11/1/2012 1 Comment In the Wake of SandyOne of many trees that came down in Cobble Hill, just a few blocks West of me. November 1st marks my six month anniversary as a New York resident. Sadly, I have not seen the city of Manhattan in five days as, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, subways are not yet running from Brooklyn into the city. And, though petite as I am, I do not want to contribute to (or deal with) the congestion of those who must get into the city for work. Both of my shops are without power, and unless power is restored or an audition/callback comes up, there is no reason for me to make the trek. I find it ironic that the day before subways were shut down, I was treating my day off as an excuse to explore places in the city I had not seen before. I began on the Upper East Side, and hit various spots making my way West before traveling North to see the Cloisters (inside secret: they might let you in free if you lag because of indecisiveness, fall behind schedule, and arrive a mere 30 minutes before closing… possibly). Then it was down to the Lower West side for window shopping and the discovery of the magnificent glory of a cupcake shop which, in my mind, makes Magnolia Bakery equivalent to Dunkin’ Doughnuts (name to come as a recommendation at the end of the blog). This shop, which produced a morsel that made me chew ever-so -slowly just to savor its magic a few precious seconds longer, is located in an area that, like many, has not had power or water for almost a week. People located South of 42nd Street are waiting in line to charge their phones on Christmas tree lights on the sidewalk. I recognize my fortune that despite not being able to work this week, my greatest frustration has been wanting to offer relief with my own water and electricity to those without. But because of transit issues, friends in Manhattan are weighing the difficulty of figuring out how to get to me versus toughing it out for another couple of days. Brooklyn --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manhattan My personal Hero of the Week award goes to my friend Nicole. Her and her husband are renovating a house they purchased out on Long Island; a house which they received word a few hours into Monday’s storm had a tree fall on top of it. Waiting was agony, and though damage was pretty minimal, additional trees went down around the house creating a dramatic clean-up situation that no new homeowner wants to deal with. In the activity and stress of assessing the damage and figuring out what to do, a pair of zebra pajamas were dyed orange, a hat with ears + a sword of tinfoil was masterfully crafted, and Nicole’s three year old daughter enjoyed Halloween as the most kick-a** Puss-in-Boots that anyone ever saw. She was surrounded by her entire family, all sporting a Fairy Tale Themed character; even her 1 year old brother as the Big Bad Wolf and her mother, my dear 6+ft. tall friend, as Little Red Ridinghood. I watched with ever-so-slightly-misty eyes as this magical woman enjoyed carrying her little boy up to a brownstone for his first Trick-or-Treat which would not be missed come rain or shine. Strapped back into his stroller, the Big Bad Wolf enjoyed his Dum Dum sucker with a smile and a glee that seemed to suggest that stress was (and should always be) a concept very far away from his understanding. And I hoped against hope that should I ever be lucky enough to make someone a costume from pajamas or carry my own fuzzy character up to a porch for their first Trick-or-Treat, that I do it with half of the warmth, heart, and creativity as Nicole does. New great finds: ~ Molly’s Cupcakes at 228 Bleecker Street ~ FraJean on 7th Avenue in Brooklyn - Full Service Spa VERY reasonably priced. ~ Rachel’s on 5th Avenue in Brooklyn - still the best Mexican food I’ve found in the city
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They say you’re not a true New Yorker until you’ve cried in public somewhere
in/below the city. I had that accomplishment checked off of my to-do list before I even MOVED here, Suckers… jealous?!?!?! It was at the end of a two-day apartment hunt in which I’d managed to find windowless, closet less rooms located on corners the likes of Rape and Murder, Urine and Defecation. In a slightly bourbon induced haze, I whimpered on the F Train to my dear dear friend Francine who had offered her now soggy shoulder as consolation, “If this is the best I can find for $950/month, then there’s no way… there’s No... WAY… I’m moving here!” Three weeks later, it was May 1st, my bedroom in Brooklyn was half painted, and I was waiting for the moving truck. I’m not going to go so far as to say that I think NY is my city. But I will say that I’ve lived many places, and I’ve never felt this mesmerized about any place that I’ve lived. But I think most people have that reaction living here for the first time; where they’re not sure if they like it or if they don’t… the only thing they do know is that they can’t stop looking around. I’ve also never had such fear and excitement during the anticipation of a move. Some of what I anticipated turned out just as I expected. And some of it, to put it lightly, did not. For example…. I’ve never had to rely on public transportation before. Ever! I was convinced that I would be panting frantically on my way to one of the few auditions I would be lucky enough to get, not understanding why the big bad train took me to Inwood instead of Midtown and too afraid to ask one of the two other people on the car (the passed out homeless person or the mugger) how to get back downtown. What ACTUALLY occurred was that by the end of my first week, I was correctly calculating departure and arrival times, and knew how to navigate around schedule changes. I felt like a pirate with a map! And still am mystified when I look out of the window underground at the intricately carved tunnels (think for a second how long they‘ve been there!), graffiti and paint cans, hoping like an eager kid that one day I might see someone… a “tunnel person”, if you will. Or a Fraggle. Whichever happens to be lurking around. I’m also surprised that I’m surprised at how expensive living here is. I think I was better prepared than some having lived in Los Angeles for a few years. But really, I am sometimes mystified as to where exactly the dollars go. A friend of mine stated it perfectly once, he said “I feel as though every time I leave my apartment, I might as well just throw $40 out into the wind.” It’s true. But I’ve slowly settled into the acceptance that this is the little nugget of time in which I have just moved to New York. This time is unique, and it will never be here again. It was always going to be tight; polishing pennies, considering a cab ride an unnecessary splurge, power walking and doing affordable yoga until a gym membership is finally in the budget. But I’ve recognized a beauty in the poverty as well. I had wanted so desperately to see Linda Lavin in The Lyons on Broadway. Closing weekend was approaching, and though it wasn’t exactly in the budget for the month, I went on TDF and bought my ticket. I wound up with a 10th row seat on the center aisle. After the first act concluded, I stood outside of the theatre at intermission beneath all of the lights of Broadway, eating lukewarm leftover pizza that I’d wrapped in cellophane for “dinner,” smiling so blissfully that I was there. I pondered a late evening that might one day come in which I would be exiting the stage door (of that same theatre?), and remember one of my first nights in New York… where I made some minor cuts to the grocery budget so that I could relish Ms. Lavin educate me on how to captivate an audience with a 15 minute monologue just sitting in a chair flipping through a magazine. ‘How far I’ve come.’ I’d think, getting into that town car. ‘How far I could go.’ I hoped that rainy evening in June. Favorite new discoveries thus far... Backyard - a bar in Park Slope on 5th Avenue between 6th and 7th Street. My neighborhood watering hole. Great vibe, great people. Thank God for Backyard! The Pearl Hair Straightener. My fashionista boss, whom I love and adore, convinced me to invest in one after making all of the girls straighten their hair for an event. “You look amazing, you’re like a whole new person.” Well, not quite… but I am loving the new silky floppy hair! MoMA is free on Fridays between 4-8pm. Yahoo!!! |