Becoming a New YorkerBecoming a New YorkerFrom NC to NYC, the Good, the Bad, the Ugly - and even the Boring - of becoming a New Yorker, in my own words and others 
Articles
The Elusive Manhattan Apartment
2008-06-03 04:01:00 The apartment search ends.I guess that statement would pack a little more punch if I had blogged about the apartment hunt when it started. Four weeks, a dozen apartment viewings, hundreds of hours on craigslist, many real estate LOLs, a decision 2-weeks into the hunt to enlist a roommate, three brokers, two applications, and a shitload of money upfront later, Tasha (Natasha S.) and I signed a lease on an apartment in Hell's Kitchen.Our pros to doubling the security deposit and paying both first and last months' rent outweighed the cons of continuing the search and drowning in the summer rush of recent college graduates arriving in the city.Over drinks in an adorable bar a few blocks from our potential new spot, we made a list to aid our hasty decision; however, we knew we had to act fast if we didn't want yet another available apartment to slip through our fingers.Pros- The majority of available units below $2500/month in midtown are very small for two people, who aren't a coupl... More About: Manhattan
Affording Their 'City'
2008-06-02 19:34:00 With the buzz of its recent $55.7 opening weekend, my own reaction to the movie, and recent ponderings regarding the myths of a "Sex and the City " lifestyle, I couldn't help but wonder ... how many young women are broken by the realities of New York City when their only motivation was a Carrie Bradshaw fantasy? Being motivated to move here based solely on the HBO series and its blockbuster movie follow-up can be dangerous for 20-somethings with false expectations of the life they will find here.Even though I'll admit that the TV show did "add kindling to my blazing New York City fire when I was a college student living in North Carolina," I knew I wanted to live in New York long before the TV show first aired. Foremost motivated by my own personal goals, I made it paramount during my move that I expect nothing. I applied random "Sex and the City" cliches in moment-to-moment recaps of my relationships with family, friends and the streets of Manhattan, but never associated them dire...
Sex and the City: The Movie ... Life and the City: The Reality
2008-06-01 20:14:00 There are two movies in which I will readily admit to crying. Steel Magnolias when I was 9-years old and Sex and the City : The Movie when I was 28.It was everything I thought it would be in a New York that is everything I had hoped for. Our plan was to avoid the larger opening-weekend crowds by purchasing advanced Saturday, 10am tickets at Loews 84th Street 6 on the Upper West Side. To secure good seats, we arrived early just in case, but we discovered that even 40 blocks north of Times Square was not a haven from the masses. At 9:15am, there was a line for the ticket counter and a line for the cinema. Groups of girls, who all had the same idea. Some prepared better than others, unpacking bagels and cappuccinos as they took their seats.My eyes began to well up as soon as the familiar theme song announced the opening credits. I looked around, feeling embarrassed in the darkness and saw the silhouettes of other 20-somethings wiping their eyes. A remix of the show's theme song continu... More About: Life , Reality
Photo Ops - Usher Live Before Work
2008-05-30 15:20:00 In New York, you're more likely to send photo text messages to your friends of Usher performing live in Bryant Park before you report to the office on a Friday morning. More About: Photo , Work , Live
"Things I Love" Thursdays - Fleet Week
2008-05-30 00:51:00 Fleet Week ended yesterday.Thousands of Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen from U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships were in town for Fleet Week New York.Hosted nearly every year since 1984, Fleet Week New York is the City's celebration of the sea services. This annual event also provides an opportunity for the citizens of New York City and the surrounding Tri-State area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen.Fleet Week included dozens of military demonstrations and displays throughout the week, as well as public visitation of many of the participating ships.More than 60,000 citizens visited ships during this 21st anniversary of Fleet Week.It also includes a lot of attractive, young Naval sailors wearing their dress whites in bars all over Manhattan. The dress whites do for them what flame-resistant overalls and suspenders do for firemen.Fleet Week Disclaimer from the East Village Idiot."Things I Love " Thursdays are inspired by "I Love New York" (BNY, February 14, 2007). More About: Fleet
Myths & the City
2008-05-28 02:09:00 As I type, Natasha M. is attending the red carpet premiere of Sex and the City : The Movie at Radio City Music Hall. And while our clique is living vicariously through her "Stars and the City" night, we know that a Carrie-lifestyle on a Carrie-paycheck is a far cry from the fantasy that drives 20-somethings to New York in droves. Hell - I wouldn't be honest with myself if I didn't admit that the HBO series didn't add kindling to my blazing New York City fire when I was a college student living in North Carolina.My friends and I shop at sample sales or hook each other up with the goodies and perks associated with our own careers. I have a box of cereal under my desk for lunch or I pack sandwiches during the week. We party in A- and B-list clubs only if we know the promoters hosting comped tables. Despite our decent upper-middle class incomes and jobs in the entertainment, fashion and publishing industries, even the cheapest bottle service is out of all of our budgets - if we plan t... More About: Myths
Real Estate LOL - Toilet & Shower Rooms
2008-05-27 20:03:00 From ardorny.com:Second Avenue/East Midtown Studio Conv 1-BR/1.0 Bath $1637. **East Midtown 50's** Convertible 1BR in a PRIME east midtown location!! Also features a windowed separate kitchen. Great deal! Contact for viewings.To view actual property, please contact [information removed].Living Room (appx 15x9) Bedroom Area (appx 9x7) Windowed Separate Kitchen (UNDERGOING RENOVATION) Toilet RoomShower RoomReal Estate LOLBecause all you can do is live with it, laugh at it or leave it. More About: Real Estate
Unforgettable Day Weekend
2008-05-26 19:00:00 Terrence left on Saturday morning to spend a few days with his family in Atlanta before joining friends in Ohio to play on Kevin's Gus Macker team in Zanesville. But there was no time for me to be sad following the end of his two-week visit because I had Saturday afternoon coffee and shopping in Soho, Saturday night dinner plans at Wild Ginger in the West Village, Sunday afternoon brunch at Roberto Passon in Hell's Kitchen, and a Memorial Day Weekend harbor cruise Sunday evening with various combinations of my best girlfriends.Dinner on Saturday with all the usuals was relatively tame, but attributable to all-you-can-drink mimosas, bellinis, bloody marys and screwdrivers at Sunday brunch, there now exists photo documentation of me holding my dress over my head amongst some young Naval sailors in Times Square. I would love to depict myself as truly outrageous and free-spirited, but for the benefit of accurate memorial recordkeeping, I have to add that we began our Sunday morning su... More About: Unforgettable
Summer Fridays
2008-05-23 14:45:00 Right now, I'm sitting in my cubicle outside of my boss's glass office listening to Counting Crows performing live some 20-odd floors below. Arriving to work a bit early this morning, I noticed "Good Morning America" prepping for the first Summer Concert Series of 2008 in Bryant Park.Upstairs, I went into my boss's office, and opened her large window overlooking the park. The sounds of the concert below are currently drifting onto our floor and the other executive assistants are bobbing their heads in the row of cubicles alongside mine."We might work in the best building in New York," my coworkers and I agreed as we peered down into Bryant Park and enjoyed the light breeze through my boss's open window, "Michael Kors and Valentino sample sales and live concerts on Friday mornings.""It's summer in New York ..." someone said as they walked back to their desk. Why did just those five words make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside?PREVIOUS POSTS IN DRAFT TO BE PUBLISHED SOON. STAY TU...
"Things I Love" Thursdays - Dog Parks
2008-05-22 18:28:00 I love dog parks in the middle of the city."Things I Love " Thursdays are inspired by "I Love New York" (BNY, February 14, 2007). More About: Parks
Real Estate LOL - No Bathtub in the Bathroom
2008-05-22 02:36:00 ... But the apartment does have one.Friends in the South feign disbelief when I tell them that I viewed an apartment with the bathtub in the kitchen when I first moved to New York in 2006. And one of many available now in 2008 ...From newyork.craigslist.org:$1400 / 1br - East Village One Bedroom Available July 1st (East Village)This is a great one bedroom in the heart of the East Village - 6th Street btw 1st and 2nd Ave. Sort of funky, the tub is in the living room, but cute and a great space for a single person and/or student. Whomever rents this place will need to purchase the furniture already in the apartment (about $1500) and pay a finders fee to the current tenant. The furniture is all great quality (most of it from West Elm) and was originally purchased for about $4200. Please email me and I will send you the time/location for the open house.From ardorny.com:E.58th/East Midtown 1-BR/1.0 Bath $1517. **Midtown East 50's**A 1BR close to fifteen hundred in a great location CONVE... More About: Estate , Real Estate , Bathroom , Real
AIDS Walk New York
2008-05-19 03:08:00 In place of the usual Sunday City Walk , Terrence and I joined 45,000 people in raising money for the AIDS Walk New York , which began in Central Park today. More About: New-York , Aids
Real Estate LOL - "Separate" Kitchens
2008-05-16 23:09:00 Photos and descriptions on ardorny.com:"Separate Kitchen" in E.91st/Upper Eastside Studio/1.0 Bath $1200"Modular kitchen where you'll be able to do light cooking" in W.64th/Upper Westside Studio/1.0 Bath $1395 (with a 7x7' sleeping area)"Kitchen" in "extra Large Studio with a lot of character" in Lexington Avenue/East Midtown Studio/1.0 Bath $1395"Foyer with Kitchenette. Appx. 4X13" in W.102nd/Upper Westside Studio/1.0 Bath $1650"Unbelieveable Upper East Side value! Soaring Twelve foot high ceiling in main room. LARGE seperate kitchen with washed oak cabinetry (all new, and plenty of it!)" in York Avenue/Upper Eastside Studio/1.0 Bath $1325The sad thing is ... they really aren't stretching the truth ... by Manhattan real estate-standards.Real Estate LOLBecause all you can do is live with it, laugh at it or leave it. More About: Real Estate , Kitchens
"Things I Love" Thursdays - My Friends (Again)
2008-05-15 19:17:00 While I was in Atlanta last weekend, Debasha told me that my girlfriends kept saying there was an extra person in their party at various nightlife hotspots, and later Debasha realized they were counting me."Things I Love " Thursdays are inspired by "I Love New York" (BNY, February 14, 2007). More About: Friends
Nightlife Highlights of Late
2008-05-14 07:02:00 Included attending the Hennessy-sponsored 33rd birthday party of Datwon Thomas, new Editor-In-Chief of XXL magazine (only 33-years old and making major moves as the former Editorial Director of King magazine), where we partied along side Q-Tip, Charli Baltimore, Alesha Renee, Fabolous, DJ Clue, Rocsi and Terrence J, Melyssa Ford and Fonzworth Bentley in the penthouse suite of the Hotel on Rivington.And an industry event at the 40/40 Club, where we sat across from Jay-Z, saw Fredro Star standing at the bar, and had text message converstations that went like this:Mass text message to Tokii, Monique and Jessica: I'm in the same room with Jay-Z right now.Response: WHAT?!!!???!!! I need details. Now.My reply: At 40/40 for the ACA party. He's sitting across from us watching Lebron play on the big screen.Response: I just go real star struck just now.My reply: Yea, even T said he just peed his pants a little.Response: If you get a pic with Jay-Z, I will hate u 4 life!!!My reply: No need t... More About: Nightlife , Highlights , Late
City Walk #20 - Harlem 2: Haute Harlem, Historic Harlem
2008-05-11 23:11:00 Card no. 42 - photos (COMING SOON)This walk combines a slice of New York history with a visit to one of Manhattan's least-known residential neighborhoods.Begin at Edgecombe and 160th Street (M2 bus to Edgecombe and 160th Streets or C train to 163rd Street).The oldest private house in New York, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, sits on the hill overlooking the Harlem River, a position that recommended it as temporary headquarters for George Washington in 1776. Handsomely restored, with grounds that are especially pretty in spring and summer, the house is well worth the trek uptown. The entrance is on cobblestoned Jumel Terrace, between West 160th and 152nd Streets, just east of St. Nicholas Avenue. Directly opposite is Sylvan Terrace, a charming row of painted wooden houses built in the early 20th century along the mansion's former carriageway. Turn right out of Sylvan Terrace to West 162nd Street, then right to the far side of Edgecombe Avenue for a glimpse of Yankee Stadium, just across ... More About: Historic , City , Walk
Photo Ops - City Walk #20
2008-05-11 22:55:00 Today's Route: Harlem 2: Haute Harlem, Historic HarlemMorris-Jumel MansionSylvan TerraceWest 162nd StreetOverlooking Yankee Stadium from EdgecombeThe Hispanic Geographical SocietyClassic ResidencesBroadway and 156thTrinity ChurchTrinity Church's GraveyardShoes hanging on wire have meaning in some neighborhoodsHamilton Heights137th Street Station More About: Photo , City , Walk
The Price of Oil, Bread, Milk and Now ... Baggage Claim
2008-05-11 22:41:00 Returning from Atlanta with Terrence this morning following the Welcome Home party for his first season playing basketball overseas, we noted that gas prices must really be hitting Delta Air Lines hard. More About: Milk , Price , Bread , Baggage
The Latest Congestion Pricing Strategy
2008-05-10 18:15:00 The New York Times Quotation of the Day:"It?s very clear that a significant portion of the increase in transit use is directly caused by people who are looking for alternatives to paying $3.50 a gallon for gas."WILLIAM MILLAR, president of the American Public Transportation Association.From The New York Times Business section:Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass TransitSince Mayor Bloomberg couldn't do it, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is working on it. More About: Strategy , Congestion
"Things I Love" Thursdays - May Flowers
2008-05-09 00:34:00 April Showers bring Manhattan Flowers Rockefeller Center from 48th StreetRockefeller Center from Fifth AvenueBroadway and West 130sPark Avenue SouthPark Avenue near Grand Central StationIsidor and Ida Straus MemorialWest 106th Street and West End AvenueCentral Park South More About: Love , Things
Brunching and Walking on a Sunday Afternoon
2008-05-05 03:34:00 Brunching at Roberto Passon with friends, a new boyfriend in the crew and the french toast with the just-right wheaty texture and sugary consistency and the perfect ratio of syrup to eggs and butter ... and the $8 all-you-can-drink bellinis, bloody marys, mimosas and screwdrivers from noon to 3:30pm.Proof that Mayra is pregnant... other than the ultrasound photosCookies-n-Cream Hersey's bar in a croissantWalking from 50th and Ninth to the start of today'scity walk at 110th Street and BroadwayUpper West Side cafésBarsStreet fairsBenches and tree-lined streets More About: Sunday , Afternoon
City Walk #19 - Upper West Side 4: Church and Gown
2008-05-05 03:19:00 Card no. 33 - photosTake a tour of church and gown uptown.Begin at 110th Street (Cathedral Parkway) and Broadway (1 or 9 train or M104 bus to 110th Street (Cathedral Parkway).Head west on 110th Street (Cathedral Parkway) to Riverside Drive, and turn right past some of the city's handsomest apartment buildings, many owned by Columbia University and carefully doled out to faculty. Continue north, past the statue of Samuel Tilden, onetime governor of New York, to the Interchurch Center at #475, known locally as the "God Box." Directly across West 120th is Riverside Church , an early-20th-century temple to Protestant enlightenment financed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and modeled on Chartres. Rockefeller largesse also made possible Sakura Park, at West 121st Street, and beyond it, International House, a foreign-student residence. Directly opposite Riverside Park is Grant's Tomb. Return to West 121st Street and walk downhill to Claremont Avenue and the Union Theological Seminary, found i... More About: City , Side , Gown
Phone Photo Ops - City Walk #19
2008-05-05 03:07:00 Today's route: Upper West Side 4: Church and GownRiverside ParkRiverside DriveAnd its handsome apartment buildingsThe Samuel Tilden Statue overlooks the Hudson RiverRiverside Church and the Interchurch CenterSakura ParkGrant's TombInternational HouseLooking west toward Claremont AvenueColumbia University's West 116th Street gate on BroadwayLeads to an unexpected sprawling lawnSunset across Columbia's campusCathedral of St. John the DivineChildren's Sculpture GardenBiblical GardenAnd the peacocks that roam the cathedral grounds More About: Photo , Phone , City , Walk
Slow Blog Day
2008-05-03 17:15:00 Sex and the City cliché. Sex and the City cliché. Blah, blah, blah. New York, New York. Yadda, yadda, yadda.Yet I can't help but wonder ... when Mariah Carey released "Vision of Love" and Nick Cannon was like four years old, did she ever think to herself, "There is a toddler out there somewhere listening to my music, and I'm going to marry him one day"?And proof that New York City really does have everything:Not your typical "beer run"Pizza and the city tour More About: Blog , Slow
Phone Photo Op - Disappearing Acts
2008-05-03 05:33:00 Even though I prefer beautiful New York days, there is something magnificent about low-lying clouds encircling the summits on Manhattan skyscrapers.On the way to meet Iris for a movie after work. More About: Photo , Phone
Real Estate LOL - Embracing the College-Dorm-Life for Life
2008-05-02 23:57:00 From ardorny.com:W.105th/Upper Westside Studio/1.0 Bath $1195. This is a finding! Located just one block from Central Park, this gorgeous studio apartment in the charming Upper West Side has it all! It features Murphy bed, closet space, floor to ceiling marble tiled full bath with Jacuzzi, fully equipped kitchen with granite countertop, great cabinetry with excellent storage space and dishwasher. Heat and hot water included!To view actual property, please contact [contact information removed].Let's play a little game of "One of These Things Is Not Like the Other" using these photos and its correlated apartment listing above.Leave your answers in the comments.Real Estate LOLBecause all you can do is live with it, laugh at it or leave it behind. More About: Life , College , Real Estate
Colleague Convo - Shoe-In Kitchens
2008-05-02 23:21:00 Print ad reads:I don't cook. So I made my eat-in kitchen a fabulous walk-in closet.My coworker Kirsten came across the ad in a magazine and commented, "In Manhattan, we do this because we don't cook and we don't have any closet space."She went on to tell me that one of her friends sublets an apartment from a girl who stored her extra shoes in the oven. More About: Kitchens , Shoe
The Texts You Receive in New York
2008-05-01 23:00:00 In New York City, you're more likely to receive a text message from a friend standing on a sidewalk about a block from your office that reads:"Magic Johnson is at 43rd and Fifth right now!"My response:"Oh yea? What is he doing there?"My friend:"I don't know to be honest! I was out with coworkers having a cig and he and two other guys just walked by and for a second we were like is that magic?" More About: New-York
"Things I Love" Thursdays - Street Vendor Regulars
2008-05-01 15:25:00 I love that when I don't have exact change for the guy at the fruit stand on Fifth & 43rd, he says, "Pay me tomorrow." More About: Love , Street , Things
Real Estate LOL - No Bathroom in the Apartment
More articles from this author:2008-05-01 02:52:00 From newyork.craigslist.org:$925 Studio for Rent, Bathroom is in the Hallway (Upper West Side)Reply to: [contact removed]Date: 2008-04-28, 12:31PM EDTStudio for Rent $925.00 per month. Absolutely beautiful. This apartment has been renovated. It is in a walk up building (only 1 flight up) has hard wood floors, it is very bright, has a beautiful bay window. NO BATHROOM IN THE APARTMENT The bathroom is in the hallway and will be shared with other tenants. If you are interested in this apartment, please call [number removed].Real Estate LOLBecause all you can do is live with it, laugh at it or leave it. More About: Real Estate 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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