NYC Girl Morning Routine: Living Next to the Train edition

Dear Readers, 

I wake up most mornings to the train shaking my windows, and rumbling the floorboard of my house. My alarm isn’t always the thing to wake me up, but sometimes I roll over and continue dreaming like the train rumbling was all part of some dream. 

My routine is realistic, I don’t have time for an elaborate breakfast, to cook lunch, take my dog out, and do all the other things I have to do. However, I am a child of the internet, so I must scroll on Tiktok and check Instagram. Usually this is what leads me to running a little late to wherever I have to for the day, but it’s essential to waking up. Of course I follow up with a hot shower and bachata music blasting from my phone, the only way to properly shock my system to be ready. My curls take the longest, so long that I usually have to skip morning skincare and just slap on some SPF. If my curls don’t look good, I don’t feel good. So maybe, it’s a quick refresh day, other days I’m fighting with gel and boar bristle brush to tame it. 

For the fit, it really depends on the day. And the season. And whether or not I’m feeling depressed. I’m in the middle of changing my aesthetic so I don’t really know what my vibe is right now, jewelry is a constant must. 

Coffee or maybe Celsius is a non-negotiable breakfast. 

I’m an Airpods Max girl, I like the power I feel ignoring every single soul around me. I’m lucky if I catch the train because I usually wait five extra minutes to charge them. I swipe my metro card, because I hate tap to pay. I used to say hi to the drunk homeless guy, before he died. Now, I watch out for the drunk lady in short skirts who has a lot of nip slips. 

My music is loud playing “Crooked Smile" by J. Cole or “B.S”. by Jhené Aiko, or maybe even “Ass Like That” by Victoria Monét as the thoughts race through my mind a mile a minute. Did I hit my word count goal yesterday? Did I remember to bring my lunc? Should I write a new short story about a spirit who falls in love with a demon? 

Even while waiting for the train, I’m still writing, still creating. Still making mental notes of pretty scenes I want to recreate, or words or sayings I overheard and want to use in some dialogue. I never stop doing that first. 

—Grace Sofia