Small town after all

Hi Mom,

Manhattan is 23.7 square miles. New York City's population was 8,310,212 as of July 1, 2007. I don't think that includes tourists. Yet somehow, over the past week, I've managed to randomly run into four people I know in various parts of the city.

First it was a friend's roommate outside of my office building, then it was a girl I worked with at the Michigan Daily outside of an East Village concert venue, then a guy I met at my old roommate's birthday party and today a coworker at the entrance to Central Park.

It seems so unlikely. Then again, in the past I've seen my old philosophy professor jogging, Jordan Schwartz's mom in Chinatown and Aaron Singer at a hotel where I was covering a conference.

Big city, small town, I guess. Nothing like running into everyone from home at the grocery store. Or Costco. What a phenomenon.

Weather's nice, I'm going to go find a rooftop to enjoy it on. Have a good time at the concert.

Love,
Karen

P.S. You should check out www.pandora.com. It's one of my favorite websites. You type in the name of an artist you like and it creates an entire customized music channel just for you.

Cheesecake at 2 a.m.

Hi Mom,

They piled cheesecake boxes like pizzas on the long folding tables. The elbows flew fast and the forks even faster as people edged their way toward the slices. It wasn't that they were impolite, more like people were fighting for a spot at the Fairway deli counter with the distinct fear of a corned beef shortage.

Shavuot brings hoards of people out to the JCC to study all night long while eating more cheesecake than their stomachs could possibly handle. Some say we stay up all night studying because the day the Torah was given over the Jews overslept, so we compensate just in case.

I've tried this all-night tactic to catch flights, attend 9 a.m. classes, even to get to work on time. So for me it's a holiday that combines food, late-night learning, and a fear of tardiness. Sounds about right.

The Ten Commandments and the relationship between God and man are in this revelation-based holiday experience, too. Heard some great speakers elaborate on the theme, too many theories and too much to type here, but all interesting to think about.

Met up with a bunch of friends to eat hummus beforehand (it's a whole meal, even a trendy kind of thing to eat for dinner around here) and then we bounced from session to session. They run them about every hour and a half, with speakers from all across the community. There is also dancing, cooking, pretty much everything you could think of to do with an eight-hour middle of the night span.

It's my third year going. I'm always amazed by how many people there are, how many classes they run and how much you can learn just sitting around. Only in New York.

Love,
Karen

PS Blog-reading tip: Anything in blue is a link, you can click on it for more detail on whatever I'm talking about!

The great outdoors

Hi Mom,

Cell phone's fixed. Went to the crowded but useful Verizon store and stood in the queue for awhile. They deemed my phone appropriately defective and swapped it out on the spot (that's how you know it was REALLY defective). Lost my pictures and text messages and for the next bit will have to dial all the numbers on my bill to ask "who is this," but at least we're back in business.

The new phone allegedly is still getting its sea legs--Sam, who sits next to me at work, says it goes right to voicemail frequently without even ringing through. He was calling me rapid-fire yesterday as my co-workers and I dovetailed our way down to a community garden in Alphabet City for a post-work event.

We ate cookies in a treehouse down between C and D on 4th, where one of the editors has a plot she tends. She's growing basil, tomatoes, etc.; a few chickens roam the place and ate half of her box. All part of being part of an ecosystem, I guess.

Community gardens are a random phenomenon in the city. They're usually rather unexpected-looking spots amidst building-filled city blocks. When I was in journalism school several of them were in vehement land wars with local churches or other institutions that somehow way back (or not so way back) owned the land and had other ideas for its most appropriate use.

Alphabet City used to be a pretty rough part of town, mostly bodegas and squatters and such, but over time, the way locals tell it, residents cleaned the place up. Now there are trendy restaurants and off-beat bars, new apartment buildings and Saturday night crowds edging their way in from the East Village. Translation: land's worth a swanky sum.

It's a long way from there back to the subway, so Soojung and I met up for Cambodian food. Lucky for us, there's also a fabulous chocolate bar on the way back to help break up the walk. Guess I'll go to the gym today.

Love,

Karen

Sell phone!

Hi Mom,

Today my cell phone became a doorstop. It wouldn't turn on this morning, couldn't be charged, refuses to blink or beep. Inexplicable. I'm going to take it in during lunch, but if you can't find me for a bit, don't be worried.

I've always had adventures with cell phones, namely when David ran away with mine to Rome when it was supposed to be with me in Spain. Now I always wear pants with pockets when I travel. Or carry a purse. Because you never know what could happen or when your friend will jump a turnstile to catch a train you thought was later and leave the country with your only means of portable communication.

Some people--not me, usually--really actually want their phones to be dead sometimes. There were whole decades (I've been told) before cell phones, where being out of town, out of touch or just out of your house actually meant people had no idea where you were.

It was in those days permissible to pick up your messages whenever you returned, a window of time that has shortened significantly as evidenced by the fact that if two hours go by, message-leavers are likely to a) take offense and/or b) call back and ask why you haven't returned the call(s) yet.

But the world's probably safer, it's easier to stay in touch, and if you ever get a flat tire, much easier to call for help with a cell phone. Meanwhile, my door is very effectively propped open.

Love,
Karen

Feels like Monday

Hi Mom,

It's Tuesday, feels like Monday; luckily there are only three days left until the weekend. Saw this license plate yesterday--usually I think license plates that spell out words are a waste of money, but this one seemed somehow appropriate. People are so witty. Why not put it on the plate? Apparently lots of people do.

It was on a red car to boot. I used to drive a red Grand Prix. It was a great car, save for the fact it was a cop magnet. They aren't kidding about that last bit, though I, as a responsible driver, didn't wind up with that many tickets...

Around here I mostly walk past the cars. Just as well, given how many of them there are and how frustrating (see my earlier post) it can be to try and get somewhere in one. Not to mention parking. But that's another story altogether.

I'm debating getting a bike or roller blades to get around faster. They also mean traveling in an environment that smells better than the subway. Especially in the summer.

Remember when Ben and I used to ride bikes with his dad when we were little? Mine was named Lightning Bolt, his was Thunder. Or maybe it was the other way around.

Hope you had a good weekend. I spent mine hiking and wandering around in the mountains. I'll send pictures.

Love,
Karen

Ryan in apple-ville

Hi Mom,

All the way from Buffalo, New York, it's Ryan! He's here on a spontaneous jaunt from the fair town where the snow never stops. It has been awhile, but we picked the conversation back up where we left off, whenever we last left it. He finally ate at Chef's, my favorite Buffalo dining spot, but thought it was only so-so. Bet he didn't order the spaghetti marinara, or he'd think differently.

I didn't ask Ryan if I could write an entire entry about him, so I guess I'll keep it short. Or change the subject halfway through. This is like writing someone a postcard where you apologize for having so little space and take it all up saying just that.

My favorite Ryan memory is when we went to Morocco and hung out in the desert. Today we went to Cafe Grumpy, which keeps winning best coffee in different magazines around town. All I can say is I found it first. Well, maybe not first, but close enough for me.

The coffee in the desert was better, but it's an awfully long trip.

Love,
Karen

Square Times

Hi Mom,

They've put chairs in Times Square, and tables and a set of red-lit rafter-steps for people to sit on and look out at the crowds.

There's a new paved area with planters near Union Square too, where you can hang out right in the middle of the street without getting hit. It's hotly contested by people who have to get places on time. Reminds me of being in Barcelona and the main stretch there, Las Ramblas. Except on Las Ramblas they sell birds.

The cab drivers complain about the new seating arrangements because they interfere with the driving arrangement. Understandable. Nobody really wants to pay more money to get where they're going, much less sit in traffic watching people sip lattes where the extra lane used to be. It's one of the great jokes of New York City. Like garden dining, which usually means you're sitting in a small, cinderblock back-yard between two apartment buildings, or outdoor cafe dining, where the only thing between the quaint little restaurant and traffic is you.

In Europe it feels more natural, because the city seems to have been built around these cafe-laden plazas with lots of room to sprawl out, as opposed to having them forced upon an otherwise functional city system.

New York's its own kind of town, which is one of my favorite things about it. As the tourists descend upon it this summer (and hopefully Lindsay too, who comes with her students twice a year), hopefully we'll all make some kind of peace with the new umbrella culture. I'm going to rent a bike and try out the bike lane.

Love,
Karen

Still life in tinfoil

Hi Mom,

The boss's desk has been tinfoiled. Not by me, of course, but rather by someone from the office who was heading out of town on a grand adventure. Oh grand adventure, what was the last country I went to? My passport lies in wait in my desk drawer. It's in cahoots with my bank account.

Tinfoil. I'd have never thought of it, but it's not a bad way to say goodbye. Not very eco-friendly, though, given how many rolls it took. The "tinfoiler", as I will call him, spent a solid hour covering every mug, picture frame, and pencil with the stuff. I admired both his dedication to the cause and the precision with which he wrapped.

He is a very creative kind of guy. And he has thus answered the question: what would a desk covered completely in infoil look like?

We're all waiting for the boss to come in and see it. Given the nature of my workplace, it should be well-received. We're a fun-lovin' bunch around here.

Love,

Karen

Saturday

Hi Mom,

I have decided to become part of New York's fire escape culture. What that entails, more or less, is not just putting flowerpots outside my window but also sitting beside them. I haven't done any planting yet, but I'm thinking of trying out spices too. I heard someone is growing oregano on the roof. I was surprised to find out we could get up there. Or maybe we can't... technically.

I have enlisted my giant pink beach towel for this particular endeavor. Not the growing part, but the sitting part. 

A funny thing happens just down the way, in the squash courts next to the high school adjacent to my building. People play squash there, or handball, or some such New York City game, but constantly launch the balls over the wire-fence-topped cement barrier into our backyard. Hence I have a collection. The best part is that the guys down below always look equally surprised when the ball bounces into what now looks like a Chuck-E-Cheese ball pit. I'm thinking of collecting them for my friend who plays squash avidly.

Love,

Karen

Kicks

Hi Mom,

Found these shoes during lunch. They're pretty nifty looking, right? I thought briefly: I'd be the talk of the gym, the coolest kid on the streets, a real inspiration at work.

I decided to take a walk and think about whether I wanted to buy them or not. They're not the most practical pair, but they sure have the color scheme right. They'd match everything. I think they're Asics, I'll have to double check.

Must decide if I want them for walking, running, jogging. It's like being in the cereal aisle, the shampoo aisle, any other aisle that seems to have many options that are very similar. Do I have dry hair? Oily hair? Damaged hair? Aren't they all made of the same stuff? Do I like Cheerios or Team Cheerios or Frosted (the answer is frosted, I'm pretty sure).

Soojung's on a multiple-mile run today. Run, Soojung, run. I think that's what inspired me to shoe-shop. Not that I need a reason to shoe shop. Or maybe I have one. I can't just steal all of your shoes every time I come home.

Love,
Karen

Taxi!

Hi Mom,

Well, it's Friday already. Made it successfully (I think) through another glamorous week here in the city. Got rained on a bit, but I never much mind the rain. It just makes me feel like I'm in a movie.

Speaking of movies, I was headed to Times Square in a cab last night for an hour and twenty four minutes thanks to the confluence of events which included a) a movie being filmed b) construction and c) New York traffic.

There was less than one lane, and when I say less than one lane I am reminded of the time I tried to drive home for Thanksgiving and wound up sitting on Canal Street in front of the same McDonald's for over two hours. Where do all these people/cars/congestive situations come from?!

Told my cab driver how late I was running--big shock--and he told me that in 20 years of driving cabs, he has only seen it this bad three times. Great. I was only mildly inspired, but then he took pity on me and stopped the meter at 20 bucks. Nice guy. Love New York.

Love,
Karen

Music Man

Hi Mom,

Today was a beautiful day in New York City. I had Shake Shack for lunch, which entails waiting about an hour in a discouragingly time-sucking line akin only to the wait for the Peter Pan ride at Disney World.

It gets so frustrating they actually have a camera on their website so you can check your ETA before you go. But their chocolate shakes are killer, and the burgers aren't bad either, so it's worth it, especially when it's sunny out. Line's shorter when it rains.

Then tonight I saw the dress rehearsal of the Music Man, which I haven't seen since everyone I know was in the pit orchestra for it in high school. Music hasn't changed, and it still ends the same. My friend Ally was in it. I haven't seen community theater in a long time, but it's always (usually) a good time.

Sat next to a girl who used to work as a stage manager for a circus. She lived in a trailer for a couple of years with ten other people as part of the gig. Maybe I should become a trapeeze artist. After all, they do have a trapeeze school here...

Love,
Karen

Welcome

Hi Mom,

Happy Mother's Day! I'm starting a blog today just for you. The way it works is you go to the blog anytime you want and you'll get to read the latest from me. 

I'll try to update it every day (or a lot of days, every is hard, especially when I sometimes get a funny internet connection) and you'll be able to see what I'm up to. 

At first it'll just be text, but hopefully I'll be able to put up pictures and videos too in no time at all. 

It'll be like when I was little and I'd write you journals in the summer. Except this time, without my terrible handwriting. 

Love,

Karen

P.S. For your own safety, I'll still wait until I get back from things like jumping off mountains to mention them. You'll see pictures or something after. Maybe. :)