We’re considering moving out of our apartment at the end of July when our lease ends. Our apartment is great in that it’s in a nice area, has electricity/gas at a fixed price, lots of closet space, and is in a well-maintained building, but it would be really nice to just have more space, an actual separate kitchen, and a little more natural light.

So while calling, texting, and e-mailing listings on Craigslist and Rent Hop this week, we went to view an apartment, and I quickly remembered why I hate real estate agents and the entire apartment search process in this city.

The listing originally claimed to have in-building laundry and an elevator. After visiting the building, we realized this was all a lie. The listing also said that the apartment had no fee, but the broker told us within two minutes of walking in that the fee is “just” 12.5% of annual rent. And on our walk up from our place, the broker changed the address from 92nd and 3rd to 92nd and 2nd, and finally to 93rd… but closer to 1st avenue than 2nd. Chris was angry, told them that they lied to us and said the apartment was crap, and we walked out.

There are some benefits of working in a male-dominated environment. One of them is that random “1 on 1s” get mysteriously scheduled on your calendar that for some reason include your entire team, and then you realize that this “1 on 1” is actually being held at the nearby pub, where everyone is drinking beer and watching the first game of the World Cup. No pale ales for me, though. I was enjoying the fruit beers on the menu.

Although I wasn’t a soccer fan prior to getting tickets for the World Cup and booking our Brazil trip, I’ve been reading about the World Cup, how the groups are formed and how the matches work, and I actually understand it now and can appreciate it. I like that the crowd seems to have a lot of energy (as opposed to those stupid baseball games. I will never understand the “excitement” of baseball. A bunch of men just standing around a big field waiting to attempt to catch a ball if it ever comes?!), and people actually wear the colors of the team they are rooting for – thousands and thousands of them in a big stadium. The world loves soccer; the U.S. loves baseball. The world is more than just the U.S.

The Upper East Side is not a trendy area of Manhattan by any means. It’s a nice, safe, family-friendly area that is known for the old rich, Jews, new parents with their new babies, and nannies pushing around strollers during midday. So it was a really nice surprise when about two years ago, JBird opened up on East 75th Street serving really creative cocktails that you would normally find at places like Little Branch or Please Don’t Tell further downtown. The food is pretty good, too. Since its opening, we’ve taken many people here – my best friend, Chris’s brother, parents, his cousins and their significant others (tonight), and other friends.

Even though it’s not “trendy,” I love this neighborhood. I love that I always feel safe walking its streets no matter what time of day or night it is. I love that there is a decent supermarket within walking distance, that Central Park is minutes away, and that I can walk down the street and see seasonal flowers lining the sidewalks. I love that there’s a bus stop right outside our door with a bus that will take us cross town to the Upper West Side. I love that H&H Bagels is right around the block (and that everyone there is always really friendly with me, unlike the Upper West Side location…), that  Rite Aid is, as well, and that there are a few reliable dining spots that Chris and I enjoy here. Everyone wants to move downtown, but I am quite happy right here.

Tonight, Chris and I went with his cousin and her boyfriend visiting from Melbourne to the Comedy Cellar for dinner and comedy. Since moving to New York, I’ve probably been to the comedy cellar about five times. There are usually 4-5 comedians plus the host that do their stand-up act each show, yet during all of those times there, I never once recall seeing a female comedian. They are always men.

I’m not a funny person (not intentionally, anyway), so I could never see as a comic, but I personally think that women are held to a higher standard when they are comedians than men are. Men can just sit there and make a stupid face and people will laugh; if women did the exact same thing, it might get a few chuckles, if even that. Men are allowed to be crass and act stupid, but when women do the exact same things, they aren’t perceived or taken the same way. That’s the case at work, in social circles, and in public. It’s another frustrating reality.