Next up: Meet Ann Taylor Reed. I was so excited when ATR (as she is known around the SEC circle) agreed to take the questionnaire. I can think of no one who better fits the description of a true southern belle than Ann Taylor Reed...Sweet, fun, charming, kind and down to earth: she is the whole package! Enjoy her story and be sure to leave a comment or a question below.
Name: Ann Taylor Reed
Hometown: Mobile, AL
A little about you: I went to the University of Alabama for a BA in Communication and Baruch College for an MPA in Policy Analysis/Evaluation. I love my job as a college admissions advisor, watching Alabama football games in the fall, and eating the awesome Chinese take-out you can only get in NYC.
I moved to NYC July 1, 2004. That day was incredibly hot, scary and exciting.
My best NYC memory is going to a Rolling Stones concert at Radio City Music Hall. I was lucky enough to get tickets from my then-boss, and the combination of seeing an iconic band in an iconic location was so exciting and memorable. It was definitely an "only in New York!" kind of experience.
My worst NYC memory is when a major blizzard hit the city the week before Christmas in 2009, completely ruining my plans to spend a week in Mobile for Christmas. Instead, I had to fly down on Christmas morning and was only there for two days. I love when it snows, but that was an unpleasant week.
My favorite thing to do in the city is people-watch. Everywhere you go, there are so many interesting, unique people that you can be entertained people-watching for hours.
Preferred method of transportation Usually, the subway. It's generally the quickest, most cost-effective way to get around...except when they change everything up on the weekends!
What do you miss most about home?
A little about you: I went to the University of Alabama for a BA in Communication and Baruch College for an MPA in Policy Analysis/Evaluation. I love my job as a college admissions advisor, watching Alabama football games in the fall, and eating the awesome Chinese take-out you can only get in NYC.
I moved to NYC July 1, 2004. That day was incredibly hot, scary and exciting.
My best NYC memory is going to a Rolling Stones concert at Radio City Music Hall. I was lucky enough to get tickets from my then-boss, and the combination of seeing an iconic band in an iconic location was so exciting and memorable. It was definitely an "only in New York!" kind of experience.
My worst NYC memory is when a major blizzard hit the city the week before Christmas in 2009, completely ruining my plans to spend a week in Mobile for Christmas. Instead, I had to fly down on Christmas morning and was only there for two days. I love when it snows, but that was an unpleasant week.
My favorite thing to do in the city is people-watch. Everywhere you go, there are so many interesting, unique people that you can be entertained people-watching for hours.
Preferred method of transportation Usually, the subway. It's generally the quickest, most cost-effective way to get around...except when they change everything up on the weekends!
What do you miss most about home?
I miss my family and the slower pace of life.
I miss being able to hop in my own car and drive everywhere. (Or better yet, just having a car and being able to throw everything in the back seat, instead of carting your gym clothes, lunch, packages to be mailed, book to read, purse, and anything else you need for the day around like a pack mule.)
Favorite Southern saying? might could: "We might could swing by the dry cleaner on the way to the grocery store." (I have no idea if that is a Southern saying, but my Connecticut husband swears that no one in the North says it.)
I never leave home without subway card, lipstick, cell phone, and a sweater.
I never had someone else do my laundry until I moved to New York. For the first several years I lived here, I took my laundry to a laundry service rather than doing it myself at a laundromat. My mother and friends from home thought I was nuts, but it was convenient and saved a lot of time.
Favorite meal/restaurant in the city: anything at Gramercy Tavern for special occasions and chicken and broccoli with pork fried rice at my neighborhood Chinese restaurant for comfort food
Favorite meal/restaurant at home: BBQ sandwiches from The Brick Pit and anything seafood at Felix's Fish Camp on Mobile Bay
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 5 years, I'd love to be living in Raleigh, NC with a kid or two. North Carolina is halfway between my family in Alabama and my in-laws in Connecticut, so we've agreed to settle down there in the next 3-5 years. I love working for a college, so I'd love to continue that, but in a place that's a little more similar to where I grew up than NYC. We'll make frequent trips back to New York though, since so many of our fun memories were made here!
Any last advice? Don't fear the outer boroughs! I've been very Manhattan-centric during most of my time here, but now I've been a Brooklynite for two months, and the other boroughs have a lot to offer. Some of my new favorite places to eat are right down the street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and there are great places to shop and things to do. I used to think that Brooklyn, Queens, or (heaven forbid) the Bronx were far away and undesirable, but they offer a lot of interesting local flavor that can enhance your NYC experience. Get out and explore!
Favorite Southern saying? might could: "We might could swing by the dry cleaner on the way to the grocery store." (I have no idea if that is a Southern saying, but my Connecticut husband swears that no one in the North says it.)
I never leave home without subway card, lipstick, cell phone, and a sweater.
I never had someone else do my laundry until I moved to New York. For the first several years I lived here, I took my laundry to a laundry service rather than doing it myself at a laundromat. My mother and friends from home thought I was nuts, but it was convenient and saved a lot of time.
Favorite meal/restaurant in the city: anything at Gramercy Tavern for special occasions and chicken and broccoli with pork fried rice at my neighborhood Chinese restaurant for comfort food
Favorite meal/restaurant at home: BBQ sandwiches from The Brick Pit and anything seafood at Felix's Fish Camp on Mobile Bay
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 5 years, I'd love to be living in Raleigh, NC with a kid or two. North Carolina is halfway between my family in Alabama and my in-laws in Connecticut, so we've agreed to settle down there in the next 3-5 years. I love working for a college, so I'd love to continue that, but in a place that's a little more similar to where I grew up than NYC. We'll make frequent trips back to New York though, since so many of our fun memories were made here!
Any last advice? Don't fear the outer boroughs! I've been very Manhattan-centric during most of my time here, but now I've been a Brooklynite for two months, and the other boroughs have a lot to offer. Some of my new favorite places to eat are right down the street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and there are great places to shop and things to do. I used to think that Brooklyn, Queens, or (heaven forbid) the Bronx were far away and undesirable, but they offer a lot of interesting local flavor that can enhance your NYC experience. Get out and explore!
Thanks ATR!
Have a question for ATR or want to nominate a friend? Email me here or just leave a note below!
xo...
ki
