Well, the city hit me hard this weekend. Kind of.
On Friday night, I went out for drinks with a friend/ex-Heralder Bassey who relocated here, one of his friends and some of his friend's friends. We went to a couple of bars in the NYU/Nolita area (Botanica and Sweet & Vicious). I was afraid drinks would cost double what they do in Madison, but prices weren't bad.
Disclaimer: Relatives/other people afraid for my safety - please don't freak out upon reading this story - I'm fine. Also, don't tell this story to grandma.
So apparently MTA uses weekends to work on the subway system. As a result, routes get changed and everything gets very, very confusing - especially after a few (3? 4?) gin and tonics (yes mom, I know you're reading). On the way home in a train marked by a number of sleeping, smelly homeless men, I found myself two stops in on the wrong line. As a drunk, New York subway novice, I couldn't even begin to fathom how to fix my mistake. Instead, I went up to the street hoping to take a cab home. I feebly tried hailing a few of the stereotypical yellow cabs, but failed to get one to stop. Instead, a white car at an opposing stoplight honked at me (acknowledging my plight) and drove over, stopping next to me. I walked over and asked the driver "Is this a cab?" He said yes, so I hopped in the backseat. As soon as I closed the door, I realized it was a VERY BAD IDEA to get into an unmarked car, so I started to get a little freaked out, especially after I couldn't see a meter. But thankfully, the guy was very nice and actually was a cab driver - I arrived at home safely. HOWEVER: I will never do such a dumb thing again. My roommate Virginia told me that there aren't many of your typical yellow cabs in Brooklyn and these sorts of unmarked taxis aren't unusual. But yeah, that was dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb...
I didn't really feel up to doing much on Saturday, so I slept WAY in and sat around most of the day. I watched 30 Rock online and ventured out for a run in Prospect Park. I'm super out of shape though, and far, far away from my "Dallas White Couch-to-5K" running peak, so it was hard. Prospect Park is incredibly nice though and too close to ignore (a block away), so I have literally no excuse to exercise once in a while. I also spent quite a bit of time on Skype talking with (at various times) Nick, Nicole, D-White, Jeremy, Chris and Michelle - I miss you guys!
I braved the maddening subway again today, heading to the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, which is on Museum Mile next to Central Park. It took me a really long time to get there, with considerable poor navigation by me, but I found it eventually. They're renovating the museum, so not much of it was open but they had a couple interesting exhibits. I considered going to the Guggenheim, but only two exhibits were open there so I decided to wait and go back later (probably when I have visitors). I had a bit more luck finding my way back to Brooklyn, but I still messed up and had to ask a MTA employee what to do. It's definitely going to take me a while to get a handle on the subway system. I'm fine when it's a straight shot or a straightforward transfer, but when something differs from that, I'm a lost cause.
Miscellaneous notes:
- I saw a pet shop where they had puppies in cages in the window. This led to an odd effect, almost like a Red Light District for dogs. All they want is to be loved...
- I accidentally made potato soup for dinner (I tried to make mashed potatoes but something went wrong. I am a terrible cook). It wasn't bad soup though!
- My roommate told me about a food co-op that's near my place - it's basically like a Whole Foods where members get 50% off. All you have to do is put in three hours of some sort of work a month - babysitting, cashiering, stocking, etc. I'm probably going to do this; I might meet some new people and it should motivate me to start eating healthier.
- In stark contrast with my last statement, I really want to make (and eat an entire pan of) these Oreo Fudge Bars. OH MY GOD.
- Since I make $0.00 an hour at my internship, I'm going to try to find a babysitting job. I just posted an ad for myself on craigslist (that sounds weird), so we'll see what happens.
To answer your questions:
Nick - Yes, New York is fun.
Nicole - Times Square's about the same size, maybe even a bit smaller, than that Piccadilly Circus circle thing.
Mase - No, I didn't eat the giant M&M. Had it been edible, I may have.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
disaster-free! (so far)
I've been in the city for four days now. I arrived Monday at JFK, fresh from a 2.5 week whirlwind of a European vacation (I traveled with friends to London, Paris, Cinque Terre and Rome. I'll probably do quick recaps of that vacation on here too).
Solely because of my experience navigating different subways in Europe, I was confident enough to take the subway from JFK to the house in Brooklyn where I'm renting a room. In the back of my mind I was convinced I'd get something completely wrong and end up in New Jersey or something, but I was able to make it with only one minor mishap - I went one stop in the wrong direction while transferring trains.
I'm paying a small fortune to live in a quiet neighborhood of brownstones next to Prospect Park, which some people consider to be nicer than Central Park (and designed by the same people). If I'd chosen to live in Manhattan or more northern areas of Brooklyn, I would have easily paid 3-4 times what I did in Madison.
The couple I'm renting from are both screenwriters and one is a ranking member of a writers' organization. This makes for a pretty sweet hookup; I now have access to "screeners" - DVDs of movies that are currently out in theaters, sent out for award consideration. In addition to the screeners, my landlords have a gigantic movie collection and have volunteered to give me a working film education. They're more than willing to impart their knowledge on everything from the subway system to "the industry" to me. It's incredibly good luck that I ended up living with these people! It's quite calm and laid-back around the house - they currently have one other tenant who I don't see much, but another is moving in this weekend.
With no classes (an unbelievably welcome break...I was SO burned out after last semester) and no other commitments, I had a couple of days to wander around and do typical tourist-y things. After watching the inauguration on Tuesday, I walked to the Brooklyn Public Library's main branch - a 15-20 minute walk from my place. One of the first things I wanted to do here was get a library card, but it turns out I can't do that until I get some sort of official mail sent here (phone bill, bank statement). Getting a library card is literally just as difficult as registering to vote! I also got lost trying to find the neighborhood grocery store, but that story isn't very interesting.
Yesterday I decided to get something to read, so I went to Strand Bookstore. It's one of the biggest used bookstores in the world, which obviously appealed to me as a used-bookstore-employee. I browsed for quite a while and was tempted to buy a stack of books, but I'm holding out for the library card. I ended up settling for Truman Capote's In Cold Blood.
After I walked around in Greenwich Village for a while, I took the F train uptown. I don't think I truly realized I was in New York City until I came out of the subway station and was faced with the most GIANT M&M one could ever dream of, across from a multi-story Olive Garden. Ah, America. I must be an idiot, because I didn't realize I was in Times Square for a while. The giant seizure-inducing billboards weren't enough of a hint, I guess - it just seemed smaller than I'd imagined. I looked around for a while (I saw a Dean & Deluca, Alli - I wanted to go in but I refrained) and then found Rockefeller Plaza. The inner 30 Rock nerd in me came out as I took a camera phone picture of the "30 Rockefeller Plaza" sign (I literally cringed as I was doing this) and hung around waiting for Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin to show up. No sight of them...another day. I also decided I want to take an NBC tour and/or go to a show taping when Nick comes to visit!
I started my internship today. Luckily, they aren't morning people - I start at 10:30 every day. After setting out before 9 most days in Europe, this is an extremely welcome change of pace. On my way to the office, I'm almost certain a man sitting next to me on the train was attempting to catch my attention. He was old enough to be my father, with gelled gray hair (spiked in an attempt to disguise his thinning mane) and was bobbing his head emphatically to whatever was on his MP3 player while giving me semi-covert glances. As Sarah Palin might say, thanks...but no thanks, buddy.
I spent most of the day getting acquainted with the material the company I'm with is currently working on. I also met most of the people in the small office (including the other intern, who's a NY native living w/his parents) and learned the daily routine - which largely consists of doing office inventory, taking out the trash and going on errands.
I'm having a great time so far. I'm looking forward to working in such a dynamic and creative place and can't wait to continue finding my way around the city. And visitors are more than welcome!
To answer your questions:
Nick - Yes, New York is big. Its population is 1250 times that of my hometown!
Aunt Joy - I really did like Europe - especially London. I'll be in New York until early June, most likely. If you get the chance, I'd love to see you and Savanna!
Dad - I think I answered yours already. :)
Solely because of my experience navigating different subways in Europe, I was confident enough to take the subway from JFK to the house in Brooklyn where I'm renting a room. In the back of my mind I was convinced I'd get something completely wrong and end up in New Jersey or something, but I was able to make it with only one minor mishap - I went one stop in the wrong direction while transferring trains.
I'm paying a small fortune to live in a quiet neighborhood of brownstones next to Prospect Park, which some people consider to be nicer than Central Park (and designed by the same people). If I'd chosen to live in Manhattan or more northern areas of Brooklyn, I would have easily paid 3-4 times what I did in Madison.
The couple I'm renting from are both screenwriters and one is a ranking member of a writers' organization. This makes for a pretty sweet hookup; I now have access to "screeners" - DVDs of movies that are currently out in theaters, sent out for award consideration. In addition to the screeners, my landlords have a gigantic movie collection and have volunteered to give me a working film education. They're more than willing to impart their knowledge on everything from the subway system to "the industry" to me. It's incredibly good luck that I ended up living with these people! It's quite calm and laid-back around the house - they currently have one other tenant who I don't see much, but another is moving in this weekend.
With no classes (an unbelievably welcome break...I was SO burned out after last semester) and no other commitments, I had a couple of days to wander around and do typical tourist-y things. After watching the inauguration on Tuesday, I walked to the Brooklyn Public Library's main branch - a 15-20 minute walk from my place. One of the first things I wanted to do here was get a library card, but it turns out I can't do that until I get some sort of official mail sent here (phone bill, bank statement). Getting a library card is literally just as difficult as registering to vote! I also got lost trying to find the neighborhood grocery store, but that story isn't very interesting.
Yesterday I decided to get something to read, so I went to Strand Bookstore. It's one of the biggest used bookstores in the world, which obviously appealed to me as a used-bookstore-employee. I browsed for quite a while and was tempted to buy a stack of books, but I'm holding out for the library card. I ended up settling for Truman Capote's In Cold Blood.
After I walked around in Greenwich Village for a while, I took the F train uptown. I don't think I truly realized I was in New York City until I came out of the subway station and was faced with the most GIANT M&M one could ever dream of, across from a multi-story Olive Garden. Ah, America. I must be an idiot, because I didn't realize I was in Times Square for a while. The giant seizure-inducing billboards weren't enough of a hint, I guess - it just seemed smaller than I'd imagined. I looked around for a while (I saw a Dean & Deluca, Alli - I wanted to go in but I refrained) and then found Rockefeller Plaza. The inner 30 Rock nerd in me came out as I took a camera phone picture of the "30 Rockefeller Plaza" sign (I literally cringed as I was doing this) and hung around waiting for Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin to show up. No sight of them...another day. I also decided I want to take an NBC tour and/or go to a show taping when Nick comes to visit!
I started my internship today. Luckily, they aren't morning people - I start at 10:30 every day. After setting out before 9 most days in Europe, this is an extremely welcome change of pace. On my way to the office, I'm almost certain a man sitting next to me on the train was attempting to catch my attention. He was old enough to be my father, with gelled gray hair (spiked in an attempt to disguise his thinning mane) and was bobbing his head emphatically to whatever was on his MP3 player while giving me semi-covert glances. As Sarah Palin might say, thanks...but no thanks, buddy.
I spent most of the day getting acquainted with the material the company I'm with is currently working on. I also met most of the people in the small office (including the other intern, who's a NY native living w/his parents) and learned the daily routine - which largely consists of doing office inventory, taking out the trash and going on errands.
I'm having a great time so far. I'm looking forward to working in such a dynamic and creative place and can't wait to continue finding my way around the city. And visitors are more than welcome!
To answer your questions:
Nick - Yes, New York is big. Its population is 1250 times that of my hometown!
Aunt Joy - I really did like Europe - especially London. I'll be in New York until early June, most likely. If you get the chance, I'd love to see you and Savanna!
Dad - I think I answered yours already. :)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
the first post-est with the most-est
Greetings from Brooklyn!
So, why am I starting a blog?
- I've just re-located from Madison, WI to Brooklyn, NY for an internship.
- As I am a lifelong rural Wisconsinite, this should prove to be amusing. I'm eagerly anticipating being made fun of for my achingly-Midwestern accent and quaint moral values.
- I'd like to avoid racking up hundred-dollar-plus phone bills every month. Keeping in touch with friends, family and my kitty (okay, Henry has probably already forgotten me) is free this way!
- I'm out of practice with writing - I'd like to get into the habit more consistently.
- I don't know many people here in New York. Blogging will likely prove more productive than crying in a corner in my desperately lonely moments.
If there's anything anyone wants to know, just leave me a comment and I'll try to answer your questions. I want to hear from you! Honestly, I miss you (yes, you).
LOVE, KATIE.
So, why am I starting a blog?
- I've just re-located from Madison, WI to Brooklyn, NY for an internship.
- As I am a lifelong rural Wisconsinite, this should prove to be amusing. I'm eagerly anticipating being made fun of for my achingly-Midwestern accent and quaint moral values.
- I'd like to avoid racking up hundred-dollar-plus phone bills every month. Keeping in touch with friends, family and my kitty (okay, Henry has probably already forgotten me) is free this way!
- I'm out of practice with writing - I'd like to get into the habit more consistently.
- I don't know many people here in New York. Blogging will likely prove more productive than crying in a corner in my desperately lonely moments.
If there's anything anyone wants to know, just leave me a comment and I'll try to answer your questions. I want to hear from you! Honestly, I miss you (yes, you).
LOVE, KATIE.
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