One Girl in the Big City

One of my dreams is to see my name in print in New York Magazine, preferably in byline form.   (Two years with my name on the advertising masthead do not count.)  This week, I am halfway there.     I was quoted in their annual Reasons to Love New York issue, after answering a call for submissions on nymag.com.  It’s one of the few reasons that is not also listed on their website, but you won’t hear me complaining.

On page 41, reason number 10 to love New York:  “Because sooner or later everybody comes to New York: every band, every friend, everybody I want to see.”

I could go on for ages with my reasons to love New York, but here are a few more reasons to love this city.

The eight-piece brass brand that plays in the concourse of the Union Square subway station.  (Have you seen these guys?  They are amazing.)  They remind me to slow down and listen to the music.

I look around on me on the subway and I see people reading newspapers in Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and Hebrew, and I marvel that we are all sitting next to each other peacefully.

Five dumplings for $1.25 on Elizabeth St in Chinatown, and lamb gyros at the Halal trucks in midtown.

Ethiopian food at Awash on E. 6th Street, and all the hawkers for the Indian restaurants on the same street.

I love the view of the Brooklyn Bridge, downtown, and the Statue of Liberty in the distance as I cross the Manhattan bridge on the subway.   It’s breathtaking, and I see it every day.

New York is really just one big small town.    Where else would you constantly run into friends on the street?

Hitting golf balls at the Chelsea Piers driving range.   The sun is setting over the Hudson, and the Statue of Liberty is quietly watching the harbor.

With three international airports, I can get a direct flight to anywhere.    Layovers are so provincial.

Be sure to check out New York Magazine’s Reasons to Love New York.    What are your Reasons to Love New York?

The following post originally appeared on Neighborbee on December 16, 2008.

Everyone, even our own Bruce Springsteen of Queens, is raving about Slumdog Millionaire. While I haven’t yet seen the movie, I do have something in common with the main character. Earlier this year I was a contestant on an episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and now I am going to tell you how you can get on the show too.

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Last night I took the B train back to Brooklyn.   Without any reading material or urge to write in my journal, I passed the time by looking around the car at my fellow passengers.   I noticed that the guy across from me was doing the same thing, except that he was committing his observations to paper.   My neighbors were completely oblivious as he drew their images into his notebook.  He wasn’t trying to hide what he was doing, but no other passengers were aware.   I watched him draw the two guys sitting next to me, and laughed to myself because they had no idea what was going on.    Was I the only person who was watching this show?

Then the artist saw me watching him draw, and turned his pen to me.  Unlike his previous subjects, I knew that I was being sketched.   I looked at the ads that lined the ceiling, at the people to his left and right, at the newspaper on the floor, all to keep myself from dissolving into a fit of the giggles.     A girl standing by the door saw him sketching me, and smiled at me as if to say, “Yeah, girl, it looks good.”

He finished the drawing just before the train pulled into my stop, which was coincidentally his as well.    He offered me the drawing, I accepted and thanked him.   As we exited the train he explained that he had spent the day teaching kids to draw faces.    We walked out of the station and went our separate ways into the rainy night.

The following post originally appeared on Neighborbee on December 8, 2008.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and it’s not just from Saturday night’s scenic snowfall. Holiday decorations are popping up all over the city’s most populous borough. If you’re feeling like you need a little Christmas, here’s where to go.

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The following post originally appeared on Neighborbee on December 1, 2008.

This winter, I am headed to the beach. Not the actual beach, unfortunately, because my wallet is a few Andrew Jacksons short of a plane ticket. Instead I’ll be heading to Park Slope’s newest watering hole, the beach-themed Cabana Bar.

Cabana Bar quietly opened a few weeks ago, just before its neighboring restaurant, Playa. Even on the chilliest of nights, the beach atmosphere at Cabana can just about make you forget that cold weather has arrived. The ceiling is all glass, giving the feeling of letting in the night sky while keeping out the cold. A faux palm tree shoots through the center table, dominating the room. A crashing wave mural graces the far wall, across from the tiki-thatched bar. All that’s missing is the sand, and the corniness that ruins other themed bars.

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The following post originally appeared on Neighborbee on November 24, 2008.

On yet another chilly afternoon, I ventured to the New York Transit Museum for my weekly dose of culture. The green globe at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street marks the subterranean entrance to the museum, housed in the now-defunct Court Street station.

Our first stop on the Transit Museum tour was Steel, Stone & Backbone: Building New York’s Subways 1900-1925. My friend and I marveled at images of the old City Hall station. With arches and intricate tile work, why can’t all our subway stations be that beautiful? (Maybe because the MTA has that pesky little budget shortage.) After perusing displays about Robert Moses, the evolution of rider currency, and the newly-renamed Triborough Bridge, we were ready to move to the hands-on exhibits.

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The following post originally appeared on Neighborbee on November 17, 2008.

It’s getting to be that time of year when we want to spend our weekends indoors, somewhere warm and dry. Since we can’t spend the entire winter in our apartments, museums in Brooklyn are a perfect antidote to cabin fever.

The Brooklyn Museum is a world-class museum that is literally in our backyard. While it may be the obvious choice for a post about museums in Brooklyn, I ask you this question: when was the last time you visited? For those of you who live outside of Brooklyn, it’s completely worth the short trip on the 2/3 train. (The subway stop is literally just outside the museum’s door.) To the Brooklynites among us, with an extensive permanent collection and special exhibits opening every month, the BMA begs another look.

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The following post originally appeared on Neighborbee on November 10, 2008.

Now that the election is over, we can get back to talking about the really important issue—food! In the month since I moved to Brooklyn, I’ve visited Flipsters twice, both times with friends who were big fans. It’s easy to see why this good-natured bar and grill in Park Slope become part of my friends’ restaurant repertoire.

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The following post originally appeared on Neighborbee on November 3, 2008.  I ended up making phone calls to Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, and Nevada, and all four states went blue.

We interrupt the usual Brooklyn coverage to bring you some important election information.  This is a historic election, and arguably the most important election of our lifetimes.   It is crucial that everyone votes on Tuesday, but there is more that you can do to turn the rest of the country a little bluer.  I spent time this weekend making phone calls at Obama’s New York headquarters, and I was surprised by how much fun it was.    The energy in the room is incredible–everyone is there to affect the outcome of this election.

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The following post originally appeared on Neighborbee on October 27, 2008.

When I was making plans with my friend Sarah this week, she sent me four Brooklyn restaurant choices, all with links and menus. Perhaps it’s because I looked at their website first, but Melt was the clear choice for our dinner date.

Situated in Park Slope just a few blocks away from the subways at the Atlantic Terminal, Melt was already winning points for being so conveniently located. For some reason I’d been expecting a bigger restaurant, possibly because their menu was so intriguing. The space was pleasantly small; with room enough for only about seventy people. With modern furniture and clean lines, Melt manages to be sleek and sophisticated without being pretentious.

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