Who is The Southern New Yorker?  
 

My name is Christine and I'm a millennial born in Brooklyn, raised in South Carolina, and currently reside in Orange, New Jersey. I like to refer to myself as a "Southern New Yorker". Spending an equal amount of time in both the north and the south has been a major contribution to the woman I am today. I completely understand the cultural importance of greeting and engaging with strangers to express southern hospitality in the south, to the importance of not making eye contact with the crazy person on the train as an NYC survival tactic. I would describe myself as having some foundational southern qualities with a little New York edge. I'm also a 90's baby so I love all things that remind me of that era from the music, movies, culture, and style. 
 

If I had to use three words to describe myself, I would choose adventurous, passionate, and resilient. I wasn't always this way. Growing up I was very shy, reserved, and afraid to challenge myself. I was never the outgoing type and didn't like to be the center of attention. I didn't possess the boldness to step outside of my comfort zone and allow myself to learn from new experiences. That kind of changed for me when I moved back to NYC in 2009. Living in NYC has taught me how to adapt to a fast pace environment, find my voice, never compromise my values, and how to be fearless when it comes to challenging myself. Some of my friends would refer to me as being a little bit on the adventurous side. I refer to myself as being adventurous within reason. I'm willing to try almost anything once as long as my life isn't on the line. 
 

Some of the many things I enjoy in my spare time are random how-to courses, exploring new themed bars, traveling, reading self-help books, watching 90's black sitcoms, binge-watching content on YouTube, wine tasting, and any cool random events/activities I can find on Eventbrite or Groupon for a good price!  
 

What inspired me to start a blog? 
 

A few friends initially planted the seed of me starting a blog a few years back, and I honestly wasn't interested at first. I just wanted to go out have fun and upload my adventures via videos and pictures on Instagram. That was until I saw how many people took interest in the things I was posting and wanted more than just videos and pictures. They wanted the full details about my experiences. I sat on the idea out of fear for over a year before taking any action. I didn't think anyone would be interested in the things I wanted to share and I didn't see myself as much of a writer. So, the idea went from wanting to share my travels, restaurant reviews, bar reviews, and events I wanted to attend to now wanting to share my experiences as a form of therapy and encourage others to challenge themselves. Finally, I decided to take a chance and allow myself to become open to the idea of calling myself a lifestyle blogger.
 

Every day there's a new lesson to learn and a new hurdle to jump over. That's why when I finally got over the fear of writing it was a no-brainer to start a blog. I hope my blog can inspire you to challenge yourself and become open to life's endless possibilities. I'm a firm believer that growth is on the other side of fear. You never know whom you could meet and what life lessons you can learn from trying something new.

 

 

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