Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The New Year's Party Shuffle

New year's eve and New York City - they go together quintessentially.

So for my first New year's eve in the quintessential New year's eve city (minus the time I 3 years ago when I was in town for less than 48 hours but happened to fit in Times Square and the "ball"...never again), I decided that I wanted to have a bit of fun. I'm not a big party girl and the quieter house party/dinner party usually appeals to me more, but the idea of getting dressed up, dancing til dawn and clinking champagne glasses with strangers is oh so New York. And this is a blog about New York.

I rounded up some friends all with the same intents, we did some research online, found a couple of clubs/lounges with open bar specials. Found a few more. Found a couple hundred more. Found VIP speacials. Found Ultra VIP specials. Found restaurants. Clubs. Bars. Speakeasys. Well, scratch the speakeasys.

If you've conducted this search, you are sure to have ended up in the same conundrum. How is one to pick a locale to bring in the new year when New York City offers so many venues? Here's what I learned.

1) Go to the source. New Year's Eve Central is the main coordinator behind hundreds of major parties throughout the city. They essentially rent the restaurants/clubs/bars/lounges and throw their own parties. If you look through their Website, the descriptions of the parties are pretty much the same with the exception of the ticket prices and appetizer selections. Often, you can find tickets to these same parties through various other sources, but they will try to lure you with a deal and ultimately rip you off (like they tried to do to me) or just charge more in the first place. Definitely shop around before purchasing.

2) Decide on the type of party environment you would like before beginning your search. With hundreds of venues to choose from, it is easy to get lost in the selection process. If the large club scene is your style, most of the major dance floors in the city will be ringing with tunes of international DJs. However, if a quieter lounge environment would better suit your needs, there are also several options. There are bar frat parties, "green" parties, ethnic parties, classy parties, boat parties (I'm saving up for next year), even rooftop parties (although with the chilly forecast for tomorrow night, I wouldn't want to be at one of those). You get the picture - if you decide before getting lost in the Websites, it will be much easier for you in the end.

3) Book early. Many of the more popular venues will sell out - quickly. Book at least 2-3 weeks before the big day to avoid sell-outs and increasing ticket prices.

4) Book together. If going out in a group, have one person purchase all of the tickets to cut down on fees. NYE Central charges $4.95 per order to pick up tickets, and at least $9.95 per order to ship the tickets. The more tickets per order, the less in fees everyone pays.

5) Eat beforehand. Most of the parties, with the exception of restaurants, will not be serving substantial food. They list appetizers, but chances are the passed trays will be empty before they reach you. With all that "premium open bar," you don't want to get sick on New year's.

6) Have fun! You paid for it and you worked hard this year, so enjoy! Just be safe in the process.

Happy New Year's everyone!

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Recruiting Friars

You have to love Subway ads.

If you ride the Subway often, I'm sure you've seen the multi-lingual lawyer and "Save our Schools!" banner ads that ring the ceilings of train cars. If you've ridden the Shuttle between Times Square and Grand Central, I'm sure you've seen how TV Shows like MadMen and Shrek the Musical have decked out entire cars - from the ceilings to the seats, even to the floors. Anybody been lucky to see an ad from Dr. Zizmor, the amazing dermatologist who speaks five languages, can cure anything relating to your epidermis and has several financing options? (hint: you can spot the thing because it uses more than 10 different font families - to clarify graphic design speak, it is a mess).

I thought I'd seen most of the good ones. Until this morning and this is what I saw:


It took me a minute to figure out that this wasn't just an ad for a church, but is was an ad to become a monk! Do people who become monks usually do so because of an ad they saw on the Subway? Isn't there supposed to be some sort of calling that makes someone commit to this sort of life choice? Can you actually picture someone sitting on a rickety cracked orange seat in the Subway thinking, "I hate my job. Maybe I should be a monk?" Is the church really so down on its luck that it has to resort to posting recruiting ads on public transportation like the Army or Americorps?

I frankly don't know the answers to any of these questions, but the whole experience of seeing this ad this morning made me laugh inside, so much so that I had to check out the Website and tell you about it.

So who can be a Franciscan Friar (as they call themselves) you ask? I found out:

  • between 22 and 38 years of age
  • in good physical and mental health
  • a US Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident
  • open to learning about and living a Franciscan religious life in the 21st century
  • committed to living the vows of celibate chastity, poverty and obedience
  • prayerful with a desire to mature in the spiritual life
  • seeking to live and serve in fraternal communities
  • a practicing Roman Catholic for at least 3 years
  • free of significant financial and family obligations
  • a high school graduate, or, if you wish to minister as a priest, completion of at least two years of college
It seems pretty consistent with what I've heard about monks previously, except the part about only being a Roman Catholic for 3 years. I mean, if you are going to be preaching about Catholicism and living that way of life with other Catholics, don't you think they'd want you to know a bit more about your religion than from what you could learn in 3 years. It's taken me 21.5 years to learn what it is to be Jewish, and I still don't really know what that is. Last thing, anyone notice how none of the qualifications explicitly say that you have to be male? You might think that is inherent, but it is New York you know.

Anyway, that was the morning bit of randomness. And hey, if you're reading this and maybe you do hate your job, you can always be a Franciscan Friar.

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Tourist Time

Friends and family headed your way for the holidays and you have no clue where to entertain them? Here are my choices for the best ways to manipulate your loved ones into thinking you're hip and in the know about your city:

1) Max Brenners: Chocolate by the Bald Man

Who doesn't love chocolate? (Wait, think carefully before answering that question because if you can think of a name, you probably shouldn't be acquainted with them). You walk into Max Brenner's (2 locations: Union Square at 13th and Broadway and East Village 2nd Ave at 9th Street) and it's like walking into Willy Wonka's chocolate wonderland - at least that's what they want you to feel like. From the sample chocolate nice helpers treat you to upon entering (don't be too greedy though - you only get one and they remember your face) - to the 25 flavors of hot chocolate to the pipes of chocolate flowing throughout the ceiling, this place is heaven. I can't get enough of the Swiss Whipped Hot Chocolat ($5.25) and a good treat to split is the Tutti-Fruitti Waffles ($13.95) (you can feel better about yourself because you are eating fruit, albeit covered in to-die-for chocolate sauce). Be aware that the wait is usually lengthy, but the experience is all too worth it. Go in the morning, just before the lunch crowd hits.

2) Strand Book Store

Just a block away from Max Brenner's you will find the flagship location of Strand Book Store. I love this book store because you can find everything you would find at the big chain stores, but so much more. I am a big fan of the old and rare books section. I once found a 1942 copy of Thoreau's "Walden" for $6. In addition to books, you can also purchase one of their trademark tote bags or t-shirts with their slogan "18 Miles of Books." Be sure not to go in with any other large backpacks or shopping bags though or you will have to go through a lengthy check-in/check-out process.

3) MoMa Store

Forget the actual museum when you can visit one of the neatest shops in the city. Find gifts for almost anyone you need from a solar-powered laptop charging backpack to a chair and coffee table made completely out of cardboard. Of course they have more reasonable items with equally as much interest like a bracelet in the shape of a double helix (a great conversation starter) or neon stemware. Anyone can enter the store, but you must have a ticket to enter the museum - unless you go on a Friday night, then it's gratis. I would definitely recommend checking out the museum as well - make sure to see the Van Gogh exhibit before it closes Jan. 5. I don't want to knock one of the greatest contemporary art establishments in the city/country, but the store deserves the recognition here. I mean, all the touristy books list the museum. For ideas on what they have, go to momastore.org.

4) Top of the Rock

The Empire State Building usually gets all the acclaim for its spectacular views and old frills and glitz. However, to opt for a slightly different view of the city, purchase your ticket to the top of the GE building in Rockefeller center. You get both history and breathtaking views in this experience as the walls of the waiting rooms are covered in Rockefeller history. For example, did you know that John D. Rockefeller was a lifelong teetotaler? (I'll save you the trouble of looking that up on dictionary.com and tell you that's a person who doesn't drink alcohol). The extra benefit about visiting the Top of the Rock, besides the psychedelic lighted room at the top (go and you'll know what I'm talking about), is that you actually get to have the Empire State Building IN your panoramic photos, which I thought was cool. Fight the cold weather and go at night to really experience the lights of the city.

5) Serendipity

Known for its role in the cheesy 90's flick of the same name, Serendipity is the home of the self-proclaimed best frozen hot chocolate and of course ice cream sundae in Manhattan. The frills and decorations make this restaurant with a menu full of comfort foods a little girls dream, but all other members of your party will love it as well. Make reservations in advance or expect to wait at least 45 minutes. Luckily, you have Dylan's Candy Bar just down the way to pass some time while you wait.

I'm sure there are more, but these are my top 5. Have fun exploring the city and let me know if you find any others worthy of adding to the list.

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Friday, December 5, 2008

More Cheap Theater

As I mentioned in my last post, I FINALLY got to see Spring Awakening - a musical that takes place in 1890's Germany about repressed adolescents figuring out life, sex, themselves (the original play was banned so you know it's scandalous) on Tuesday night. I found the story a bit predictable and depressing, but the music was excellent and the passion within each of the actors was surely intense - that made for a good show.

Here's the great part (and probably why I enjoyed the show so much), for $40 you can sit on-stage. I don't mean off to the side somewhere where you can barely see the show, but I mean on the stage, with the actors - you can hear their voices from their mouths as opposed to just a mix out of the speakers. This is sometimes a drawback because you miss some words when the music gets really loud, but on the whole, it was an amazing experience that I'd highly recommend. Plus, you pay so much less than all those clamoring for front row seats.

You can buy these tickets online by choosing "on-stage seating" or by going to the box office day of. But hurry! The show closes January 18th!

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Too Broke for Theater? No such thing!

Although I discovered the Roundabout Theatre's HipTix mailing list a few months ago, I only recently realize how amazing it is and I feel it's time to share.

The Roundabout Theatre Company is actually based down the street from my office on 46th Street. Over the years they have produced shows like Cabaret and an original reading of Spring Awakening (which I am going to see finally tonight!), and now they are promoting Pal Joey with Stockard Channing and have some more coming out with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the Spring. Most of their tickets sell for regular prices ($74 and up), HOWEVER (this is a BIG "however" - notice the caps), if you are between the ages of 18-35, you can get tickets to ANY of their shows for only $20! Only $20! That's awesome! Also, they will have periodic promotions to get $10 tickets, sometimes with free after parties.

I went to see the play currently showing in their Black Box Theater on Sunday night called The Language of Trees about a family where the father is captured in Iraq in 2003 as a translator for the war. I thought it was good. The staging was excellent...almost a diagonal stage. There were a lot of underlying themes about different generational bridges in communication which I found fascinating. My dad was in town so I bought him (well, he ended up buying me...) a $10 ticket. Too good to be true right? Well, sort of. It turns out that not only do you have to be under 35 to buy the tickets, but also under 35 to USE the tickets. They let my dad and me pass this time, but they said it can't happen again. Oh well, at least I can still go :)

I'm going to see Streamers with some colleagues for only $15 in a few weeks. I'm telling you, if you like theater and have no money (or have money but are cheap and under 35) you should sign up for this mailing list.

http://www.hiptix.com/

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Friday, November 28, 2008

No Time Wasted is More Time Celebrated

If there's one thing I love to hate about New York is that New Yorkers do not waste any time. It's practically a mantra around here. 

Emerging from the Subway station near my apartment on the way home from my Thanksgiving meal tonight - the sidewalks were quiet and crisp and you could hear faint grumbles of the tryptophan working its way through stuffed Manhattanites - I found my usually empty sidewalk decorated with holiday lights, garland and rows and rows of Christmas trees.

Welps boys, turkey's barely digested, dishes aren't done yet, hey, some people still have Jack-o-Lanterns out, but we are going to start selling the pine and Douglas fir! Maybe if we start early enough and overcharge a bit, we might actually break even this year!

Even though these Christmas tree sellers are part of the majority I despise for making time run faster year after year, and even through they have set up shop on a public sidewalk, you have to applaud them for their efforts. And I guess I won't mind the fresh pine smell wafting through the grimy Subway station morning after morning and evening after evening - that is, until the evening of December 25 comes and we can go out and buy our Valentine's chocolates.




Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Play Nice with Tourists, It's Better for Your Bank Account

It’s that time of year again – holiday season. The city overflows with tourists meandering through the wind-tunnels of streets, eyes focused everywhere but the sidewalk. Subways fill with map-laden passengers who don’t know how to properly squeeze and make room for others during the Monday morning rush.

Fortunately for me, I always escaped the Thanksgiving rush in Boston, leaving for the suburbs just before everyone would arrive to the largest city closest to the Pilgrim’s landing point. Thus, now living in NYC, this is my first experience with a tourist holiday in a tourist city.

With the state of the economy, I wishfully expected a slight lull in holiday traveling. But, oh no, people will never stop coming to worship the neon of Times Square and the golden Atlas of Rockefeller Plaza. I spoke with a man named Nain (pronounced nay-en), who owns and manages the café downstairs from where I work. He told me that if anything, the number of tourists has increased. The sad difference for him though – they are not spending as much money.

Well, traveling on a budget has always been big. You can’t take the curiosity out of adventurous travelers, but you can take the money out of their wallets. So we have the current dilemma of all these tourists running wild down the streets and subways of Manhattan, but less of an economic benefit. At least when they were spending hoards of money on black and white cookies and Ray’s pizza, the locals would put up with the annoyance because of the massive inflows of money. Alas, now we must cope with these outsiders even though they are no longer funding our summer concert series or our mailmen.

But hey, it’s the holidays. Sometimes I think I’m too hard on tourists, knowing that I used to be one not that long ago. Also, I realize that they don’t even have to travel, but at least they are doing what they can. Some support is better than none especially for New York City – I’m sure those that lived here through 2001-2002 really know that.

So I’d like to put forth the thought that we should all be nice to tourists this holiday season, because everyone is suffering through the economic downturn, as we have come to call it, and the tourists, big cameras and all, are doing their best to help us out. Embrace those that walk through don’t-walk signs, love those that order enormously large corned beef sandwiches from overpriced delis, and thank those that may accidentally on-purpose steal your cab.

Happy almost Thanksgiving!


Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Plugging in to Advertising

New York City is like the Mecca of advertising. I cannot think of a single place in the world where you would be surrounded by more billboards, neon signs, placards, postcards, banners, commercials, signs, posters, brochures – I could go on.

Walking through Times Square, I am often in awe of the millions and billions of dollars in advertising expenditures surround me with every step. I don’t know who brokers that space, but they must be making a pretty penny. After all, what would Times Square be with out all the ads? But even with all the lights and the glitz, I can’t help but wonder: does there come a point when your surroundings are so saturated with advertising that none of them end up having their proper effect?

I’ve always said that advertising doesn’t affect me like it does most people. I will definitely admit that I love the gecko commercials for Geico and I’m quick to point out the recent upsurge of Vitamin Water product placement in “Gossip Girl,” but I’m not about to call up for some car insurance or buy a leader of Dragonfruit (although that is my favorite flavor).

However, despite my ability to distinguish advertising from entertainment, I was extremely intrigued by a subway ad today. You’ve seen them – posters lining the walls of every single meticulously tiled subway stop; some for Broadway shows, some for Spanish speaking lawyers and many for [name your favorite TV show]. But today I saw a new take on the traditional subway ad.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Christina Aguilera’s large spider-mascara-ed eyes flirting with me to buy her new album. (I didn’t even know she was making another comeback, although I did fancy her last one). But poster after same poster of Ms. Aguilera’s peepers, I see a man with his headphones plugged into her. Wha..wha..what? How could this be? Headphones into the wall?

Remember when we used to buy CD’s and before you knew what was on the CD – because you only knew the two singles on the radio and had no clue what downloading music off the Internet was – you would use the headphones on the wall in Virgin Records or Best Buy or those other places you used to buy CD’s? Well, this ad worked just like that except instead of targeting people browsing a music store looking for CD’s, it targeted anyone with extra time – namely subway riders, almost all of whom already have headphones in their ears.

I think this is ingenious! What a way to make an ad so interactive and have a captive audience at the same time! I’m not advocating that the new album is any good or that everyone should love Christina Aguilera, but if I were a recording artist, I would want her marketing manager on my case.

Leave it to NYC to create the latest and greatest advertising trends, but this is a keeper. I expect to see more of these ads around town, and who knows? Maybe you’ll find me plugged into one.

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Lost and Rarely Found

Allow me to begin where I often do. Below the blacktop of Lexington Avenue, on the level of the rats and drip water, I took the subway to work this morning. Deeply absorbed in my light-hearted fiction novel (I’d highly recommend “The New Yorkers” to anyone who wants an escape and loves dogs), I was pressed between a pole and a hard backpack for several stops mindlessly enjoying my story when I hear something drop.

I’ve begun to be paranoid about losing possessions on the Subway these days. With so many people and so many trains, I always imagined it would be impossible to find lost items. So when I heard something drop and no one around me bent down to pick it up, I looked down and picked up a pair of sunglasses. Holding them up, I looked around to a sea full of blank I-would-never-be-so-irresponsible-as-to-lose-sunglasses-on-the-subway faces. No one claimed. “Maybe she already left,” a younger woman in a red tweed coat suggested, as if we were at a party and the lady had gone home early.

Now what was I supposed to do? I picked them up hoping to be the Good Samaritan who saved someone else from having to the bend-over surf in the subway – not an easy task. But now I was responsible for the sunglasses. “Is there a subway lost and found?” I asked with a half smile to indicate that I probably already knew the answer and, at the same time, that I cared about getting the glasses back to their proper owner.

So I did some research. A subway lost and found actually DOES exist in New York. The New York City Transit’s Lost and Found unit collects about 8,000 items each year, either by riders turning things in or by employees cleaning out trains. Initially when I saw this I was tempted to call the phone number and see what I could do. However, then I read on this NY Times blog that only about 18% of these items are actually claimed by their owners. Whether this is because the owners do not know there is a Lost and Found, or whether the owners even know they lost anything to begin with, I’m not sure. In the end, I decided there was nothing I could really do except maybe keep a pair of made in China black sunglasses with a gold stripe down the sides.

Now thinking about all the germs on the train floors, I should pry wash before wearing.

If you do ever lose something of real value on the Subway and think it might have been turned in, the New York City Transit's Lost and Found unit is open M, T, F, 8 AM – 4:00 PM and W, Th, 11 AM – 7:00 PM. The phone number is 212-712-4500.

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Fake Foyers

Being from California, I’m still not “used” to this weather. My Mediterranean-climate trained blood will probably never be.

Maybe it’s because of this fact that I am fascinated and captivated by all these winter-doors popping up all over the city. Restaurants, hotels, even Starbucks have their own canvas igloos, welcoming in the weary to inviting hospitality. If you’ve walked around the city you’ve seen them. Plastic windows line the flimsy magnetic latching doors. Some even have glowing heaters to truly ease the transition from outside to inside, although they usually end up creating a higher temperature in the “halfway space” than what is inside.

I can’t recall these winter-doors in Boston – maybe they were just built in. Ever heard of a foyer? (Even after working in a real estate office for two years, I’m still not sure how to correctly pronounce that…foy-err or is it foy-ay. Linguists?) Where are all the foyers in Manhattan? Better yet, where do all the fake foyers, halfway spaces, really hot rooms, whatever you call them go in the summer? Why are they suddenly erected all at once?

I suppose these venues could merely be trying to save space with the price of a square foot in Manhattan these days. If an establishment set aside certain space inside for patrons to remove their coats and close their wet umbrellas, what good would that space be in the summer?

Being from California, I guess I still have a lot to learn about New York. Have a great weekend!
Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Drinking Green

I attended an event last night that was so much fun I have to share. The event was a monthly gathering of a group called Green Drinks at LQ Bar in midtown.

Basically, this networking/social group was founded several years ago by people who want to meet other ecologically-minded people in a social setting. It has grown so large that there are Green Drinks gatherings in cities all over the world. In fact, last night there were several hundred people in attendance.

Each gathering has different sponsors or presenters (just a quick talk, otherwise the event is mostly social). Last night NBC was there promoting their GreenWeek television series coming up and the people from CERC were promoting their programs as well.

They had green drink specials, which were literally…green. I tried a Melon Ball (Midori, vodka and pineapple juice) and my friend tried a Tykyu Martini (though it turned out more yellow than green). NBC even thought to bring along green cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery…they know me too well!

Networking was going down all over the place; so many people from so many different professions – lawyers, businesspeople, designers, planners, non-profiteers, young, old. The best part was that you could strike up a conversation with anyone without any dirty looks, though there were inevitably the awkward moments when I would just pass along my business card and head for another cupcake.

All in all, it was a great night. What else is going on Tuesday nights anyway? I’m looking forward to the holiday party on Dec. 7 I believe. Green Drinks meets the first Tuesday of every month at a different venue each time. Sign up for their mailing list to find out more. I hope to see you there soon!

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Bar-Hopping in the Boroughs

Someone once told me that you are not a true New Yorker until you’ve visited all five boroughs. So over the weekend I trekked out to Brooklyn for a night on the town with a couple of my new New York friends.

Boyfriend in tow, I hopped on a 5 train heading south to Brooklyn. It actually only took about 25 minutes to get to our exit at Nevins Street. Of course it took the same amount of time to find our destination, a restaurant called Stan’s Place on Atlantic Avenue, only a few blocks away. The streets are nowhere near as organized in Brooklyn as they are in most of Manhattan. What is a newcomer supposed to do but amble on like a lost pony? So amble we did.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on our surroundings. It went from graffiti-ed steel grates on shops to quaint boutiques to elaborately decorated turn-of-the-century brownstones to high-schoolers chumming on the street to yuppies trying to find the latest new hang-out spot. It was such an eclectic mix. Very intriguing.

We finally find Stan’s place, after learning that we’d turned down the wrong street because we couldn’t find any street signs, only to learn that our friends were just finishing their dinner and wanted to take us to another bar. Turn after turn, I quickly lost track of north I thought I’d found, and soon enough, even our guides who had lived in Brooklyn for several years were misguided by the angled streets and missing street signs.

We squeezed in to a very crowded Brooklyn Inn, a quaint sort of bar with a very old-time rustic feel, complete with ornate, blue wood décor surrounding the large wall-to-wall windows. This was all I was able to sample, though, because our Brooklynite friends whisked us away in search of a little space.

We end up on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens. Again I found the mood of my surroundings a bit odd. Interspersed between closed shops, small groceries and a couple of delis were happening bars. Music would spew out and then end abruptly each time a door opened and closed. Dim candle lights could be seen through the darkened and decorated windows. Yet, hardly anyone was on the sidewalk.

When we walked into Camp, you would hardly know how empty it was outside. With walls covered in bark, deer heads hung high throughout the room, marshmallow roasting and drinks like the Dirty Girl Scout, this place took me straight to the great outdoors. I had a lot of fun watching various bar-goes play a hunting video game from my comfy log-cabin chair while sipping my CAMP signature martini (absolut vanilla and godiva white chocolate with, literally, a flaming marshmallow on a stick). Someone e

Getting home wasn’t too hard; only took about an hour to get back up to E. 94th Street. I’d consider that pretty good considering the fact that trains don’t come that often at 3 a.m.

So that was my adventure to Brooklyn. I’d say that I got quite the tour in one night. I’m on my way to becoming a “true New Yorker” and hitting the other three boroughs soon.

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!

I grew up in awe of the number of pairs both my mom and my Nana amassed. I’ve always known the difference between patent leather and suede, pump and wedge, peep-toe and sandal. I watched Sex and the City. I always thought I understood the shoe thing.

Until last week.

When I started working, I had to put the Puma’s and flip-flops aside for more professional looking footwear. I already owned a couple pairs of “nicer” looking shoes - a solid black, solid brown and a couple in betweens. Even though none of my shoes were too high-heeled, the bit of extra height became cumbersome to me and I would find myself packing my flimsy little ballet flats in my bag to wear in case blisters decided to pay me a visit.

I’m on a limited budget, so the thought of spending hundreds of dollars on shoes gives me nightmares. Although, the thought of spending thousands of dollars on bunion surgery in 20 years also gives me the creeps.

So I came to the conclusion which my great grandma had always preached to my dad when he was young: Be frugal, but never skimp on doctors, dentists and shoes. The doctors and dentists thing makes sense, but I used to thing the shoes thing was more for vanity.

If you never walk, you buy shoes for pure aesthetic reasons. If you are carried everywhere, whisked around in a limousine, lifted into a piggy-back or if you by chance have wings (although that would be a whole other medical problem), you need comfortable shoes.

I moved to New York because I love walking and I hate driving. Southern California traffic raised me to loathe gasoline, abhor stoplights and fear parallel parking. I’m not ashamed to admit any of this and I’m sure I will most likely own a car someday when I live somewhere else, but right now I’m content. The trade off with this agreement is that I must walk or ride the Subway everywhere. By now I’m sure you’re familiar with my Subway exploits, but I’ve done my fair share of walking as well. Just this past weekend I walked back and forth across Central Park, from my apartment on 94th down to 50th and then back up to 58th.

So I decided to give in. With the financial support of my generous Nana (yes, the same one with at least 300 pairs of shoes, I counted once), I purchased a new pair of brown Bandolino boots. Chocolate brown, buttery soft leather, they are practically heaven for my feet, and the low heel allows them to be classy but comfortable. I also indulged in a pair of black, patent-leather, Franco Sarto pumps (they were on sale!) which are like paradise for my feet. Super shiny, even my boss commented (that’s saying a lot).

I do get the shoe thing, finally. Now I own heaven and paradise, and unless you fantasize about bunion surgery, I’d suggest you do the same.


PS: Go Vote!!


Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Watch out for those Banana Peels

Continuing onto part 2 of embarrassing me stories, right after I finished my last post I fell. Literally. On the sidewalk. Boom. Cement. Skinned knee.

I am definitely a klutz (not such a good trait in a big city with lots of sharp corners and broken glass). It's not like this happens all the time. In fact, I can't remember just falling on the sidewalk since probably elementary school at recess or something. But alas, I legitimately fell on the sidewalk and yelped out a very strong expletive - that's a new touch since my grade school days.

I feel like there comes a day when you practically aren't allowed to fall anymore. When you're young and wildly running everywhere, you fall, skin your knee, and are soon back up running around again. You have less distance to fall, so maybe it doesn't hurt as much, but you are practically expected to fall. My mother always had Bactine and Band-aids on hand just for that reason. But after a certain age, it's taboo to fall. You are supposed to have balance and poise and stand on your own two feet.

You only hear of an adult who falls with either balance issues or who ends up in the hospital with a broken hip. You don't hear of a healthy twenty-something falling on the sidewalk (well, maybe if they were in 3 inch heels - but I was wearing flats).

I'm sure you're wondering why I fell. Does she have balance issues? 

This is where my New York theme comes in. 

Back up 20  minutes. I was in a Whole Foods (NYC's most worshipped grocery store - it's like a really expensive cult) trying to pick up a light dinner before heading over to the Chelsea Recreation Center to do my SAT tutoring. My favorite thing about Whole Foods is that you can pick up some of their read-to-go food, eat it at the tables in the store and head out and be on your merry way.

It was a chilly afternoon, so I ladled some pumpkin spice bisque into a cup, grabbed a wedge of cornbread and headed for the cashier. I inquired where the seating area was.

"Oh, we don't have tables, but you can grab a spoon and a napkin on your way out."

Literally, it was thirty something degrees out, I had 15 minutes to eat, there was absolutely no space to slurp (even the wee bit of counter-space available was taken up by fall floral arrangements), and the cashier expected me to walk down the street with my free spoon to eat my soup?  They really should advertise that fact before you enter the ready-made food section. It's deceiving. 

With no other option, I zip up and trekked outside in the chilly wind with the idea of eating my soup in the tutoring room hurriedly before the kids came. Yada, yada, yada, so I fall. Possibly because I was so focused on the soup that I didn't watch my feet, partially because I'm a born klutz, but mostly I'm convinced someone slipped a banana peel under my foot, but I fell hard on my left knee and the back of my hand. 

An older lady walking behind me (thankfully the only witness to my humiliation) runs up to make sure I'm ok. The back of my hand surprisingly had no scratches, but my knee was in a lot of pain. I was still bitter about the Whole Foods not having tables.

So the moral of the story is, Whole Foods has great meal preparation options for people with no time, but make sure they have tables first, or be prepared to carry out.

Oh and in case you were wondering, I didn't spill the soup. Somehow it stayed together, cap strongly in place. I gotta watch out for those bananas next time.


Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Relax, You're Just Absentminded

I panicked this morning – my wallet was gone.

I knew it was gone because I have wedged myself into little habits where I keep certain possessions in a specific place. I’m not really one for routine, but it is nice to know that if I leave my keys and Subway card on my bedside table when I get home from work, they will be there in the morning. But this morning, after I grabbed my keys and Subway card, I wanted to check my wallet to see if I needed to stop at the ATM on the way to work for lunch money. (Isn’t that cute I still call it lunch money).

I scrambled through my abyss of a bag – since when did so much stuff coagulate? – and alas I concluded that my bulging wallet was absent. I guess it didn’t take long because the pink hearts and the sheer weight of the thing make it stand out. So the panic began…

Where is it? When did I last use it? What if someone stole it? Let me search everywhere…under the bed? No. Kitchen table? No. Maybe it somehow found its way to the bathtub? Of course not, Yael, how can you be so silly at a time like this? What if the giant cockroach that visited last night carried it away into the building’s foundation? No, it would never fit through any crack. Oh, my parents always warned me about pickpockets in New York. Mike’s dad doesn’t take the Subway just for that reason. How could I be so naïve!!?! Crap, I’m late for work.


I was so distracted for my entire commute that I hardly noticed the older woman jabbing her elbow into my ribcage from 86th to 59th (ok, maybe I did notice a little). I couldn’t even open the really really exciting book that I just started (Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre). All I could think about were pickpockets and keeping my bag close to me. The latter isn’t really that hard to do when you are packed into the cattle car they call the Subway.

Really, I don’t want to bore you with anymore of my cliché dramatic writing, so I’ll just let you know how much of a pea brain I had yesterday (but only yesterday of course). When I arrived at work, there was my wallet, sitting open, on top of the scanner, to the right of my computer – exactly where I had left it yesterday when I took out my corporate Amex to make an airfare purchase. I’m very lucky my building has honest janitors who decided not to take home said wallet as an early Christmas gift. Yes, I’m a doof. I’m blaming on all the chemicals in the city air.

Still, I felt this experience could lead to a good blog post a) because it’s embarrassing and people like to read about others’ embarrassments, b) because most other people in the city would also automatically assume they’ve been pick-pocketed and c) to display to you that petty theft in NYC is and has definitely been on the decrease for a while.

According to this weekly police report, there were 481 incidences of burglary reported in the last week, 1,901 since 10/1, and 17,727 year to date in NYC. That may seem like a lot, but the latest government census data has the population of New York City at 8,250,567 (plus at least 1 for myself ). Roughly, .002% of the population was robbed in the last week, .023% in the last month and about 2.1% in the last year. Your chances are pretty low my friend, especially because those statistics are from all five boroughs, not only Manhattan. Another thing I found interesting in the report were the percent changes in crime statistics. Although statistics state robbery occurrences are up 1.9% since last year, they are down 6.5% since two years ago, 20.8% from seven years ago and 74.5% from fifteen years ago. If I had known that data this morning, maybe I wouldn’t have panicked so much and would have actually been able to chew my Cheerios instead of just swallowing them whole.

That report shows statistics for all other categories of crime in the city as well and if you’re interested in looking, you should check it out. I’m very impressed with the police department for actually producing a comprehensible ONE-PAGE document (the one page is key!) that has relevant information for the curious public to steal a peak, if you will.

At least in a world of crooks, I can feel safe knowing that I have only a 2.1% chance of getting robbed in a year. However, the probability of me being absentminded, well, I forgot, what was I talking about?


Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Umbrella Today?

Despite our oh-so-unusual 70 degree weather of last week, despite the current 90 degree temperature in my hometown of Valencia, CA, despite how much we don’t want it, it’s raining in New York today.

Walking to work, I could pick out the responsible ones – the folks who chatted with their local weatherman this morning. I could also pick out those that didn’t; clambering around with briefcases held high over their heads and important documents clutched to their chests. Tattered hairdos and stained suede shoes romping through the misplaced puddles of Times Square, these folks need help.

If you are one of “those people,” I’d like to share with you Umbrella Today? They claim to be the simplest weather report around, and simply put, it is. All you do is type in your zip code and the Website tells you “yes” or “no” to bringing an umbrella with you for the day. That’s it. Five seconds, max.

Personally, I like to check weather.com, my morning news show and occasionally I’ll actually look out the window to check for clouds, but that’s just me. I like a little more information. You know the basics: humidity, barometer reading, high pressure, low pressure, dew point…I suppose you could call me a geek.

Have fun with the Website, but please! don’t be one of the annoying who then bring 10 ft. wide golf umbrellas to the streets of Manhattan. Save them for the tee. There’s just not enough room.

Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!

Monday, October 27, 2008

TJ's or Bust!

If there’s one store I relied most upon in college for food, it was Trader Joe’s. There was one only a 15 minute walk away from my senior year apartment and I would make almost weekly treks there to pickup my cherished frozen garlic naan bread, the cheapest milk around, and of course, the chocolate chip meringue cookies.

Since moving to New York, I’ve had to recover from a minor heart attack caused by the exceedingly high cost of groceries. (I’m only kidding about the heart attack part for all of my readers who truly care). I generally pay $2.59 for a dozen eggs, $1.63 for a quart of non-fat milk, and cold cuts only start at about $6.99/lb for the cheap stuff. It’s a tad depressing especially for a closet/kitchen chef like myself.

Despite the high prices, I am at least blessed with the convenience of having three large grocery stores within a two block radius of my apartment. Unfortunately, none of them are anything like Trader Joe’s with it’s chalked up walls and free samples of vegetarian chili and cubes of gruyere cheese.

This past weekend, my significant other and I decided to venture to Union Square to the ONLY Trader Joe’s in the city via the free NYU shuttle bus. Of course we went on Saturday, one of the most miserable rainy days of October, but backpacks and raincoats in tow, we trekked.

Once inside, I was whisked away to the magical land of blueberry scones and mochi ice cream where a quart of milk is only 99 cents and bananas are actually yellow. Despite the rain, it was actually a good day for us to go, because the line, which usually wraps around the entire store at a minimum 30 minute wait, only wound down one aisle. Of course we also had to deal with the fact the frozen food section was nearly empty because of a warehouse fire. (They still had my frozen naan!).

Among my favorites, I stockpiled mini pitas, lobster ravioli (only $2.99 a package), chicken sausage, a bag of Clementine’s, bananas, and my favorite, tomato soup in a carton. The long bus trip back to the UES made it so that I could not buy and carry eggs, milk or OJ, but the dollars and taste buds I saved by going to TJ’s were much appreciative. I was greeted my someone who actually smiled at me and asked me how I was at checkout and as a bonus for bringing my own bag, I got a raffle ticket to win $25 worth of free groceries (that could go a long way at this store).

I know you can hit up Zabar’s or Gourmet Garage for all of your eclectic food needs, but really, Trader Joe’s has almost anything unique you could possibly want at non-NYC prices. My question is: why is there only one?



Add to Technorati Favorites




Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious
Stumble It!
Add to Technorati Favorites Delicious Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!