Tag Archives: New York City

A tree grows in Brooklyn. Lots of them actually.

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“People in New York City suffer from allergies? REALLY?”

Yes, I’m here to tell you that we do.

Although non-New Yorkers might think of NYC as the Concrete Jungle, plenty of trees, grasses and other pollen producers do grow here – and well!

One source estimates that New York City has more than 5 million trees. We’re lucky to have such a green city, but yes, we sneeze a lot in season.

Lilacs in Williamsburg
Green
Linden blossoms
More lilacs
McCarren Park

I’ll deal with the pollen just fine once my favorite Linden trees bloom.

For more city greenery, check out Erin Boyle’s Instagrams

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My NYC To Do List – Item #13: take a cheese class

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I love cheese. Wouldn’t it be fun to know more about it? I think so.

In my opinion, the funkier the cheese, the better. I’m not sure there’s a cheese I wouldn’t try.

Via Murray’s

Here in the New York metropolitan area, there are cheese making classes. But I think I just want to eat it!

These are a few of the options I’m considering:

Related posts:

  • A delicious meal at Lucali
  • My NYC To Do List – Item #11: Tour Brooklyn Brewery

Mmm…Pizza

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I had dinner at Lucali the other night. It’s a special little restaurant in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

Lucali

Lucali serves pizza and calzones. That’s it. Take your pick.

lucali 2

Lucali is BYOB and cash only. Fortunately a member of our party brought a really enjoyable homemade red wine.

Lucali 3

 

For dessert, we had calzones filled with sweet ricotta, drizzled with nutella and dotted with sea salt.

Miami folks, Lucali recently opened a location there too.

Related posts:

The drive

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There’s a point on Route 46 East in New Jersey where you hit the top of a small hill and get your first glimpse of the New York City skyline.

NYC skyline

Every single time, I’m flooded with emotion.

I remember being a little girl and visiting my Aunt Mar in Parsippany with my mother and grandmother. Sometimes we’d leave her apartment and go into the city for a few hours or two stay the night.

Later, the view meant that I was returning home after a visit to my family in Scranton.

For ten years, while I lived in DC, I didn’t see that view very often. Which is probably why that glimpse of skyline still feels like a gift a year and a half after making my return.

The leaving made the return sweeter.

Related posts:

  • My new-old home
  • The old neighborhood, Greenwich Village

Do you Uber?

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I was late to the Uber party.

“I’m a New Yorker. A yellow cab is all I need!” I proclaimed loudly and often.

Except sometimes cabs are in short supply. Kind of often actually. There are a lot more people in NYC now than when I lived here the first time. With that in mind, I downloaded the Uber app so that the next time I couldn’t find a cab, I’d be prepared.

Via Uber.com

Sure enough, the time came to try Uber: I landed at JFK late on a recent Friday night after a long flight home from San Francisco. Sick with bronchitis, I couldn’t face a cab line. Continue reading →

Living in NYC: Has it been Disneyfied?

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There will always be complaints about New York City: that it’s too gritty, that is too cleaned up, something.

People who live in new condos on the Bowery – previously home to CBGB – complain about noise from area clubs.

Via therealdeal.com

Recently Martin Scorsese lamented that the neighborhood of his youth has been taken over by Whole Foods, towering skyscrapers, expensive hotels and the like.

On the other hand, consider this gem of a video shared by BensonhurstBean and Curbed showing what it was like to ride the subway in 1987.

Thanks to BensonhurstBean and Curbed for sharing the subway video.

I agree with Scorsese that homogeneity is lamentable, but really – is he going to move back to a studio in his old building on Elizabeth Street anytime soon?

Via urbanedgeny.com

I don’t think so.

Change is painful, but inevitable.

Other posts about life in NYC:

We Three

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“The napkins are polyester…”

“…so when you cry, the tears just get pushed around.”

“We were a mess…”

“…that’s probably why our lunch was comped.”

With Mom and me on either side of him at the table, Dad’s head swerved left, right, and back again. His wife and his daughter, talking about the lunch weeks earlier, at the same restaurant table, when they reluctantly considered the possibility of the future without him.

“But you’re here with us now.”

“We’re so happy.”

“Relieved.”

Mom and Dad

During our exchange, I watched hints of emotion flicker across Dad’s face. He seemed to enjoy being the center of our small family’s attention. But maybe I saw a trace of guilt too. Maybe. For making us worry? I don’t know.

Dad

We were together today. Nothing else mattered.

Related post:

Candace came to visit

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Having house guests in cities like New York can be challenging. I don’t have a guest room, and on weekends, I’m the laziest person alive.

But there are some friends I’m always happy to have visit. Candace is one of them. We had a lovely catch-up weekend and celebrated her acceptance to graduate school.

We ate bacon doughnuts – and lots of other things – at Traif.

Traif

Continue reading →

Living in NYC: Our Dirty Laundry

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Remember when I told you that I miss my garbage disposal most? I miss my washer/dryer too.

In New York, it’s a tremendous luxury to have a washer/dryer in your apartment. Even paying $1 million to buy an apartment doesn’t mean you’ll have that amenity. In fact, the building might not even have a laundry room!

Here’s one example: Continue reading →

Things I love about NYC: Ricky’s

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When I lived in DC, I forgot about Ricky’s.

Via plaztikmag.com

My bad. Ricky’s is awesome.

Sock buns for everyone
Curling irons
A whole section for flat irons
All manners of body tape and things to cover nipples
So much shapewear, not just Spanx
Every shade of hair dye

Picture a supermarket but filled only with beauty items. I inevitably go there for one thing and leave with, like, seven.

This time I stood in confused awe by the styling wands. Ricky’s had such a range of options that I realized I needed to do some research before committing.

Paralysis by analysis.

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