Her first professional role took her to Birmingham, Alabama, but Elizabeth dreamed of experiencing life further afield.  When she was offered a new job in  New York City, she accepted it and embraced the opportunity. With only one friend in the city, she arrived, checked into a hotel, and started work the very next day. Elizabeth found temporary lodging at the Mary Markle Residence for women in the West Village—a single, furnished apartment with Ethan Allen furniture and two meals a day, in a building where no men were allowed above the lobby. After nine months, she secured her first permanent apartment once she had the necessary references.