’re out with a friend and it happens just a few blocks away from you. I felt like: wow, this stuff really happens and it’s pretty scary.