Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

It is annoying that news doesn't come on until 11pm in New York. I get the rationale but it doesn't make it easier to catch the news - at least not for those of us who like to sleep and go to the gym in the morning before work. I mean look, I get most of my news online anyway, so it's not like I'm living under some rock, but sometimes you just want to catch the local news and not have to read it.

Verdict: Hate New York Today

Sunday, November 28th, 2010

New York has some beautiful buildings, an example of which I've pictured below. It is close to Chelsea Piers and is striking - completely unique and beautifully colored. I'm no architect but I can appreciate the buildings that populate the New York skyline, particularly when they're built like this.

Verdict: Love New York Today

Saturday, November 27th, 2010

There is a lot to be thankful for this year. This is a great country and I live in a great place.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

Verdict: Love New York Today

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Taking out the trash can be a pain in the a** in many places in New York. For those of us without trash chutes, we're forced to take the trash down to the basement (many times in creepy, dimly lit rooms). Now this in itself is a pain - think of having to walk your trash out to the curb every time you need to take out one bag - and you'll start to get the idea. But what makes it even more annoying is that often times the basements have limited open hours. So, if, for example, your basement is only open from 7:30am to 8:30pm, and you have to go to work early and stay late, well guess what - you're screwed! That trash is stinking up your apartment for at least another day. And don't even think about putting it outside your door - that will result in an almost instantaneous letter from your apartment management company.

Verdict: Hate New York Today

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

It is Monday of a holiday week...

 (In case you can't read the orange writing it says "life is wonderful"). This was in the meatpacking district this past weekend.

Verdict: Love New York Today

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

Today I went to Chelsea Market. It is a pretty cool place to grab some food and wander around. The space itself is beautiful, and you can get everything from custom cupcakes to lobster. Much of it is, of course, overpriced, but hey, we live in Manhattan so that is nothing new. I will say that the Manhattan Fruit Exchange is fantastic - a huge variety of fruits and veggies (for New York) at relatively reasonable prices. Just don't forget your cash because they don't take credit!

Verdict: Love New York Today

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Friday in the city, taking the 1 train downtown.

Verdict: Love New York Today

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

On my way to the gym this morning I walked past not one but two films gearing up for the day. On the corner of Bleeker and West 11th a food tent was set up for breakfast. Where yesterday there were abandoned storefronts, today one was being used for extras to hang out and the other had magically transformed into a fake realty office. Specifically, Wanderlust was filming there (as posted by the notices all over the street). Unfortunately the big names weren't up that early so I didn't see anyone worth mentioning, but it was fun to see the storefront transformed overnight. No idea what the other film in the neighborhood was.

Verdict: Love New York Today

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

The holiday season is the best time to be in New York (well, not weather-wise, but in all other ways). There is a certain spirit and everywhere you look stores cheerfully welcome the season. Crazily enough, as soon as Halloween came and went, the holiday decorations came out. No more waiting for Thanksgiving to pass and giving Turkey Day it's due - wreaths, Christmas lights, garland, all of it is out on proud display. The picture below is from 57th Street and Fifth Avenue and you can see the UNICEF Snowflake (lighting ceremony tomorrow) and the wreaths decorating every upper window of Bergdorf. Love it!

Verdict: Obviously, Love New York Today

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

It is a fact that the minute you are lost in New York, someone will ask you for directions. Are you wandering around the West Village trying to figure out the difference between Greenwich Street and Greenwich Avenue? Someone will stop you and ask where West 4th Street intersects with West 10th Street. On the Lower East Side? Someone will ask you how to get to the Essex/Delancey subway stop. It doesn't matter where you are -- tonight I was in Brooklyn and was stopped by two women asking how to get to Bedford. How the hell do I know? I live in Manhattan and am about as familiar with Brooklyn as I am with Paris: I've been there but I'm not about to offer up instructions on how to get anywhere.

Verdict: Because I was actually able to give the women directions, Love New York Today

Monday, November 15th, 2010

It is Monday and therefore I will complain. Mondays on the subway are the worst. It is always the busiest day so you're squeezed into the cars. And why is it that the stations look like they haven't been cleaned...ever? The tiles are dingy (look at the area around the "T"!) and despite how many layers of paint they slap on the walls it never looks clean. Ugh.

Verdict: Hate New York Today

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

This was a real exchange I witnessed on a 7am Amtrak train this weekend when I was heading out of town:

Conductor (to guy walking away from him): Hey! Man! I need your ticket!

Guy (turns around to face Conductor from across train): Yeah, well, you need my ticket, I need to take a sh*t.

Conductor: Hey! Watch your mouth - you're not the only one on this train!

Unbelievable.

Verdict: Love New York Today

Friday, November 12th, 2010

You know what sucks? Watching as a tiny mouse runs across your apartment, helpless to do anything but put out those lame sticky traps to catch it.

Verdict: Hate New York Today

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

Did you know that it snowed today in New York? I took this picture today on Park Avenue and 57th street, and the snow was amazing - pristine and perfectly white. OR, since it was in the 50s today, you can see the lengths film studios go to when filming! I have no idea what they were filming but I did see a sign saying that by walking by you consented to your image (and voice if you were talking!) being potentially used by Twentieth Century Fox. Let's hope I don't make a cameo in whatever it was.

Verdict: Love New York Today

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Ah, the joys of elevators in old buildings ("pre-war" as we call them, to make ourselves feel like we're part of history rather than just paying too much for dilapidated housing). In any case, these are not "smart" elevators. They go up and down in the order in which buttons are pressed. So when I get in on the first floor and push my floor button, if in the intervening thirty seconds or so someone in the basement has managed to push the button first, down I go, instead of up to my floor. It is one of those little things that most people don't typically have to deal with on a daily basis, and one of the "charms" of living in New York (well, at least in a "prewar" building).

Verdict: Minor, but repeatedly annoying, so Hate New York Today

Monday, November 8th, 2010

There are hundreds of reasons to love and hate New York cabs. Today we will focus on a positive: the mandatory credit card machines/screens now installed in every cab. As a person who never carries cash, these are a godsend. With a simple swish of your card, you're done. Cabbies don't get to complain about using credit cards anymore (and riders don't have to feel guilty) because they are everywhere and everyone uses them. Gone are the days when cabbies can claim "cash only, my machine is broken".

Verdict: Love New York Today

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory!

An honest admission: I was watching the Food Network recently and the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory got a shout out on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" - I think it may have been the dessert-specific episode. In any case I had never heard of this place and being an aficionado of all things ice cream, decided I needed to give it a try. They are famous for their butter pecan which was, in a word, amazing. The great thing about living in New York is that you can see something like this on TV and decide to head out and try it right away, on a whim (with a beautiful view of the Brooklyn Bridge as you eat).

Verdict: Love New York Today

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Wollman rink is up and running! I went for the first time last year and what an experience - so completely different than ice skating on an indoor rink. The ice was uneven, the skates were expensive, it was cold and it was amazing. I can't wait to go back again.

Verdict: Love New York Today

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

By far the best thing I bought when I moved to New York was a pair of wellies. They are absolutely essential in a city where walking is part of your daily routine. This year I upgraded to Hunter boots which I have to say are amazing. On a day like today - in which it has now essentially rained for 24 hours straight - I cannot emphasize enough how much I love my wellies or how much easier they make my life.

Verdict: Because of my wellies, Love New York Today

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

With the arrival of TiVo and DVR we can now zoom past commercials, which is excellent in and of itself. But in New York there is an added bonus: you don't have to watch the commercials for places that we don't have access to! Commercials for Sonic Drive In torment me -- where in the world is one close to Manhattan? (And don't forget that I don't have a car to get there.) I just saw a commercial for Dairy Queen - and while a Blizzard sounds fantastic, how would I get one now that my interest in piqued? Chick-fil-A, your waffle-fries tempt me (and no, that outpost on NYU doesn't count). Why don't we have these chains? And why are we tormented with their commercials?

Verdict: Hate New York Today

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

Yes, Halloween was this past weekend and yes, I failed to post on it, a fact I will now remedy.

On any given day I can't imagine what it is like to be a child in New York. This is heightened on a holiday like Halloween which, despite what adults have done to the day, remains in my mind as a child's holiday. Halloween means walking from house to house wearing costumes, knowing from year to year which houses give out the best candy and avoiding the ones that give out healthy snacks. It is the fun of ringing doorbells and admiring the entrances of houses other than your own.

I look at kids who have to trick-or-treat in New York and man, what a joke. There is no continuity or way of telling which apartments are the good ones because people move so much. There are no entrances to admire or new doorbells to ring because apartments all look the same when you can only peer in two feet and they all have the same doorbell ring as mandated by the management companies. How incredibly dreary to go from apartment to apartment and knock on doors (assuming that anyone signed up on the list to give out candy). And frankly, as fun as the big parade is for adults, it is 100% inappropriate for kids. So I'll say it: Halloween must really suck for kids in New York. I don't know if it is better or worse that they have no idea what they are missing.

Verdict: Hate New York Today