New York Holidays

It's been almost six months since the last post.  There are many interesting topics I could have covered, and I kick myself - like the parks and birdwatching which will have to wait until spring now. Also the literary scene here in NY, the Wall Street protests, and more sightseeing.  The list is endless, really, and it has all taken the back burner for me because we've been too busy building the next chapter of our lives here, frankly. I started work at Sloan-Kettering, we moved to a larger apartment in Queens, and our son arrives next month.  The shock of us becoming parents I think is what has really caused me to stop blogging for awhile.  So as you can see, I have been way too preoccupied to blog about our transition from Aloha to the Big Apple.

My pregnant self standing in front of the infamous Rockefeller tree, the night after Obama and Justin Beeber lit the tree.

Grand Central Station morning of Thanksgiving.  Aren't places like this supposed to be deserted Thanksgiving morning, because people are spending time with their families?  Not so in The Big Apple.

You can see the overhang of Toys R Us, where mom and I found refuge from the crowds, and our obstructed view.  That was the catch to getting so close: no one reserved that spot for reason. 

In honor of little Matty.

On to the Big Apple.  Boy do I love New York during the holidays - and we still have two more in this season to experience.  It's actually cold, which is a stark contrast to the atmosphere we were standing in this time last year with 88 degree weather and felt snow.  This season kicked off Thanksgiving day with the Macy's Day parade, which I of course made it to.  So did my 5'2" mother, who was here to visit.  We were quite the sight: a short little woman trying to push through the crowds that had been there since 6am as if she had some special right, and myself waddling through behind her clearly only thinking about the donuts we'd be getting later.  New Yorkers take their spots for the parade seriously: as they should.  If I had sat with my butt on the cold pavement of 5th Avenue for four hours before the parade started just so I could see more than the people standing in front of me, I'd be possessive too.  Of course we didn't get through.  That's why these pictures taken from me holding my arm way in the air are what we have to show for it.  We also have the memories of all the dirty glares sent in mom's direction from people anchored to their spots like statues as she unsuccessfully tried to get through their chain.

Signs of Manhattan Life

I've been conducting my own little scavenger hunt since we've moved here.  I've been looking for specific signs of Manhattan life.  There is one item I have not gotten a picture of yet: a tall jewish elderly lady hitting people in the shins with her shopping cart.  Our broker promised us we would see this in the grocery store every time we go.  I've seen it, and experienced the shin beating, but there has been no opportunity to nab a picture.  So here is what else I have found:

Cabs, can't forget those.

Dog walker. They're all over the place, usually walking high pedigree dogs.

Exotic animals for small events.  It's a rage in Manhattan right now to have animals from other continents at your kids' school parade or party.  These were from a parade where there were just a bunch of kids in grammar school walking.  No floats, nothing else fancy except the camels.  Of course, the parade was on Central Park.

A patio garden.  A patio is the closest thing to a yard most people in NY will ever have.  So, naturally they make the most out of the space.  Herbs stacked on herbs.

Time for the street sweepers.  A few times a week the street sweepers come through and people have to move their cars to the other side of the street for a few hours.  They parallel park and then get back in the exact same formation on the other side of the street after the sweepers leave.

So I'll post more later, just as I've been writing this I've thought of more to add.  As many people know now, I've got a bun in the oven, so I've been distracted.  Also, the computer gives me motion sickness.  Hopefully that will go away here soon.

Swept Away in Times Square

Times Square

Times Sqaure

Jerry Orbach Theater Poster

"The Fantasticks" Playbill.  Inside, they noted that Ben Stiller is performing in "Playing House", to "a limited engagement."  I assume that to mean that they want us all to know that a privileged few get to watch Ben Stiller live, even though we are not part of the privileged few. 

Not everyone goes to Times Square to see a play or celebrate New Years. Robert works there, in one of the tall and important looking buildings. So people work there, or use it as a point of reference for the Subway.  Any time I want to go to the east side, I take the Subway to Times Square and 42nd St and then most places on the east side are in easy walking distance from there.

It is still the number one place to see theatre.  We went for the first time as New Yorkers last Saturday.  We were able to use our ever-shrinking military resources to score half price tickets, and for front row seats no less.  We went to the Jerry Orbach Theater and saw "The Fantasticks".  We were both struck by the modest size of the theater, seating maybe one hundred people.  The stage was at floor level, our feet were actually on it when we sat down.  Because of this, we got quite the intimate close-up of the production.  Maybe that's why I got swept up in the drama unfolding before us, as if the storyline parallels a true mystery of life, not just some writer's careless thoughts that he scribbled down after he drank too much.

"The Fantastics" is yet another story of two adolescents falling in love.  First of course they pledge themselves to one another in the innocence and ignorance of their youth.  Then life happens: in real life this might be people growing apart due to changing careers, personalities etc.  It's awfully boring but common and realistic.  In the play it was these two old guys popping out of a box at different times in the story like Dr. Seuss characters, only wearing torn long johns and having missing teeth like hillbillies.  They added to their ridiculous costumes whatever they needed to push each scene along, like feather headbands to stage an Indian attack, or a pirate cap for enticing the young man into partying on far off islands away from the girl.  They spent most of their time bumbling around the stage and making the audience laugh, but still managed to take the characters on separate escapades. In the end, their fantastic adventures always lead to one or both of the young lovers getting hurt.  The young man got beaten and robbed, and the young women had her precious jewels stolen and her heart broken.  In the end, the two lovers found each other again, only this time they were mangled and pathetic instead of young and virile. They mutually agreed that their new love was better than what they had when they were younger because it was less "hollow".

Amidst all the foolery of the play, as it was rich in humor, I did find myself looking for the moral of the story.  Then when we left the theater, and the spell of being in close proximity to the charade wore off, I chided myself.  How often are these things written by some guy who used to be a best-seller but is now too insane to come up with any real work of art?  Who knows if this was the case, but getting caught up in the moment of the drama before me is what I'm sure draws others to the theatre scene as well.

New Digs on the Upper West Side

We've had a blast checking out our new neighborhood.  We moved into a studio in the Upper West Side yesterday.  We're extremely happy with it.  See pics.  We're in love with the neighborhood. Our street is relatively quiet, but on the west end of it there is a giant park named "Riverside Park".  There is a biking trail through it that goes on for miles along the water.  The eastern end of our street leads to three major thoroughfares - Broadway, Amsterdam, and Columbus.  All our Manhattan necessities are there: subway, indie theatre, a billion restaurants and internet cafes, shops of both designer and knock-off, and street vendors.  Oh- and last but not least "grocery stores".

In reality the supermarkets are quick stops that have been crammed with groceries.  This was an adventure.  Outside they look quiet, picturesque, like they are on display for a travel magazine shoot.  Look at the rows of pretty flowers nestled in their bins, or the crisp ripe fruits stacked tall. What a color wheel. On the inside it is quite another story.  I slipped in to take a picture, and this was one of the more tame areas: see below.  I went grocery shopping twice because I could only pick up what I could carry home.  The first time I was trying to hurry and stay out of everybody's way.  I couldn't find many of the items I'm used to getting, and eventually I just gave up and got whatever I could grab and booked it out of there. The second time I went in, I decided I was a New Yorker and didn't give two bits about bumping into anybody.  I scanned the ails for things I thought we'd enjoy, and even took my time to visualize all the things I hadn't seen elsewhere.   I embraced the chaos of yelling and impatient shuffling around me.  There was always a store clerk pushing a heavy load on a trolly, shouting "watch your butts, I'm coming through!" I made myself stay in the overcrowded box of a grocery store until I had everything we needed.  After all, this is our life now.

Today it's 42 degrees outside so neither of us feel like going out, in some ways we're still Honolulians.  We'll have to make the adjustment sooner of later, especially when winter comes around.  We haven't seen snow in three years.  This will be a kick.  I can't wait!  I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.

Looking across the street from our window.

The eastern side of our street, going up.

Our building, plus the charming and handsome Robert.

Our living area.

Our kitchen, and the four foot tall loft above with our bed.

Outside the grocery store.

Produce section of the grocery store.

The first full day

Bobby posting for Emily

So below are some not too good pictures of the city.  It rained all day today, so not a ton of great pictures to choose from.  There is some big news- we found a furnished studio to live in a for a few months.  It is a loft apartment with full kitchen.  We will be in a great neighborhood on the Upper West Side.  The price...let us just say that I would kill for Hawaii prices at this point.  

Our first two dinners have not been so good- a below average Irish Pub and a way below average Indian restaurant.  At least there will be a few other options to choose from, maybe one or two.

Stay classy, NYC.

Bobby

Publish Post

Arriving in NYC, Our New Home.

From Aloha to the Big Apple

A month after leaving Honolulu, and subsequently visiting relatives on the east and west coasts, we arrived on Wall Street at 7:30pm last night.  We will be staying in a hotel in the financial district until we land a temporary abode.  Today is the exciting adventure of meeting a real estate agent and viewing a few possibilities.

Our temporary apartment:  it will probably be more like a bedroom with a kitchen and bathroom.  That’s why it’s temporary.  We’re going to stay in Manhattan until our furniture arrives, in 2-3 months, and then we’ll rent a much larger apartment in either Brooklyn or Queens.  So for now, we’re going to make the most out of finding a temporary furnished studio in the center of Manhattan.

We moved to New York so Robert could start his new career. He is a consultant at a hedge fund software company.  He starts April 18th.  After 7 years as a supply officer in the Navy, this is quite the change.  He is excited, this is the industry he has been aiming for and preparing for ever since he decided to leave the Navy.

Last night as I sat in our hotel room and looked our the window, I could see the beginning of our new life before us: lots of cement, entrances to the subway, endless street vendors for those on the go, and tons of people on the go.  That will be us.  Of course, we’ll also have lots of what we enjoyed so much in Honolulu: culture.  All around us there are people of a variety of ethnicities, all with different ways of doing the same activities of daily living.