Katie Feeney wasted no time moving to New York City immediately after graduating from Penn State last year. As a sports and lifestyle content creator for ESPN, Feeney’s job requires traveling across the country — from flag football celebrity games to the Final Four NCAA basketball championships. For that reason, Feeney could really live anywhere — but New York City held the most opportunity, and being in unfamiliar places helped her grow. “It really is so beneficial to put yourself in a new environment, and even sometimes [to] make the decisions that feel a little bit less comfortable,” Feeney tells Her Campus in an exclusive interview.
Having grown up in Maryland, she associated NYC with crowded areas like Times Square and Midtown. However, a trip to the Big Apple during her college years showed her more of what the city had to offer. “I stayed in the Meatpacking District, and while I was there, I walked around SoHo, the West Village, and the East Village, and I just got an entirely new picture of what New York is,” Feeney says. “I have some friends that live here and [I was] talking to them about their experience,” Feeney says. That, alongside encouragement from her family and friends, ultimately pulled Feeney into the bustling city.
While Feeney acknowledges that your 20s are the time to take risks, she doesn’t think there’s a huge hurry to figure out where to live post-grad. “I don’t think it’s good to rush into any decision. I knew I wanted to move here, but had I not known then, maybe I would have started [living closer to home] until I figured it out,” Feeney says.
Her Campus spoke to Feeney about her adjustment to living in New York City post-grad, and how to really make your first place feel like your own.
These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Tell me more about the apartment hunt in New York City.
The best thing you can do if you want to move to New York is talk to people that live in New York City — especially people that have moved there recently, or post-grad. People that live here know the city the best. I’ve learned so much. I’m coming up on a year pretty soon, and I’ve discovered so many different neighborhoods that I wasn’t familiar with before. The more information you can get out of people around your age that live here, the better.
StreetEasy is great to look for places. You can put the neighborhoods you like and just refresh and see when places come up. But you just have to be completely prepared to sign a lease while you’re looking.
I live alone, which I think is also probably made it a little bit of a faster process, because it was ultimately my decision. But I think looking in person with your roommates, have a list of what you want beforehand, and then see how many boxes you can check. There are going to be some things that you don’t get in your apartment living in New York. But the goal in living in New York City is to not be in your apartment. There are so many things to do and places to see.
What would you say is the first step to really making a space your own?
My favorite thing to do is scroll on Pinterest to get a vision of what you want your place to look like. For me, I wanted it very simple. I knew I was looking for a place that felt homey and pretty neutral, because I knew I would be here for a decent bit, and I want to take the furniture with me in my next apartment.
In college, I went a little crazy with the decorations, and they were very vibrant, but I got sick of it after a few months. I wanted something that felt a little bit more timeless and a little bit more mature. Now that I’m adulting, I wanted my apartment to reflect that, but I think making a vision board is definitely the most helpful. I feel like my apartment still isn’t fully decorated, but if you have a couch and you have a bed, start there. Start with the necessities, and then you can always go back and add the fun stuff.
You travel a lot for work, so what part of your place really makes it feel like home after a long business trip?
I have a lot of windows. My favorite part about coming back to my apartment is there is so much natural light. So no matter what time of year it is, it’s very bright in here, which is just really nice when I’m coming back to my apartment.
My apartment is very cozy. I have a lot of blankets, and I love my couch. Sometimes I just choose to sleep on my couch because it is that comfortable. I love having flowers. I just like it to look bright in here, because usually when I am home, I’m preparing for the next trip. So as much as I want to just rot in my room, I can’t spend too much time doing that. So I think having a bright space really rejuvenates me.
Do you have any sports memorabilia in your apartment?
I have a lot of memorabilia. I have an outline of the F1 race track in Vegas that I went to. I have a sparkly NBA basketball. I have my Indy 500 helmet with my last name on it. I have jerseys everywhere and my credentials themselves. I have an entire box of all my credentials from past events, and I love telling people the stories.
I’m very big on souvenirs. Most of my souvenirs are in the form of merch. I get merch everywhere I go. I like associating memories with memorabilia. A lot of my decorations are sports-related, so it’s fun. I have my degree also. Going to Penn State is really the reason I’m in sports. It sparked my interest, so I like having my degree on the wall as well.
Do you have any advice for recent grads, or people approaching graduation, who are nervous about their living situation right now?
Post-grad is a big adjustment. Everyone at the end of the day is just figuring it out. As much as it seems like some people have it all figured out, we’re all doing this together.
For whatever you want to do, start before you feel ready. Often, we wait until someone hands us an opportunity, but sometimes, those opportunities don’t come. You have to put yourself out there and really go above and beyond by yourself.
Hard work really is rewarded, so don’t wait for people to give you permission — especially in the sports industry. There’s so much you can do on your own if you’re willing to put yourself out there.