Today in Long Island City....This is where your television gets made, people -- in Queens.
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
12 April 2012
11 April 2012
The Morning Train (alternative title: Amthrax)
Let me just preface this by saying that getting up early is not my thing. Getting up at 4 AM is most DEFINITELY not my thing. But here I am.
After moving to Boston, a condition of keeping my job at the gigantic financial institution that employs me, I have to return to New York approximately once a month. That is a very reasonable condition, in my opinion. Paying for travel and accommodations myself, well, that's less reasonable to me, but there you have it.
So here I sit on the 6:21 Acela to Penn Station. I love me some quiet car time, that's for sure, but unlike my last trip, I have a seatmate. (Note to self: taking a few bites of my tuna sub every time people boarded was a winner of an idea last time.) It's fine. He's quiet and nice. A little armrest wrestling (subtle, but noticeable), but not a big deal. However, there are about four people who keep hacking uncontrollably. There was a man who took over both seats by laying down across them and donning a sleep mask. My seat mate, in fact, tried to sit next to THAT guy, but Sleeping Beauty kept spouting off about how is was "very ill." So after 5 minutes of that, I got myself a travel companion.
I believe that I coined the term "Amthrax" on this journey. I haven't had the inclination to google it -- I'm sure someone else came up with it first, like most of my brilliant ideas -- but for the moment, it's one of my best turns of phrase.
This is going to be a quick trip, only staying one night and then back tomorrow evening. Not too guilt-inducing for the working mother, but hearing "Cat's in the Cradle" this morning on my drive to the train station did not make me feel exactly empowered or anything. That was just mean, Boston 104.7 FM. Don't do that again.
I do love riding the train, though. Silence (mostly -- in the quiet car, anyway). Pretty scenery (damn, those are some big houses, Connecticut!). The feeling of doing something positive for the environment, which is vastly outweighed by my smug self-righteousness as we zip past all of the rush-hour traffic on I-95.
Happy Wednesday!
After moving to Boston, a condition of keeping my job at the gigantic financial institution that employs me, I have to return to New York approximately once a month. That is a very reasonable condition, in my opinion. Paying for travel and accommodations myself, well, that's less reasonable to me, but there you have it.
So here I sit on the 6:21 Acela to Penn Station. I love me some quiet car time, that's for sure, but unlike my last trip, I have a seatmate. (Note to self: taking a few bites of my tuna sub every time people boarded was a winner of an idea last time.) It's fine. He's quiet and nice. A little armrest wrestling (subtle, but noticeable), but not a big deal. However, there are about four people who keep hacking uncontrollably. There was a man who took over both seats by laying down across them and donning a sleep mask. My seat mate, in fact, tried to sit next to THAT guy, but Sleeping Beauty kept spouting off about how is was "very ill." So after 5 minutes of that, I got myself a travel companion.
I believe that I coined the term "Amthrax" on this journey. I haven't had the inclination to google it -- I'm sure someone else came up with it first, like most of my brilliant ideas -- but for the moment, it's one of my best turns of phrase.
This is going to be a quick trip, only staying one night and then back tomorrow evening. Not too guilt-inducing for the working mother, but hearing "Cat's in the Cradle" this morning on my drive to the train station did not make me feel exactly empowered or anything. That was just mean, Boston 104.7 FM. Don't do that again.
I do love riding the train, though. Silence (mostly -- in the quiet car, anyway). Pretty scenery (damn, those are some big houses, Connecticut!). The feeling of doing something positive for the environment, which is vastly outweighed by my smug self-righteousness as we zip past all of the rush-hour traffic on I-95.
Happy Wednesday!
01 April 2012
Things I miss about NEW YORK now that I'm a YANKEE
See what I did there?
We moved to Massachusetts about 6 months ago, 11 days before our second daughter was born. It was a hectic time, I'll just say that.
While I love it here, there are certain things that I miss about New York, and because I kind of need to go and use the treadmill while the baby is contemplating taking a nap, this is going to be quick:
1) Central Park. Every season, it's just lovely. Plus, on a summer evening, it's about 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the city.
2) Sigmund Pretzel Shop, in the East Village. Homemade awesome pretzels with cups of dips, such as grainy mustard (tasty) and nutella (even tastier). And Vivi Bubble Tea, in Chinatown.
3) Curry Hill. Technically, it's Murray Hill, on the east side in the high-20s/low-30s, but it's chock full of awesome and inexpensive Indian restaurants. Love Bhatti, especially.
4) Having my dear friends be, at most, a cab or subway ride away. That was really nice. And at least eight really good yarn stores.
5) The Green Kitchen. This 24-hour diner was directly below our apartment. We got to know the waitstaff and delivery guys super well, to the point where the one waitress would see us outside in the morning and would run us out a handful of muffins for our daughter, and one waiter would bring us cups of coffee when we would linger on our stoop. I miss being able to order a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on an English muffin, with a side of super-hot fries, at 2 in the morning, and have it brought to our door in less than 15 minutes.
6) Walking everywhere. Hanging out with friends in the West Village until about 10 pm, then putting the little girl in the stroller and walking all the way home to the Upper East Side, with a stop or two along the way at Starbucks. Or the rice pudding place. Both are quite satisfying.
7) The feeling of all the tension in your body melting away as you cross the George Washington Bridge, heading out of town.
8) Taking tap class again as a 34 year old, and having many other women approximately my age in there, and nobody blinked an eye.
9) Things that are better in New York than anywhere else: Bagels (it's condescending but true -- bagels suck everywhere else in comparison). Pizza. Theater. Shopping. Delivery service for everything. Jobs in the financial services industry.
10) Things that are (surprisingly) cheaper in New York than anywhere else: Cab rides. Manicures and pedicures. Nannies (sometimes). Fake designer handbags. Certain real designer clothes (sample sales). Bodega flowers (a dozen roses of any shade for $9. They die in a day and a half, but you get what you pay for).
http://www.etsy.com/listing/44920676/i-heart-ny-but-hate-the-yankees-8x10
We moved to Massachusetts about 6 months ago, 11 days before our second daughter was born. It was a hectic time, I'll just say that.
While I love it here, there are certain things that I miss about New York, and because I kind of need to go and use the treadmill while the baby is contemplating taking a nap, this is going to be quick:
1) Central Park. Every season, it's just lovely. Plus, on a summer evening, it's about 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the city.
2) Sigmund Pretzel Shop, in the East Village. Homemade awesome pretzels with cups of dips, such as grainy mustard (tasty) and nutella (even tastier). And Vivi Bubble Tea, in Chinatown.
3) Curry Hill. Technically, it's Murray Hill, on the east side in the high-20s/low-30s, but it's chock full of awesome and inexpensive Indian restaurants. Love Bhatti, especially.
4) Having my dear friends be, at most, a cab or subway ride away. That was really nice. And at least eight really good yarn stores.
5) The Green Kitchen. This 24-hour diner was directly below our apartment. We got to know the waitstaff and delivery guys super well, to the point where the one waitress would see us outside in the morning and would run us out a handful of muffins for our daughter, and one waiter would bring us cups of coffee when we would linger on our stoop. I miss being able to order a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on an English muffin, with a side of super-hot fries, at 2 in the morning, and have it brought to our door in less than 15 minutes.
6) Walking everywhere. Hanging out with friends in the West Village until about 10 pm, then putting the little girl in the stroller and walking all the way home to the Upper East Side, with a stop or two along the way at Starbucks. Or the rice pudding place. Both are quite satisfying.
7) The feeling of all the tension in your body melting away as you cross the George Washington Bridge, heading out of town.
8) Taking tap class again as a 34 year old, and having many other women approximately my age in there, and nobody blinked an eye.
9) Things that are better in New York than anywhere else: Bagels (it's condescending but true -- bagels suck everywhere else in comparison). Pizza. Theater. Shopping. Delivery service for everything. Jobs in the financial services industry.
10) Things that are (surprisingly) cheaper in New York than anywhere else: Cab rides. Manicures and pedicures. Nannies (sometimes). Fake designer handbags. Certain real designer clothes (sample sales). Bodega flowers (a dozen roses of any shade for $9. They die in a day and a half, but you get what you pay for).
http://www.etsy.com/listing/44920676/i-heart-ny-but-hate-the-yankees-8x10
14 October 2007
Long Time Gone
I'm going to appropriate the titling procedure of a fabulous acquaintance of mine, whose "savvy mom" blog is captioned with song lyrics...something that my friend Janie and I did a lot of in days past, so I was reminded of how much fun that is.
Anyway, what a long time between posts! Here's what's up - we've landed in New York, living on the Upper East Side. M loves his job, and I was appointed to a position at the United Nations, which (if the first week is any indication) will be a remarkably interesting experience. I guess I just can't get away from civil service...V has a nanny, a wonderful woman from Jamaica who takes great care of her (and yes, we are paying taxes on that).
We've had so many visitors already, at least 5 to my count, plus some that didn't stay with us, and many more to come in the next few weeks. New York is great, I still can't believe that we live here! And luckily, we already have friends here, from law school and high school, which have made the transition that much easier. We enjoyed a wicked game of 500 last night, with lots and lots of Oktoberfest beer and the traditional Pim's with lemonade. Sooooooooo.......that's life in the big city so far...more to come.
Anyway, what a long time between posts! Here's what's up - we've landed in New York, living on the Upper East Side. M loves his job, and I was appointed to a position at the United Nations, which (if the first week is any indication) will be a remarkably interesting experience. I guess I just can't get away from civil service...V has a nanny, a wonderful woman from Jamaica who takes great care of her (and yes, we are paying taxes on that).
We've had so many visitors already, at least 5 to my count, plus some that didn't stay with us, and many more to come in the next few weeks. New York is great, I still can't believe that we live here! And luckily, we already have friends here, from law school and high school, which have made the transition that much easier. We enjoyed a wicked game of 500 last night, with lots and lots of Oktoberfest beer and the traditional Pim's with lemonade. Sooooooooo.......that's life in the big city so far...more to come.
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