What It Means To Live In NYC

I've been living in Williamsburg for about three weeks now and I can't tell you how exciting it is to discover a new neighborhood. I'm not sure if any other city in the U.S. has such a range of distinct neighborhoods and characters, sometimes dramatically shifting from one block to another. How much does living in a neighborhood begin to shape ones style or personality? Or does it simply attract a certain type of person? What effect does the architecture have? Original inhabitants? Or even most recent? These are all questions I ask myself as I walk to the Bedford L out of my building that's barely a decade old where I haven't seen a neighbor over 40. I walk past the hispanic owned delis, past the elegant wine store, past the Dutch, red brick buildings that are nearly 300 years old and onto the packed L train.On Saturday, I had what could only be described as a classic New York City day - one that could have only happened in this decade - or oddly enough, maybe a hundred years ago. The night before, around midnight, I found a bedframe from Design Within Reach off of Craigslist after having too many issues with a previous UPS bedframe shipment. So despite the rain, I headed into Manhattan via the L train. But the train didn't come thanks to a malfunction. I briefly cursed my coffee addiction that had caused me to miss the last working train and waited on the corner for a cab. A few women nearby were waiting on the same corner and I suggested we all share a cab. So the four of us squeezed into a livery cab and happily discovered we were all headed the same direction. The cast of characters couldn't have been a better representation of the neighborhood. There was me, of course, representing the more recent influx of 30 something creative-ish folks. The girl next to me was off to her yoga class and as we discussed the recent subway troubles, commented that the subway should be free. My libertarian friend would have had a field day with that one. There was the girl next to her, a punk-ish, young blonde, most likely working in retail or the restaurant business given her claim that she was running late for work on a Saturday. And the girl sitting in the front was a Polish or Russian, blonde, recent immigrant.

My New York day continued as I arrived to my destination, an apartment in Tudor City. Have you ever been to an apartment in Tudor City? I hadn't up until that point. It's kind of awesome. Kind of like walking into a Renaissance castle except you're in Midtown East and it's 2013. Instead of being a creepy, random guy that I'd feel uncomfortable walking into a room with $250 in cash, my bed frame seller was a tall, youngish nice man an exceptional design sense and friendly girlfriend. Go figure. My friend, who I owe many MeatBall Shop meals, helped me drag the bed into his car and drove me back to Williamsburg. By 3pm, I had an assembled bed and the L train was working again so I continued my classic New York City day, heading back into the city for my spin class. Another day, another adventure.

Saturday Night Live

Yesterday, I ventured into Queens for the first PS1 Warm Up Party in Long Island City. The 45 minute wait and $15 entry fee was worth it. Except for ex-boyfriends (thank god), I ran into people from every area of my past - a former college classmate, former MAS classmate, former coworker - you get the idea. And of course met some new, interesting people. But as is usually the case with a night out in New York City, my adventure did not end at the first stop, nor the second, or the third.Fast forward a few hours and one delicious burger later - I found myself sitting at a LIC bar with friends, talking to a very tall Kiwi and Cypriot (I had to look that one up). Naturally, the conversation very quickly evolved from "what do you do" to "where did you go to summer camp." Or something like that. To which my friend and the Cypriot discovered that they went to the same summer camp in Serbia the same year. And then all our heads exploded.

It never ceases to amaze me how everyday in New York, I experience a moment or two where people of very different backgrounds connect in the most unexpected ways.

A few beers later, I found myself waiting for the 7 train into Manhattan to take the long journey home to Brooklyn. No sooner had I sat down than 3 young, non-fratty guys, one holding a guitar, asked me "What song would you actually pay us to play?" I quickly saw an opportunity to knock off a line item from my bucket list and accepted their invitation to sing with them in Times Square. Oh, there's something I should add. The guys were taking turns holding a sign that read "I slept with Snooki last week. Please help." I knew this would be interesting.

We sat in the street, pulling up lyrics from our iPhones, surrounded by laughing, picture taking tourists as we attempted to do Katy Perry justice. One guy told me that in Chinese-American culture, when parents want to say something very important, they will say it in English. He described his mother very painstakingly, and carefully telling him in English that "He needs to go to college so he doesn't end up busking on the streets." Listen up kids, you can go to Yale and still end up busking in Times Square. These are hard times. Ten minutes in, a game of planking ensued, the tourists energetically arranging their friends' bodies into the letters NYC.

This is a story about how the internet has brought us closer together IRL.

The boundary between strangers and new friends has significantly diminished as social networks like Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare and Instagram have allowed us to peek into people's lives. Viral internet and pop culture phenomenons like planking, Snooki and the widely accepted meaning of PBR has given us a common language so that we can relate to one another. The knowledge that everyone is easily Googleable with a first name and a few key details allows us to more intimately connect with someone we've just met. We've taken the play mentality of the internet and brought it into our daily lives. Why go straight home after an already fantastic night when you can take a short detour sitting in Times Square, trying to sing, surrounded by tourists and a guy holding up a crazy sign?

Back In San Francisco!!!

I arrived back in San Francisco yesterday morning after having woken up at 4am for my 7:30am flight. Thank you Papa Dukes for driving me, and no, I have no idea why me or my sister call you that. But before I left, Mischief walked in front of me 3 times on Friday. I suspect it was to trip me so I couldn't leave. But the more likely explanation is that Mischief doesn't realize the pecking order of cats to humans; i.e. that he has to move out of the way. Yes, I nearly fell down the stairs. My father plopped Thomas onto my bed before I went to sleep and instructed him to "stay with his mother." And he did, until I woke up at 4am. All the cats looked genuinely confused at being woken up that early. They looked to us for guidance. Their eyes said "ma, should I eat now or go back to sleep? I don't get this. It's still dark."

Okay, enough about cats. We arrived at the airport with ample time. I switched on my light weight jacket and nearly started shivering during my walk from the car to the airport. 15 degrees will do that to you. If there was ever a girl who understood self-branding, it's me. I don't know many people who accidentally have 4 items of a deep magenta on - my pants, scarf, handbag and carry-on suitcase.

I sat in the Virgin America waiting room trying not to fall asleep and spotted a group of 4 young boys. They looked Eastern European with crew cuts, all probably within 4 years of each other, gathered around a pretty red headed girl with her MacBook Pro open. It was like a scene out of period piece, children gathered their a mother reading a bedtime story. But instead, it was at JFK, in the waiting area of a Virgin America flight, the book was a MacBook and the woman wasn't their mother. Surreal.

The flight was fairly uneventful. I arrived in San Francisco to absolutely beautiful weather. After settling in and showering, I walked around North Beach, almost able to pretend I was in Italy. With the unseasonably warm weather, everyone was out and about. Despite having access to a million forms of entertainment, there's no denying that simply walking outside, laying out in the sun, talking to friends, eating and drinking coffee is usually the most enjoyable. And more than that, it's timeless. I could have taken that walk (minus listening to music from my iPhone), hundreds of years ago. Although it's most likely I wouldn't have seen a cat on a leash. Yes, only in San Francisco.

After going into stores I never had time to explore while in school, I had dinner by myself at a cafe where I read and sat outside. Note to self - arrange dinners before I get to my destination! I started a conversation with two older men sitting next to me. One was a taxi driver who was full of interesting stories. He seemed genuinely happy with his job and said it was way less stressful than being a cab driver in New York. Like for instance, if he wanted a break, he could go to Ocean Beach and just sit and watch the ocean. I learned that he went on less drug runs now for people. That if he doesn't trust someone, he'll drive around until they get the hint and leave. He told me about a successful woman who lived a bi-coastal lifestyle. He said that she seemed like a go-getter with endless amounts of energy. Is that the key to success? Anyway, it feels good to be back. I'd have these experiences in New York but think San Franciscians are more friendly and more likely to talk to strangers. It's obvious to me that I'll be happy where ever I end up and am enjoying the journey.

Hello From San Francisco

I think this is the longest time in the 3 years since I've had this blog that I've gone without blogging. But not just because I don't love you. I've been working, working, working!

Imaginary High Speed Train between San Francisco and LA
Durex Flavored Condoms Johnnie Walker Black whose research led me to a strip club. I kid you not.  Imaginary Red Bull flavored Orbit's gum. (Could use some of that regularly with all the energy I've been spending on school work. Insights! Strategies! One single thought. Qualitative Research. Man on the Street interviews. Karaoke! Running along the water. Eating. More eating. Updating my new blog Curiosity Matters with all things advertising related. Hanging out with Five Brazilians, One Argentinian, Two Spaniards, One Serbian, One Singaporean, and a whole lot of Americans from around the world. Drinking coffee. Finally kicking my Nutella habit. Eating lots of Thai Curry. Feeling like I'm genuinely living every day to the fullest.

High and Lows

Thank you Casey and Jordan once again for the shout outs. And if you want a more detailed recap of the event along with a book list, etc. please check out Natasha's blog New Age of Marketing & PR here.

So funny story, the hot water isn't working in my building. Again. I guess it's good I know this now instead of 7am when I'm trying to rush to get ready for my ski trip. So looks like I'll be staying at bf's place tonight after all. On that note, I'll be on the road tomorrow with limited access to the web but I'll try to sneak in a few Tumblr posts here and there mainly cause I haven't figured out how to Blog on Blogger via my iPhone. So catch those update HERE.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. I'll keep you posted on my skiing adventures. This is actually the first time I've gone skiing. Yikes!

P.S. I haven't hawked my wares in a while so here it goes. See here for RedBubble. And because you can never have too many random canvas bags. See here.

The Bad, the Ugly and the Good

Sunday I had quite the adventure. After having an overpriced coffee and brioche with my boyfriend at Le Pain Quitidien, I jogged through the rain and made the long journey to my parent's house in Schmersey. After five years of waiting, my friend and I finally visited his grandmother's storage facility. Ten years ago, she got evicted from her Washington Heights apartment when people learned she didn't live there full time. The place was essentially storage - books and clothes accumulated by his grandfather, a pack rat. We were both convinced that we'd find interesting objects and that there was a great story somewhere in the mess.

Two hours later, we arrived to the storage facility. We opened the garage-like door to reveal boxes stacked 10 high and about 6 deep, about 20 black garbage backs thrown on the floor and old suitcases miscellaneously parked on the floor. We ripped open the boxes with our keys. Books. More books. Books. More books. All from the Strand, still with their $1 price tags on. Occasionally we found potential: a box of old Life Magazines and a box full of old letters. But for the most part, it was overwhelming and slightly disappointing. Furthering our doubt in finding anything of value, my friend's grandmother was convinced the movers had already taken the valuables while they cleaned her apartment.

After an hour of searching we finally gave up and headed into the city to see Avatar. We found a parking spot 8 blocks away from the Kip's Bay theater and proceeded to half jog through the miserable rain, laughing through the slightly painful run. About two blocks away from the theater, while walking, a guy coming towards me grabs my umbrella and twists a side, breaking the a metal piece and consequently, breaking my umbrella. The Ugly. I'm more bothered that someone decided to break my umbrella purely out of evil than the fact that my umbrella is actually broken. Who does that?!

We met up with my bf and finally headed into Avatar. The Good. The movie was amazing. The movie industry has entered the world of 3D. The film was not only entertaining and had a broad appeal, but it's message about the environment was clear and moving; we need to respect all living creatures and their habitats because in the end, we're all interconnected. We finished off the night at a nearby diner, eating chicken fingers while watching the Golden Globes. A perfect ending to a crazy, rainy Sunday.

Weekend Recap

I know. Finally. In between watching the second season of Californiacation (thanks J., I'm now obsessed with the show), I had some mini adventures. On Friday, I won the battle that every girl wishes she could win with her boyfriend: we saw "New Moon." Okay. I didn't want to see it that badly and there was no trickery involved- just a desperate need to find a movie not sold out in the Union Square, East Village area. But here's where the experience led to being one we both enjoyed - Heather Graham sat 2 rows behind us with her 3 blond, giggling friends. I think everyone in that theater could have been high. A huge group across the isle laughed at every poignant moment, thus ruining any potential that New Moon could have had. It was better than the first movie- direction, cinematic photography and special effects but nothing can still help the acting skills of Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattison. I implore some finer actors to take them under their wings.

Then on Saturday, I had my portrait painted downtown by the very talented, interesting a lovely artist Kristen Copham. She's attempting to paint impressionistic, 45-minute portraits of one thousand people within 2009. She's nearing her goal and has already amassed a collection of portraits that are vibrant, character-revealing and successful, in my opinion. It was a super cool experience knowing that my image will become part of the art world in some capacity along with my parents and eventually my sister and hopefully my bf.

I had arranged a girls' night at an undecided location downtown for later that evening and had to kill time somewhere inside while I waited to hear if at least one of them could still make it. So I sat in Inoteca, drinking a delicious glass of dry, Italian red wine while attempting to read "The Fountainhead" in the dimly lit, romantic light. The food was fantastic but one of those places that in order to satiate your hunger, you have to eat an appetizer, main course and dolci. Forty-two dollars spent on a date with myself where, as usual, I managed to avoid any awkward silences and UM, stuttering. Slightly buzzed and completely freezing, I took the bus back uptown towards my apartment while successfully convincing my friend to meet me at a wine bar around my corner. Hey, the night was young! An hour later, I sat with my lovely roommate and friend around a bottle of red wine in the cozy wine bar Vino, getting tipsy and recapping our funny adventures. And finally, we ended the night with a trip to Hot and Crusty for some indulgent chocolate chip cookies. All and all, a lovely weekend and I'm still debating what to do today. I've realized over the last few months that despite liking uptown and being near the park, I'm a downtown girl at heart. Hmmm. Perhaps a trip DT is in order for today.

Happy Monday!

I started this post on Friday morning..

ME FRIDAY MORNING: "This morning I nearly got run over by a mini van full of nuns. Seriously. I can't make this shit up."
COWORKER: "Well, if they hit you, you would have gone straight to heaven."
ME: "Damn it! That was the only chance I had."

In other news, Thursday night I attempted to kill 3 hours between work and an event that started in Tribeca at 9. I don't know why I didn't just go home first. I guess I felt I wouldn't have gone all the way downtown. I had a lovely time chillaxing in Washington Square Park, listening to relaxing music and laying on a marble slab, reliving my life downtown. Then I slowly walked down towards Soho with the intention of shopping but then got hungry. As I headed into Tribeca, I realized I was screwed in trying to find an affordable place to eat dinner. I passed Chipriani's where I may or may not have seen Eli Manning.. but definitely saw a crazy girl dancing.. see below. I ended up eating at a very cute Italian cafe/ restaurant full of regulars with affordable entrees. Since I was eating alone, I decided to go for it and have a glass of red - making it officially the first time I've eaten dinner and drank wine at a restaurant by myself in NYC. By the time I finished dinner, I was very ready to hit up the party and felt I had enough Molly time.

The Facebook sponsored Advertising Week wrap up party was okay. A decent group of coworkers showed up but other than that, it was fairly uneventful. This morning, I looked at my calendar and realized that after all that, I missed an event I originally planning on going to that fell between 6pm and 9pm. Such is life.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnPJBc4Q9Zs&hl=en&fs=1&&w=425&h=344]

My Day Off

Perfect end to a fairly good week. I took today off from work and started myself off with a healthy brunch; scrambled eggs (cage free) with pepper, and cheese. A side of sauteed spinach with garlic, onions, red pepper and some salt. And toast with butter. My mother would be so proud.

Moving away from the subject of food. Last night I went to a law school party in Brooklyn. It was one of the few times I've partied in Brooklyn then taken the subway home late night. I know. I'm a sheltered girl. Fortunately, I made a new friend and didn't have to take it alone. And we made some more friends - three drunk guys from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. They were all 21. One was like a caricature of a person. He was exactly what you'd think a 21 year old Brooklynite, venturing into the city on a Thursday, summer night would be like, heavy accent and Italian background included. Through our journey underground, he bravely asked my new friend and I all sorts of questions. Like how could my new friend be Jewish when she clearly looked Irish? How could I not be entirely Jewish when my mother is? What do we do? Where do we live? And his odd conclusion - are we together, as a couple? It was quite the fantastical journey, until we hit the Brooklyn Bridge, and his quieter friend motioned that he was going to puke. And thus, we had to say good bye. So I got home safe.

Prior to my Brooklyn trip, I sat outside, drinking iced tea with an interesting fellow at the coffee shop across my street. During the course of our conversation, a bird crapped on my head. Of course. Not wanting to disrupt the flow of conversation, I secretly flicked it off, said a little anti-bird flu prayer (in my head), and continued our convo, coincidentally about daily signs, listening to what the universe tells you, etc. That's good luck right? Yes, I think it is. According to a Facebook friend, it could also mean it helped me avoid a near disaster. Hence - me getting home safe. Off to some more chillaxing..

Sexy Tuesday?

Wowza. Check out this article in The New York Magazine online about a non-profit worker and her week of sex with her boyfriend and a threesome. Jeeze. The best part about her week is that at some point we sort of crossed paths. See the rained out Philharmonics concert she mentioned? I was at that concert. Yikes, I'll look at couples that I share subway rides with a bit more closely now. Iz here.

As Promised

Some very brave guys in Vermont jumping off a covered bridge into a stream.

check the rest of my flickr page for more shots.

Vermont

Hello! I'm still here. Alive and well. I've spent the past two days on a relaxing vacation in Southern, Vermont with one of my best friends. We're staying at a bed and breakfast that's small and family owned in Londonderry.. more details on that to come when my internet is better. The goal of the trip was to do nothing. Of course that's been impossible given that we're in a wonderfully beautiful and serene area and can't resist a bit of sight seeing. Yesterday we took it easy and our main activity was dinner and of course, the 4 hour drive up. Today, we made the life changing (I kid) decision to check out a beautiful damn about a half hour South - so man made lake.... errr.. just enough nature for us. And went swimming. Beforehand, I did some extensive research on nude beaches/ swimming holes but couldn't find any near our bed and breakfast. Also, my partner in crime wasn't terribly keen on that idea. Boo. Next time.

Stay tuned for some nifty pictures. Oy.. I said nifty. By the way, dudes.. Vermont ain't cheap. Let me tell you. Last night dinner was slightly fancy and we agreed that today we would prefer a cheaper restaurant. Well.. the Vermonters know that toursists don't got no options for restaurants so after a failed internet search, we headed towards Weston, VT in hopes of a wider selection. As sophisticated tri-staters, we headed out at the late hour of 7pm, not realizing that most places stay open until 7:30. So there were only a small handful of restaurants. HA! Our only choice was to hit up a fancy joint with $30 entrees. Dang, what is this crap? Taking money from the rich and hungry New Yorkers. I may be a New Yorker but I ain't no rich tourist.

Okay, I had two glasses of wine.. Savignon Blanc + desert wine / Sherry. Clearly, I talk like a drunken Southerner while full from a fine meal and intoxicated on vino.

Good Night.

Celebrity Filled and Productive Saturday - Recap

Fortunately, it did not rain yesterday. Instead of spending a lazy day inside as planned, my day was productive and action packed. I started off by heading downtown with the intention of buying certain unmentionables in Soho. After taking 10 minutes to cross the street against the crowds and entering the store, I realized that was the dumbest idea ever. So I went back to the quieter, less insane NoLita and had a sandwich at MJ Bookstore. Great, relaxing spot with excellent food. Just make sure you get a table first. And I discovered these beautiful mugs called Miam.Miam Moda which I'm sooo buying for my next apartment.

After lunch, I walked back up towards my apartment holding my camera, determined to get one decent shot. On Bleeker, approaching the Bowery, I noticed a swarm of activity and eventually realized I was walking directly across the street from Rachel Bilson. The swarm of activity was actually a swarm of paparazzi. Not wanting to be one myself, I played it cool, sometimes even walking in front of her. We were heading in the same direction anyway. I eventually removed myself from the insanity and lost track of her whereabouts.

After months of not going, I finally went to my weight lifting then spin class at Crunch with my all time favorite teacher Carl. I'm surprisingly not in pain today even though he made us do 100 push ups. I thought he wasn't serious when he was telling us to do them. Holy crap. Did 20 manly and about 60 girlie push ups in between moments of inactivity where I was willing my arms to work. Yeah, during spin, I was sweating Carbernet Savignon. On the way home, I stopped off at Whole Foods for grub and money, hoping that people would find my post work out, sweaty and flushed cheeks attractive. Then still in a post workout daze, I chilled in Union Square, where I caught a dance off - inspiring! And back to St. Mark's where the day portion of my perfect Saturday ended with a bang. The Brothers Moving was playing in front of the old Kim's Video store. Obviously had to do some research to get to that point and bought their CD. They're 3 brothers and one other band mate from Denmark.


As my roommate pointed out, it's unlikely I'll experience this kind of day while living in Brooklyn but I'm still set on my decision.

And for the evening portion.. I met up with friends at the Annex. I generally try to avoid the LES and any place with a cover. The bar sort of looked like any other bar in the LES but super duper dark. Like dark to the point that if I ever go again, I won't put myself together. In fact I'll look grungy, where a hat and hope people mistake me for a celebrity. Oh- speaking of celebs, Winona Ryder was there. She's tiny. Maybe tinier than Rachel Bilson. Agnes Dynes was there- the blonde haired super model (do they have super models now?) and Michael Pitt was there. Exciting stuff. I'm sure there were a shit ton of other celebs there but it was so dark. Oh- so maybe that's why they hang out there.

The night ended at the pizza joint on Second Avenue. I know, I know. I shouldn't have. Since all the other tables were taken, these two guys (who I learned were Swedish) sat with me. I also learned that Swedes speak a dialect of German that the Germans don't understand and isn't a written language. And that not everyone living in Zurich is rich despite all the banking. Hmm... sound familiar. So over all, a very interesting day. I'm now looking forward to my uneventful, rainy Sunday.

Cheers!