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.