Coming to a Close

Well, my time in my little room, and quite possibly, NYC is coming to a close soon. I wish I had been better at keeping up with this blog over the past 5 years, but I'm glad that at least in the first year, I posted rather often, because it's pretty interesting to look at back at photos and thoughts. Now that I'm dismantling my room in about two weeks, it's interesting to look back at the post from August 2010, where I felt like the line from the Talking Heads song was permanently stuck in my head ("MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?").

I don't think I posted many updates on how I ended up making the bare room that felt like a prison feel more like a cozy home that I am now sad to leave. I think in that original post I talked about pushing the bed into the center of the room so that it felt more like a hotel room and less like a dorm/prison. Well that lasted about a week, before I felt like I couldn't sleep well because I was "floating" in the center and not anchored to the wall. I think it's because it's a twin bed so it's too narrow to just put in the center of a room. So I ended up pushing it back to its original location, to the wall. Here's a quick summary of other things I gradually did to make the little room feel like home:

1. Bought a TV (after the first week...I realized it was too quiet without one)
2. Added about 5 different lamps to adjust the lighting for different situations (studying vs. lounging vs. winding down for bed)
3. Bought the couch (see May 2011 post)
4. Added blackout curtains using a tension rod, around June 2011 (what a lifesaver)
5. Added a mirror and shoe rack in the entrance (this was such a small addition, yet somehow it made a huge difference...the entrance looked cleaner and more organized)

That's it I guess. And that was all in the first year. And then after that, it was just time...time to sink in and get accustomed to a routine and feel like things are just right.

Well, five years is a good run and it's not like I would want to live here forever. For starters it would be nice to have more space and a real kitchen and a bed for grown ups. Still it's sad to leave especially knowing that my future is a bit uncertain at the moment. I'm just taking things about one month at a time.

Some random photos from the past few years:

Central Park, January 28, 2011

Brooklyn Botanic Garden, April 13, 2012

DUMBO, September 29, 2012

Chinatown, February 3, 2013

Coney Island, July 26, 2013

Park Slope, Brooklyn, November 3, 2013

Certainly there's not such a drastic change in seasons in L.A.! It's quite beautiful in the photographs, even if it's freezing for a couple months and sweltering hot for another couple months. More posts and photos to come...

NYC Summer Handbag Contents*

1. wallet
2. keys
3. iPhone
4. umbrella (because it rains all the time!)
5. small plastic bag to hold wet umbrella
6. magazine or book (because there is a lot of waiting around)
7. water bottle (absolutely critical in this heat)
8. insect repellent
9. Benadryl cream to treat swollen mosquito bites
10. Tylenol (in case of headache from heat exhaustion)

Optional items:

• sunglasses (because the sun is usually blocked by clouds or skyscrapers anyway)
• a snack (because you can always find something to eat anyway)
• camera (only if going somewhere worth taking photos that the iPhone can't do, such as night scenes)

 *Note: Only Numbers 7-10 are different from Winter Handbag Contents.

Before it gets too hot...or before it gets too cold

Two phrases I find myself saying in NYC, that I never said before.

Kind of obvious for everyone else, but not for this native SoCal girl. Sure it gets hot in the valleys. Sure it can get kind of cold some days in the winter. But it's rarely "too hot" or "too cold" to do something like it is here.

For example:

"Let's go jogging before it gets too hot/too cold."
"Let's rent bikes and bike Central Park before it gets too hot/too cold."
"Let's go to the beach before it gets too hot/too cold."

Too hot was this past weekend, when it was in the 90s and humid.
Too cold was probably around late November or so. For me personally, any time it's below 55.
There was one day in early December when I was out and about and forced to buy an expensive sweater from Brooklyn Industries because I was too cold and too far from home to go back to get a sweater. I think it was below 40 that day.

There's only a small window of time when the weather is perfect, and not even consistently so. Maybe about a month to a month and a half in the spring, and likewise for the fall. Except, interspersed in those days are crazy thunderstorms and days when the weather can't decide what season it wants to be.

It makes you appreciate those days that are sunny and 72, like today, that are most days in L.A. Yet I never noticed them in L.A. because it was such the norm.

I think I'll head to the park and lounge. Before it gets too hot.

The Kao Goes Island Hopping

The Kao has done little roaming in the past year. Unless you count going to the Galapagos Islands. And Taiwan. Okay that's a lot of roaming. A few pics to illustrate:

Swallow-tailed gull on Plaza Sur (South Plaza Island)

Galapagos Tortoise - Santa Cruz Island

Leon Dormido

Those are from the Galapagos Islands, which I went to in August. Hands down, the most amazing place I've visited in the world, and I have been (with all modesty here) all over the world. I appreciate it more and more the farther removed I am from it. When I was there, it was pretty cool, but the enormity of the experience didn't hit me until I left, first, landing in the familiarity that is Los Angeles smog and traffic, and then, diving into the concrete dirt world of New York City. I follow the Facebook page of the cruise ship I was on, just so I can reminisce with the new photos they post. Sure, they're all the same few scenes over and over again, but still amazing nonetheless. It reminds us of where we are in the larger world. Interesting how, the juxtaposition of living in on an overdeveloped island with visiting mostly untouched by humans islands can make me think this way.

Speaking if islands (I see a recurring theme in my life), I also visited Taiwan in March. I hadn't been there in 9 years. And it was my 7th trip there over the course of my life.

MRT station

how people traditionally buy produce

Bellavita department store

Oddly enough, although I'm glad Taiwan has achieved economic success over the years, I found myself somewhat nostalgic of the Taipei I remember in the 1980s - the one with swarms of people crowding the streets, crazy cab drivers, and the perpetual reek of sewage hanging in the air. Oh wait, kinda like NYC now! (Alright alright... it doesn't stink of sewage all over NYC...just in some parts). Taipei now is...eerily clean. The streets were...eerily empty, in some parts. Have they all taken to the underground metro? Or am I getting too big for my britches?

Aside from these two international trips, the Kao has been sequestered in NYC. I largely spend my time dividing it between Morningside Heights (aka, Asian Harlem) and Park Slope, Brooklyn, skipping all the stuff in between.

Honestly, it was too cold to do much else. If it wasn't cold, it was raining, or snowing, or there was a blizzard, or a hurricane, or something. Now that the weather is finally getting nicer, it's time to break out of the routine. After all, breaking a routine was the reason why I moved to NYC in the first place...

More later. I promise!

Superstorm Sandy

View from my window Monday night around 8 p.m. Flag shredded.

Tuesday morning around 10 a.m. "And the flag was still there..." Stars and a couple of stripes remain.

So I experienced my first hurricane. Though, technically it wasn't a hurricane anymore by the time it got to us. Was downgraded to "Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy." It was kind of strange because the severity of it didn't register to us until after the fact. I think in the days leading up to it, it didn't even seem like it'd be a big deal. "Oh it's just a Category 1" we thought. When they closed down all the subways at 7 p.m. Sunday night, we thought the government was overreacting. Well, turns out that they reacted appropriately.

Well, if I hadn't turned on the TV or had my eyes glued to the Internet and my Twitter feed the past four days, I probably wouldn't have understood the severity of it either. Luckily, my neighborhood was largely unscathed. It was one of those rare times that it was advantageous to live uptown. The rest of the city (not to mention neighboring states) didn't fare so well.

A rough timeline (including personal) of the past few days:

Saturday: The city was crowded with Halloween-party shoppers. Seemed to be little concern about the upcoming storm. There were rumors that the subway might close at 7 p.m. Sunday. I spent a quiet evening at home doing laundry (which turned out to be a fantastic idea). Went to store to pick up some fruit, bread, milk, and eggs (which also turned out to be a fantastic idea).

Sunday: Spent the whole day indoors. It was cloudy. Wind speeds were picking up. Got a message before noon that school would be closed Monday. Public schools would also be closed Monday. Subways closed at 7 p.m. Still a bunch of sitting around and waiting.

Monday: I woke up in the morning expecting it to be pouring rain. It wasn't. Some light rain off and on throughout the day. Winds picked up more and more as night fell. The flag (pictured above) whipped violently back and forth around the flag pole. Gradually I watched it deteriorate, starting with the edges fraying. Meanwhile, the local news made me feel anxious. Seemed like impending disaster was coming. I hard boiled my eggs. Cooked several dishes of food. Looked for my candles and got my flashlights ready. Filled up pots and pans with water. Made ice cubes and ice packs in case I needed to turn my fridge into a makeshift cooler. Sent several friends the number to my land line (yes, I have a land line). Sat and waited, all day. Then, from about 8-10 p.m. was the height of the storm. I kept the TV on and my eyes glued to the Twitter feed. Photos and videos kept popping up of flooding.

Things seemed calm in my 'hood. I don't know what I was expecting to see outside my window, but I didn't see anything. It was windy, but not the heaviest wind I've ever seen before. It was rainy, but not raining particularly heavy at all. I'm on the 15th floor of a narrow 18-story building. My building creaked and swayed along with the wind. Felt like a rolling earthquake. Or like being on a ship. The window rattled a few times and I worried about it smashing. I got a text from a friend who lives in the Village at 8:35 p.m. Power was out. Said he saw a flash of blue light then the power went out. A couple hours later, his water was out. Everything's fine here, I said. Lights flickered a couple times. But that was it. By 11 p.m. the winds seemed to have died down a bit.

Tuesday: No school, no work. Spent probably all day with my eyes glued to the internet. Got nothing productive done. Tiptoed out once to mail my absentee ballot for the presidential election (wanted to make sure it got there on time since there could be mail delays). Still had enough food. Tuesday night my friend wanted to go for a walk around the neighborhood. Aside from some businesses being closed, and a few fallen branches, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. People were out and about, inside restaurants and bars. Very different from the world 80 blocks south and lower.

Wednesday: It was partly cloudy. And the buses were back in service and running for free. Still no school, no work. We thought it'd be a good idea to ride it to at least 59th Street and explore. It was a bad idea. It was a mad house. Every bus that passed was jam packed with people. We were barely able to get on one. By the 60s I was feeling claustrophobic. My friend got a seat and asked me if I could see what the traffic was like. To put it in Angeleno terms, the traffic was like the 405 on a rainy Friday at 5 p.m. Like getting out of the Rose Bowl after a big game. Like getting out of the Greek Theater after a show. Car traffic in Manhattan can be bad, but it is never like the L.A. traffic situations I just described, especially not on the Upper West Side. Yet that was it. Still we persisted and by the time we got below 40th I got a seat too, so we decided to stay on for the "free bus tour." Traffic got a little lighter as the bus pulled into the ghost town that was 34th Street and below, basically, the blackout zone. There were pedestrians on the street, but all the stores were shuttered, including the pharmacies and banks. That was surreal. At the last stop (just at the upper end of the Village) we walked around and saw people pumping water out of basements and parking garages. We walked by the Hudson River but didn't see anything in particular. We got back on the bus which drove past the High Line and Tom Colicchio's restaurant, Colicchio and Sons. A passing thought - even the super ritzy places are shuttered, as much as the mom and pops. And any of them could be forced to close after this.

We made it back after being out for four and a half hours, most of which was either on the bus or waiting for it, and decided that we were physically exhausted from the journey and called it a night.

Thursday: The sun came out for the first time in a week. But only briefly. It was also back to school/work, though it was relatively uneventful. Subways finally opened with partial service. On the news I saw hundreds of people trying to get on "bus bridges" - free shuttle buses that took people from points in Brooklyn to Manhattan. The bridges were backed up with cars as police tried to enforce a three-person carpooling rule. Gas ran out at gas stations. I was glad I didn't have to be on a bus or a bridge.

...to be continued...

While on the bus ride yesterday, which took an hour and a half when normally it would've taken about half an hour on the Express subway to cover the same distance, I thought about how much this city depends on mass transit. How actually, mass transit has made this city what it is. All these people - we wouldn't be living here, working here, if the mass transit system wasn't what it was. We have built our lives around it. If I had to commute an hour and a half every day on a crowded bus, I'd either quit my job or move closer to my job. There's no way I would do it. If people had to drive across the bridge on a three-person carpool every day, a lot of people wouldn't do it. And this city would not even be a city.

Conversely, how different would L.A. be if there was a good mass transit system in place? Without the stress of driving, people would travel across neighborhoods and blend together more often and on a daily basis. Ethnic enclaves and social divides might change! And L.A. would be a very different city...

Because in NYC, you never know where the day will take you...(thoughts on clothes and shoes)

Well it's officially been over two years now since I moved to NYC. Crazy, as it doesn't seem like that long ago. And when I moved, and realized just how many clothes (I used to have a walk-in closet) and shoes (more than 50 pairs) I had, I swore I wasn't going to buy any more for awhile, except in "dire need." Well guess what, I decided "dire need" happened more frequently than expected. This has mostly come about because....in NYC, you never know where the day will take you.

I can't just throw an extra pair of shoes and a jacket in the backseat of my car and drive off. This is also in part because I live so far uptown that it is really inconvenient and a waste of time to go back home if I've forgotten something. Thus, I need to bring with me anything that I might need for the entire day - or evening, depending on where the day goes. And a means to carry those things, without looking like a bag lady.

Since moving here I've needed to purchase several critical items. Surprisingly, not coats, as I already had a peacoat, two car coats, a couple of trenches, and raincoats (why? I am not sure since I had no use of them in L.A.). Such critical items include:

• Large, stylish handbag - It needs to be large enough to hold all the basics, but also an umbrella, water bottle, an extra sweater, scarf, gloves (depending on time of year), reading material (because there is a lot of waiting around) yet is also stylish (not touristy or grandmotherly).
• Comfortable, versatile shoes - something you can trek all over the city in, yet keeps your feet warm and dry in the winter (like flat, waterproof boots), and cool and dry in the summer (am still searching for these), that is yet again, stylish.
• Puffer coat - OK, actually yes, I did buy a coat. It looks like a sleeping bag with a fuzzy hood. I held out for the first year, but it was such a miserable winter that I went ahead and bought one. Technically I could've survived last winter without one but I had bought it in preparation. It's hard to be stylish in one of these (they are inherently frumpy) but they are so warm! Necessary because putting on lots of layers, as I quickly learned, is a pain in the butt. Turns out that everywhere indoors is overheated, so the minute you step inside, you are sweating and want to remove your five layers. Sweaters are not even practical here. I found the best thing to do is to just wear regular lightweight clothing underneath a giant puffer coat, and just remove that one layer and put on that one layer. Convenient and efficient.
• Rain boots - People wear these for style in L.A., rather than function. Here you need them for both. I never owned rain boots before. But since it rains here every week, there really is a need.

So, then I thought I was all set. I didn't need to purchase any more clothing. And granted, yes, I love shopping (there, I admitted it), I recently identified a large "gap" in my wardrobe. In my previous life (i.e., L.A.) my wardrobe consisted of two extremes - lots of casual clothing like t-shirts and jeans; and lots of work/office-appropriate clothing like business casual blouses, slacks, and skirts. Neither of which serve good daily purpose here in my "new" life in NYC. I still mostly like to wear jeans so...yes I purchased two pairs of new jeans last fall. And this fall - I've been on the hunt for more blouses that are dressy, but not officey, that go for day to night easily (because you never know where the day takes you), that are short-sleeved in case it gets warm, while still easy to layer over in case it gets cold. And there, there was my new excuse to go shopping. Sigh.

There is also, the obvious reason for diversifying your wardrobe that I don't need to go into detail - there are seasons here. Yes, seasons! (People dress differently - and in different colors! - depending on the season! Shocking for this native Angeleno).

I like this "identifying gaps in my wardrobe" principle, because it prevents me from constantly buying the same thing over and over again. I think I've read in magazines that people have a tendency to buy the same things because they like those things, rather than thinking about what they might need to keep their wardrobe diverse. This has totally been true for me - I have probably about 30 skirts, 30 dresses, 30 pairs of pants, all of which I wear only about 10% of. More than half of which are currently hanging in the closet at my parents' house...in L.A.! This proves to me that I didn't need those clothes at all!

A friend told me right before I moved that I was probably going to buy all new clothes in NYC because there are different needs here, and she was right! I didn't know what those needs were until I got here...

You Know You're a Real New Yorker When...

The Gothamist posted this today, gathering their criteria from that one episode of How I Met Your Mother and from an NY1 commercial, while adding some of their own. I thought I'd put my comments alongside such criteria to determine whether I've become a real New Yorker yet...

• You've seen Woody Allen. [Note: or substitute whatever celebrity you see around your neighborhood.]
• I haven't seen anyone. But this was the case for me in L.A. too. I chalk it up to tunnel vision.
  
• You've stolen a cab from someone who needs it more than you do.
• Why, I never! I'm not aggressive enough to ever do this. Guess I'll never be a real New Yorker. (On a side note, I have rarely witnessed this actually happening)
  
• You've cried on the subway and not given a damn what anyone thinks.
• Guilty. For reasons I won't divulge.
  
• You've killed a cockroach with your bare hands.
• Ew. I'll never do that. Though I have accidentally stepped on a few.
• You don't pronounce Houston Street like the city in Texas.
• They teach you that on the first day!
  
• You don't stare when you spot a celebrity.
• I'm from L.A. Case closed.
  
• You never tell a cab driver where you're going until you're inside the cab.
• This seemed like common sense to me and I've always done that.
• When you've been here at least five years (weeds out the college dilettantes) combined with when you start talking about the thing that used to be on that corner three stores ago.
• Darn, I'm still a college dilettante.
  
• When you stop going out on Friday nights.
• So true.
  
• When you start going out on Monday nights.
• So true!
  
• When you stop giving money to homeless people.
• Never have. (Again, I'm from L.A. 'nuff said.)
  
• When you know better than to enter an empty subway car.
• Oh boy have I learned this one!
• When you know how to walk around tourists.
•  I think my many years walking about a large university campus taught me this.
• You just want SantaCon and the No Pants Ride to end already.
• Whoa, SantaCon?!? I never even heard of that before. Guess I'm not a real New Yorker. And while I've heard of No Pants Ride, I haven't actually been on the subway on No Pants Ride day...
  
• You can nap on the subway and play it cool when a rat scurries across your face.
• I thought this was a bit exaggerated until I clicked on the link and watched that video. *shudder*
  
• You don't even notice the pee smell in the subway system anymore.
• Still notice. Darn, guess I'm not a real New Yorker...

On Promptness

It may be just me, but I feel like New York is less forgiving of tardiness than L.A.

I noticed this during my first trip to NYC (almost two years ago!) when we got yelled at for being 30 minutes late for a dinner reservation. We told them we were going to be late...it was not a fancy restaurant, and it was a weeknight! Of course, in the beginning I had no sense of space or time and I was perpetually 20 minutes late to wherever I went. Later, I was 20 minutes early to everything. It took a few months but I got it down pretty well now. I know I can get to Times Square in just under half an hour on a weekday. I know I can get to Chelsea in 45 minutes on a weeknight. But once in awhile, especially on weekends, when train service is totally unpredictable (even the most recent episode of 30 Rock had Liz Lemon stuck on a train while the announcer said, "The train will now run express for no reason at all!"), it is hard to get the timing right.

I don't get it. Is it just me, or is blaming your tardiness on the train not a valid excuse? And why not?

In L.A. no one is on time. And you always blame traffic. Or lack of parking. And people shrug it off.

I dunno, I mean, I was always relatively prompt even in L.A. I knew how to account for traffic, for the most part. I mean, sure, you don't know on some days whether that trip from Santa Monica to Torrance is going to take you 20 minutes or 70 minutes. You could leave early to account for traffic and/or lack of parking. And even if you didn't, people were OK with it. Maybe it's because you really don't know when it will take 20 versus 70 minutes. Maybe because in NYC, you DO know that the train is going to be running out of whack on weekends, or past midnight. And you're expected to account for it. Or maybe New Yorkers are just more irritable and impatient. I dunno.

On Becoming a New Yorker

Recently, a friend from L.A. came to visit, and reminded me of all the things I've since become desensitized to. That is, things about New York that I no longer notice and no longer trouble me (I had no idea this was possible!) Well, really, there were two main things: overpriced food, and crowded spaces.

On overpriced food, I've come to not notice that $20 for a tofu rice bowl, or $9 for a sandwich is exorbitant. I've also come to not notice that shelling out $20 at the local corner store for a couple of snacks is ridiculous.

Also didn't think it was possible, but I'm also less sensitive to crowds. A little bumper bump or elbow brush is no longer a big deal. Pushing and shoving my way to get into a) a bar; b) a club; c) the train; d) the bus; e) the bathroom; f) the local corner store; has become totally normal!

Gone are the days of arm's-length (or car's-length) distance that is characteristic of L.A.

Some time about a month ago I was walking at a steady pace up Amsterdam Avenue after having just come out of a Duane Reade. My gaze was fixed on the ground in front of me, slightly ahead and to the right (as most New Yorkers are apt to do). Some poor older woman meekly cried out, "Excuse me..." and I didn't even bat an eyelash. Her cry for help didn't even slow my pace. I just kept walking! It was not conscious on my part! It only dawned on me two seconds later that perhaps someone needed help but by the time I cast my gaze over my shoulder she had already moved on. She didn't appear homeless or on crack, she genuinely seemed lost! At what point I became a callous New Yorker is beyond me.

Fall again:

It's like Taiwan weather

Right now it's a bit gloomy and dreary in NYC. According to my weather bug, it's "77 feels like 87" with 78% humidity. Days like these make me think of Taiwan--Taipei specifically. Funny how NYC can remind me more of a city outside of the country than another city inside the U.S. I suppose it's the weather. It's a metropolis. People everywhere. Sounds of traffic and horns. Smells of both food and garbage. Mugginess. Dreariness. (Actually in Taipei, there would be more people, more traffic, more smells, and more humidity. NYC is a desert ghost town in comparison!)

It's not as sad as I make it sound. Well, the lack of sun is a bit sad right now. But the humidity is otherwise not. I have positive associations with Taiwan, after all. I've technically only been to Taiwan six times in my life...the first time I was too young to remember and the last time was over seven years ago. I'm long overdue for another trip.

Never Forget

All week we've been bombarded by images in the media over the 10-year anniversary of that terrible day. I had watched a few minutes on TV a few days ago, nearly started sobbing, and changed the channel.

I wasn't in New York ten years ago. I didn't know anyone who perished, or even know anyone by second or third degrees. Yet I'll always remember where I was and what I was doing that day, and in the days and weeks that followed. I am still haunted by the images of the destruction, and they are just as upsetting to me now as they were 10 years ago.

Well, I could talk about mourning the lost lives, or even celebrating the heroic moments...the memorials, the dedications, and the reflections. But other people have got that covered.

Well, it's the reflections, or self-reflection that I think about.
I am trying not to be an ageist...but it's something like this that makes me realize that there is a collective experience that my younger friends experienced...differently, shall we say, than I did. In other words, I'm not sure what it would have been like for me to have been in the ninth grade on September 11, 2001. Ninth grade was...a long time ago. September 11 was not.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, at about 7:40 a.m. Pacific Time, I got in my car in Los Angeles,  with my ears glued to the news radio, and drove to work at a snail's pace along with everyone else on the 405. At that time, I worked in a tall-ish office building on Wilshire Boulevard, about half a block away from a Federal Building, which was surrounded by the National Guard. No one knew what was going on, and everyone was understandably freaking out. There's something to be said about working in an office building, and doing that every day, M-F, 8-5 grind, that made us relate to the futility of it all. It could happen to us, we thought at the time. What is the point of work?

Prior to that day, I had spent about a year of my life in a crappy relationship, living in a crappy apartment, and working at a dead-end job. For what?

The video clips of mass amounts of white paper floating around the smoldering towers were what I saw on TV a few days ago that nearly made me cry. I thought immediately, of what I thought back then...that at some point, those papers were really important to someone. Someone, or some group of people, worked really hard on those papers. And now, they burst into the sky in a complete disarray, never to be looked at or used again. How important were they now, compared to the human lives that were simultaneously being destroyed?

A week later, on September 18, 2001, I quit my job, moved out of my apartment, and dumped my boyfriend.

I was already going to do the first two, but being reminded of the evanescence of life prompted the latter.
I'm not saying it was easy. We are creatures of habit, and I especially have always been slow to make adjustments to improve my happiness and well-being. Life is short, as the cliche goes. And never was it more blatantly broadcast to us than on that day.

Of course, in the years that followed I managed to settle into uninspiring routines again, and it took until August 2010 before I made any more drastic changes to my life.

So here I am now, in NYC.

Obviously there are a lot of terrible things in this world that we cannot control. But of the things we can, why not? Since there's only one life to live, live it to its fullest, don't settle for less than happy, and do whatever you can to make this world better for everyone and everything in it.

26 days

My 26 days in Los Angeles (sans 5 days spent in Cabo) went by pretty quickly. This past Thursday was my one-year anniversary of moving to NYC. While I can't yet say anything definitive, some casual observations about which is better, L.A. or NYC, can still be made... (drumroll):

Transportation costs: In the past 26 days I put 900 miles on my car, spent nearly $100 on gasoline, another $21 on an oil change, and roughly $20 on parking. Not to mention wear and tear on my car. I even skimped on going through a car wash to save $15. In comparison? A one-month unlimited Metro card costs $104. NYC FTW. Now I'm thinking the cost of that Metro card isn't that bad after all.

Food: People rave about food in NYC but I have yet to discover any place that has truly amazed me. Sure, I have a couple of favorites already, but I am still struggling to find good Asian foods. Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean foods win in L.A. Other cuisines also win simply for the price. Not only is food in L.A. less expensive, it's also fresher and tastes better year round.

Weather: I think most people would say L.A. wins overall. But I actually found myself, several times, preferring the summer weather in NYC. Except for days of unbearable heat and humidity, I enjoy a pleasant 80 during the day and a pleasant 70 at night. It means I can wear tank tops and shorts all day without having to bring a sweater. Summer nights in L.A. are a bit too chilly for my tastes. However, 26 days and sunny every single day (nary a hurricane in sight)...I think it's a toss up.

Neither wins. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to heading back to NYC. Hopefully the recent hurricane hasn't been too disastrous. Was worried about my little 15th floor room. Am looking forward to lounging on my couch and watching TV (yes, I realize I can do that anywhere in the world, but, this one's my own personal space, for now).

Unlike one year ago, I'm not anxious or apprehensive. I won't feel all out of sorts. However I think I do still feel somewhat disjointed, disconnected. As if I'm split between two coasts. I want to be in both places at the same time. Or at least traverse between the two more frequently. Yet somehow the journey is incredibly long.

ONT to LGA tomorrow!

The Kao currently roams in Los Angeles.

"I miss you. I'm going back home to the West Coast."

So sings Jason Schwartzman on "West Coast."

Tomorrow I head back to L.A., so only natural that I take a moment to reflect. Three weeks shy of my one-year anniversary of moving to NYC. And haven't been back to the West coast since early January.

Unbelievable! I can't believe it's been one year. It's true when they say time seems to move faster when you get older, because yes, I find myself grappling over where my time went. Summer technically started on May 10th for me, and the weeks and months have since flown by. I definitely tried to make the most out my time, seeing and doing new things as much as possible.

Yesterday I took a nice long walk down "Cherry Walk" along the Hudson at sunset. It was only my second time there (the first was way back in the fall when the leaves had first started to change). Fitting, as I mark that moment as my first true NYC moment - that is, a moment when I felt really glad I moved, because I wouldn't have experienced it if I hadn't. With that said, moments:

• Cherry Walk along the Hudson River (October)
• Jeff Tweedy's solo show at the Bowery Ballroom (December)
• starting a dance party in the Amsterdam Restaurant lounge on the Friday before finals (May)
• biking around Governors Island (June)
• watching the setting sun cast an orange glow on Upper East Side buildings across the reservoir in Central Park (two days ago)
• Cherry Walk along the Hudson River (yesterday)

There's more to this list, but probably not more than I want to share publicly (sorry, readers).

I definitely still miss L.A. and long for weather that is neither too hot nor too cold. I'm also looking forward to not having to look where I step while walking, not smelling garbage, and not having to touch strangers (accidentally, of course).

Roughly two years ago around this time I looked up at the U.S. map I had tacked up on the cork board above my desk and I looked at Los Angeles and I gazed across the map to New York and thought, "How do I get from there, to there?" And you know what? I did it. And I'm glad I did.

Words & Phrases, a primer

A list of words/phrases I never heard or used before moving to NYC:

bridge and tunnel: refers to the people who live outside of Manhattan
e.g., I don't fraternize with the bridge and tunnel people.

brownstone: a type of material that characterizes certain buildings popular in New York, especially in Brooklyn neighborhoods
e.g., It sure would be nice to live in one of those brownstones.

stoop: a small, steep set of stairs leading up to a brownstone, where people can sit and talk like they did on 227.
e.g., I'd sit on my stoop every day if I lived in a brownstone.

to stay or to go: The two options you have when ordering food at a counter at a casual dining establishment.
e.g., "Can I have the chicken please?" "To stay or to go?" "For here...er, I mean to stay."

get/wait/stand on line: Same as get/wait/stand in line.
No example as this makes no sense.

dip your card: Somehow, machines in New York are never swipeable, so you "dip" your card...which implies a vertical plunge, but is also not the case. Indeed, it is more like a "insert and remove quickly" but perhaps they prefer "dip" for simplicity's sake and everyone seems to get it.

scratchiti: Exactly what you think it is.
e.g., Defacing public property is against the law! No graffiti or scratchiti!


A list of words/phrases I used in L.A. that became defunct after moving to NYC:
(no definitions necessary for my Angeleno readers)

dude: all-purpose term that still slips out once in awhile.
e.g., Dude, get out of my way! Dude, that's awesome!

The 405 (emphasis on "the")
e.g., It quickly became apparent that there would be no Carmageddon at the closure of the 405.

Sepulveda Pass (I don't miss this at all)
e.g., Ugh, Obama is in town, and it took me OVER AN HOUR to get through the Sepulveda Pass!

sig alert
e.g., Ugh, there's a sig alert on the Sepulveda Pass!

animal style
e.g., I'll have a double-double animal style, fries extra crispy, and a Neopolitan.

June Gloom (I don't miss this one either)
e.g., "Why is it so gloomy?" "It's June Gloom! We have this every year, don't you remember?" "Oh yeah."

Favorite Spots

There's something to be said about developing a "favorite spot." I think it means I've been here long enough to have developed a favorite spot. Favorites, while I have many of them all over my hometown of Los Angeles, have been slowly trickling in, in NYC. Another sign of passage of time, I suppose, is developing and associating memories, either happy or sad, to a spot.

My first favorite spot in NYC is Union Square. Cliche? Possibly. I mean, who doesn't like Union Square? It's a nice place to sit. It's easy to get to. (I might add that it's been months since I've needed to pull out my Streetwise Manhattan map to figure out where I'm going). (I might also add that I recently gave an older Korean lady who spoke no English directions from Union Square to Macy's...pretty good, eh?). There are also a lot of stores in Union Square. Like Filene's Basement, DSW, Nordstrom Rack, and not too far down the street, Trader Joe's Wine Shop. (Ahh, that's the real reason). If I'm hungry I can buy sushi from Whole Foods and sit upstairs in the expansive dining area and look out the window at the view. Even Filene's Basement (a discount store like Ross) has chairs set up to look out the window.

Union Square

view from Filene's Basement after a sudden rain

memories both happy and sad

NYC Moments

It's been a little over 10 months now since I moved to NYC and I feel like I'm no longer justified to call myself a newbie, even if I still feel somewhat lost in some neighborhoods.

One thing's for sure, I stopped counting the total number of days since I've been here.

Also? I bought plane tickets to go back to L.A. for my summer break and I haven't even counted the number of days until I go back. And it's not that I'm not excited to go back. There are a lot of things I need to do. See family and friends. Eat at my favorite restaurants. Go hiking. And drive, and drive, and drive.

The list of things I need to bring back to NYC is substantially shorter than the list I made right before xmas. It's like 5 items compared to 50.

I am actually going to be in L.A. long enough to cover 4 full weekends (every weekend in August). This is good as it will give me time to see more people. But somehow, I am actually concerned about the things I might miss out on in NYC while I'm gone. Can you believe it!

Part of the reason I'm getting more adjusted to living in NYC is probably the weather. (Okay, I promise to stop talking about this after today). But if it is warm and sunny out, and I don't need to bring a coat to go out, then I'm more likely to go out. I'm also more likely to walk from Point A to Point B instead of hiding underground, which forces me to see more things and see how the city streets connect. Manhattan is really small, after all.

Of course another reason is simply that I've settled in. Passage of time. I can officially say I love my room now. After the couch, then the black out curtains, and all my junk, of course, filled the room and made it "my own" (cheese, I know, I know).

So to the title of this post. Moments. They have been few and far between, but one of my rare NYC Moments happened on June 10, 2011. What's a moment, you say? That's when, in the middle of something, I suddenly feel elated to be in New York. And I think, this wouldn't have happened if I didn't move here. And I smile.

This one happened on a Free Bike Friday on Governors Island. Ferry to the island is free, the bike rental is free, and the feeling biking around the island with views of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and Brooklyn are amazing.

Long Overdue Post

I meant to post these pics long ago but have gotten sidetracked by all my various activities and preoccupations.

November 24, 2010

January 28, 2011

May 25, 2011

These were all taken from the same spot in Central Park. One thing that still continues to amaze me, even though it's obviously nothing new to most people, are the drastic changes in climate. This simply doesn't happen where I'm from!! It still boggles my mind that a place that can get so hot can also get so cold.

Proud owner of a brand-new couch!

It took all weekend, two long excursions to IKEA and back, lots of hemming and hawing, and I am now officially the proud owner of Hagalund!

This is the most expensive purchase on a piece of furniture I have ever made in my life. And that's just because I had always bought used furniture. It's OK right? I deserve it right? Now I have a place to lounge, watch TV, read a book, or have a guest (there's a pull-out sofa bed!). Besides, I will be using it for several years, and I can sell it when I'm done with it.

This is a tiring city after all. After a day of walking, I need a place to sit.  :D

Spring 2011

Not actually from Spring. From February, when everything was still cold, gray, and yellow.

And then suddenly it was spring!

Cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens (04.23.11)

April showers bring May flowers (now I finally understand what that means).

hello, tulips!

I never used to like tulips. At least not in a vase. But seeing tulips all over the city was very heartwarming. There are also green leaves on the trees now too! I've never been so amazed! It's like I've come from a foreign land and have no concept of things blooming!

I finally feel like I have some spare time for myself, and it's nice that it coincides with the weather finally getting better. People have been telling me that this was an unusual winter. I wouldn't have known the difference. In fact, I'm fully prepared to reach for my wool coat and boots at a moment's notice. I'm still not convinced that it is truly spring. (It still rains too much to my liking).

I think I mentioned in the last post that the cold winter made it challenging for me to enjoy New York. That may sound silly, but I really think that it was really part of the reason (the other parts include: school work getting in the way, and lack of money getting in the way). I'm truly a warm weather person, and even West L.A., where I lived the prior 15 years, was a bit too chilly for me (seriously!).

There was one particularly cold day in February, I was trekking back to my place from the Westside Market 9 blocks away with two bags full of groceries. I had about 5 layers on and my nose started running as it is apt to do in cold weather but I had no free hand to reach for tissues. It was so cold and I felt so miserable I was nearly in tears!

Granted I've learned to let go of some old habits and adjusted grocery shopping substantially. Gone are the days of "one-stop shopping" - I buy things in piecemeal from 4 different stores on a regular basis. And although I've learned which store is cheaper for which products, at times, convenience (or lack of inconvenience) prompts me to close my eyes, ignore the price stickers, and just buy what I need or want wherever I am.

It's little things like that.

Looking back on some of my posts from last fall is interesting. The things I observed about NYC, my unhealthy obsession with stuff (still ongoing), and the general feeling of not knowing where I'm going....well, I still don't know. Lots to explore and do this summer.

I'm so acutely aware of it being cold again soon (even though soon is not for another 6 months) that I'm trying to come up with a list of outdoorsy things to do. Time seems to be flying by. It seemed to me, without notice, the leaves changed, it became ridiculously cold, it snowed a lot, and then the flowers bloomed...it's truly a foreign concept to this SoCal girl but in some sense it makes me more aware of my day-to-day, and more aware of making sure I make the most out of my time. Perhaps the lack of drastic changes in SoCal weather makes one day blend into another, and one month, and one year, and so on, making us lose track of time. (thinking positive)

Well, I would say I'm off to enjoy the warm weather this Sunday afternoon, but unfortunately, it's raining right now.