Keeping Cold

Most New York apartments don’t have central air conditioning. Most New York apartments use window AC units. Not what you would expect, right?  

It's certainly not what I expected when I first moved here. For some reason, I imagined EVERY apartment to be modern and cutting edge, to have the best and newest of everything. After all, it is New York. 

Newer apartments (usually pricey ones) do have central air, but most cute and charming (read between the lines... old) places don't. I guess I never considered the fact that many apartments were built before central air.  But, after living here, window AC units make sense. They're affordable and an easy fix. 

So, although Ben and I can't boast about the luxury of having central air, we can boast about having a true New York experience of living in old buildings and sweating through summers together.


Perspective, people, perspective.

The first and second pictures show what a typical window AC unit looks like.

The third and fourth pictures demonstrate the popularity of AC units in a typical apartment building in NYC.

Celebrity Sighting... Again

Amazingly, I saw yet another celebrity! Yes, another celebrity. Even I can't believe my luck these past couple of weeks.  

Yesterday, my girlfriend and I enjoyed a cup of gelato on a bench outside a little bakery on the Upper East Side. I noticed an attractive lady walking toward the bakery while we chatted.  She walked right in front of us and then into the bakery. It was Kelly Rutherford.  She plays Lily van der Woodsen on the hit TV show Gossip Girl.

I loved Gossip Girl for about two seasons, and I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that. The show was about rich high schoolers with crazy lives from the Upper East Side. It took place in New York so I had to watch it. It was my duty as a New Yorker.

I also watched Gossip Girl for research purposes. The show taught me cool places to take visitors when they stay with us. I equated watching Gossip Girl to taking a bus tour of the city or reading Zagat books. The show helped me become a better hostess and tour guide.

Riiiiight.

Anyway, here is Kelly Rutherford...

Skills

People always ask how and why I have seen so many celebrities in the city.  Two reasons... 1) I wander the streets during the weekday when a lot of them are filming or shopping, and 2) I have eagle eyes with which to spot them.

Celebrities go out when most people don't.  They hit the clubs and restaurants on off nights.  They shop during the week when most people are at work.  Most of them, surprising, don't really care to be noticed.  I learned all of this when unemployed with lots of free time on my hands.  I see it happening again now that I have the summer off from work.

I do pride myself on my ability to recognize someone from a distance or when dressed down as a "civilian".  One of my most impressive sightings was when I spotted John Slattery from across the street and about 1.5 blocks away.  What can I say?  I'm good.

Last week, I walked to the grocery store and passed the film set for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.  I've never watched the show, but I know many people love it.  I snapped a picture of the set with my iPhone and realized that I got a picture with one of the lead actors in it - Christopher Meloni who plays Detective Elliot Stabler.  He's the guy in the middle of the picture wearing a black sleeveless shirt and a gray tie talking on a cell phone.

Parked Cars

I have written over and over about how important space is in the city. How can it not be? There are so many people and cars and buildings crammed onto one small island. Below is another example of how New Yorkers work creatively with limited space.

A number of people drive into the city for work. They have to park somewhere, but parking garages are not that common and finding a spot on the street is difficult. Instead, New York has small parking lots where they use "lifts" to stack cars on top of each other to increase the number of cars that can be parked in one space.   

Below are two pictures of two different parking lots in the city that show how many cars they can fit into a small area.   

When The Stars Align

I just ran into the one celebrity who all girls my age wanted to be and all boys my age dreamed about when kids… Tiffani-Amber Thiessen!  She played one of the main characters on the hit TV show Saved By The Bell.  She was the one and only Kelly Kapowski. KELLY KAPOWSKI!

I was waiting for the light to change at 67^th and Broadway when I noticed a really tall, muscular man standing with a baby stroller across the street on the opposite corner.  He was so big that I knew he wasn’t just any regular guy, but I didn’t recognize him. I immediately looked for his wife who was standing next to him.  I couldn’t tell who she was because she was too far away, but I got the weird feeling that they weren’t just any normal couple.

The light changed and I weaseled through the crowd so that I would be within an arm’s length of them when we passed.  I realized who she was before even reaching her.  My body shook with excitement and I couldn’t mask the goofy smile on my face. It took complete self-control to not shout out the most famous cheer that she often led with Zach during the show…

B-B-B-B-B, B-B-B-B-B, Go Bayside!

Summer Fun

My life is pretty perfect.

First (and this reason alone makes everyone insanely jealous), I only work two days a week this summer. And, I hardly count it as two days because I only work two hours on one of those days.  Incredible, I know.

I knew people wouldn't like me because of my summer schedule, but I'm amazed at the number of people that really hate me.  At first, I felt bad.  I felt guilty for having so much free time.  But, I got over that and I don’t feel bad anymore.  I actually feel pretty AWESOME.

This is where I triumphantly pump my fists into the air.

People roll their eyes and scoff at my schedule, but I don't get offended.  They are just so consumed with envy that they can't help themselves. I can empathize.  I usually sigh and shake my head to show that I understand their predicament.  I offer advice and say, “Become a teacher.”  They then usually say something about not liking children.  Well, I can’t do anything about that.  So, I return to the morning paper, sip my pina colada, and enjoy my break.

I am traveling almost every weekend this summer.  I have the time to visit people that I normally would not get to see.  It also helps that they live in all of the right places- Cape Cod, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana. I plan to earn enough frequent flyer mile points to cover my trips for next summer. 

I have to give props to Ben. He is fantastic.  He encourages me to take trips to see friends even when he has to work.  He doesn't get mad when he can't get ahold of me at noon because I'm at the beach. He happily listens to stories about mid-day trips to the movies or lunch dates. He's the best. He's very supportive of my lifestyle.

Oops! It’s 11:30am.  I better get out of these pajamas and do something.  Then, I can say I did more than just write this blog post.

It's Getting Hot In Here

My husband was a good sport the other day.  He let me photograph him to practice and improve my skills.  Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Sorry, ladies, this stud is taken.

 

Supermodel

One of my girlfriends allowed me to practice my photography skills with her as my subject. I think she looks beautiful in this picture. We took about 50 pictures, but this one is my favorite.

Another Celebrity Sighting

I went to lunch with a group of girls several Wednesdays ago in NYC. We stopped by the Gap after lunch to peruse the sale racks.  As we chatted, Jen suddenly said, “Ooh, ooh!  I see a CELEBRITY!”

I instinctively reeled around and slipped into stalker mode.  A celebrity?  In my midst?  At the Gap? Jen described her in detail and I zoomed off to find her. 

Unfortunately (for me), I lost her in the dressing rooms.  I debated about checking under the stall doors, but thought that might be considered a felony. I don't need a rap sheet.  So, I halfheartedly retreated back to the group disappointed that I missed the celebrity.

But, don't think that I gave up quite yet. 

We hung out for a few extra minutes by the cash register and waited. We waited just long enough to catch a glimpse of her coming out of the dressing rooms.  We finally got to see her, and although I didn’t recognize her (What has happened to me?) I was happy to add another sighting to my list.

We saw Merritt Wever. She plays a character on the HBO show “Nurse Jackie.”  And, apparently, she appreciates a good sale at the Gap like the rest of us.

Preparedness

Next weekend, Ben will hike the mountain, Pikes Peak, in Colorado with two friends.  He’s slowly been gathering much needed items for his trip, including new top-of-the-line hiking boots.  The boots have gotten him pretty excited. 

About two weeks ago, Ben mentioned that he was beginning to feel anxious about climbing a mountain, especially since he had not done any physical activity to prepare for it.  He also had not yet broken in his new boots.  He then started to panic about possible blisters and not being shape.  He decided that he must practice for his journey IMMEDIATELY.

So, I slipped on flip-flops and he laced up his new boots.  We walked straight to Riverside Park and began a 20-block “hike” along the Hudson River.  I walked on the paved path and Ben marched his way through a well-manicured park. 

He stomped across asphalt.  He trudged though grass. Midway through our “hike”, Ben climbed and jumped off a rock.  He proudly stood up, stretched out his arms, and asked, “What do you think?”

“I think,” I said, “you are definitely ready for a mountain.”  

Nighttime in New Jersey

One night, during our stay at the farmhouse, we tried different settings on my camera in an attempt to achieve a movement effect. You can see our hair blurred a little bit in the first picture. We worked so hard (evident by the intense looks on our faces) to get it right. In the last picture, you can see Ben and Nathan walking.  

I like the background of the black tree line against the dark blue sky. I know that to get a good movement picture the shutter needs to stay open longer, but a belly full of BBQ and the dark made it hard to figure out. We did the best we could.

Barn Parts in New Jersey

Fourth of July

This past weekend a group of us rented a farmhouse in Princeton, NJ to celebrate the fourth of July and to, quite simply, get out of the city.  I know what you’re thinking… a farmhouse?  We laughed, too.  You can’t get much more city slicker than the four of us. 

But, the farmhouse offered some great perks not available to us in the city. 

One, it sat on a piece of grassy land surrounded by fields with no neighbors.  That’s a nonexistent concept in New York City.

Two, Bambi was all over the place!  There was a group of deer in the front or back yard every time we walked outside.  We’re not used to seeing such a lovely, non-disease carrying animal.  Rats and pigeons are the fauna we tend to see within our zip code. We don't "ooh" and "aah" when those cross our path.

Three, the back porch had two rocking chairs and a porch swing. Perfect for chewing on Twizzlers and watching the sun set.

Four, the farmhouse came with a huge outdoor grill where we concocted a delicious meal of hot dogs, burgers, and corn on the cob.  A grill is a rare find in the city. 

Five, we ate on an actual adult-sized kitchen table!  We liked the table so much that we spent the next three nights playing card games there. 

And, six, we got to drive a car around the town.  It’s so fun to drive when you never get the chance.

After this trip, we can think of ourselves as a pretty versatile group. We have gathered together in tiny NYC apartments, in an art-deco Miami hotel, in a cabin in the Catskills, and in a farmhouse in New Jersey.  What's next? Hmm... time will tell.

Newport, Rhode Island

One of the great things about New York is the accessibility to get places.  We can hop on a bus, subway, or train and be just about anywhere within a several hundred mile radius.  We can easily (and pretty cheaply) get to cities like Boston or Philadelphia, or to towns like Cape Cod and Princeton, or to beaches like Long Beach and those in the Hamptons.  Several weekends ago, we took the train to Newport, Rhode Island.

The main draw for tourists in Newport is the mansions.  We toured mansions built in the mid-late 1800s by various American tycoons and millionaires like, for example, the Vanderbilt family.  Walking though other people's homes was something that we knew we’d enjoy and appreciate thanks to years of watching HGTV’s shows “Flip This House” and “What’s My House Worth”.  

Checking out the mansions online still didn’t prepare us for their monstrousness.  The immense size and opulent style of the mansions were insane.  I-N-S-A-N-E. 

Houses were made entirely of marble, adorned with 24-karat gold leaf imprinted walls, decorated with bronze sculptures, and topped with artist commissioned painted ceilings and crystal chandeliers... exactly the kind of stuff you’d probably recognize in our one bedroom apartment.  Look closely to see that our miniature tub is pure porcelain and imported from Italy.  Little Italy, in NYC, that is!

After the mansions, we ate the best clam chowder at The Black Pearl and then walked downtown along the water and piers.  Check out a few of the pictures I took.  Notice how tiny the people are next to the huge Weeping Willow tree that was in the backyard of one of the mansions, and look how tiny we are next to the mansions.  

Summertime in the City

I spent Friday evening at a picnic with friends in Central Park.  We enjoyed awesome weather, good food, and great company - not an unusual combination with this group.

At 9pm, the park patrolmen kicked us out.  I then leisurely walked 25 blocks home to soak in the sights and sounds and (often peculiar) smells of the city.  A perfect ending to a perfect evening.

Here are some pictures from the evening.  Notice the city skyline in the background.  So awesome.