New York
Lady, he's putting my kids through college.
Saturday, January 21, at 09:50 AM
It's striking that New York has many more food carts
than Chicago. Some
folks speculate that it's because Chicago
has such stringent
plumbing requirements for mobile food
vendors.
Whatever the case, it's really cool to see the variety. Who doesn't want a dosa from a tempting cart?
The other day, Jonathan was telling me that New York restaurants also tend to move together through trends. The current trend, he said, is panini, which he suggested had reached the point of absurdity.
I thought he was exaggerating at first. But the other day, I walked by this place in Greenwich Village:
I'm glad to know that Indian folks are contributing to this trend.
Finally, while I haven't found really great Mexican food, I have learned not to trust even the most compelling hype:
Whatever the case, it's really cool to see the variety. Who doesn't want a dosa from a tempting cart?
The other day, Jonathan was telling me that New York restaurants also tend to move together through trends. The current trend, he said, is panini, which he suggested had reached the point of absurdity.
I thought he was exaggerating at first. But the other day, I walked by this place in Greenwich Village:
I'm glad to know that Indian folks are contributing to this trend.
Finally, while I haven't found really great Mexican food, I have learned not to trust even the most compelling hype:
|
A Warm Greeting
Tuesday, January 03, at 11:02 PM
Lest you get the impression that New York doesn't
have a soft side...
I finally broke down and bought a microwave on Monday. I went to CostCo, and bought the cheapest once they had. When I plugged it in, the microwave turned out to be quite charming-- well, for a microwave:
That's right, it invites me to "Have a Good Cooking Time."
But my friendly microwave became somewhat less friendly when I turned it on for the first time. It proceeded to short out the electrical outlet into which it was plugged. And all those around it, for that matter.
I finally broke down and bought a microwave on Monday. I went to CostCo, and bought the cheapest once they had. When I plugged it in, the microwave turned out to be quite charming-- well, for a microwave:
That's right, it invites me to "Have a Good Cooking Time."
But my friendly microwave became somewhat less friendly when I turned it on for the first time. It proceeded to short out the electrical outlet into which it was plugged. And all those around it, for that matter.
The Heat is On [but not the gas or the phone]
Thursday, December 08, at 11:23 PM
The movers
arrived today with my stuff. Despite the
Chicago purge, one mover asked me earnestly (in
somewhat broken English) whether I really thought
everything was going to fit. For a split
second, I imagined selling furniture on the street
today... But everything did fit, and all's
well. I spent the day alternating between
working and unpacking, with little interruption
(other than a menu for a local pizza place -- Lenny's
-- that was forcefully slipped under my door).
Later this afternoon, my neighbor Mario stopped in. He helped rehab the building, and while he's not the Super, he's helped me get my utilities connected (which has been an adventure in itself-- electricity just a few hours after I arrived, and heat and hot water yesterday). Mario's also been trying to figure out why my stove doesn't work, despite my gas being turned on. Today he told me that he's getting a plumber to come in and check out the gas line, but that my cooking situation's up in the air until they can figure out what the problem is.
And, as it turns out, that's why Mario slipped the pizza menu under my door today. He proceeded to give me other take-out advice, too.
[edit - here's a picture of what seems to be my new stove:
Later this afternoon, my neighbor Mario stopped in. He helped rehab the building, and while he's not the Super, he's helped me get my utilities connected (which has been an adventure in itself-- electricity just a few hours after I arrived, and heat and hot water yesterday). Mario's also been trying to figure out why my stove doesn't work, despite my gas being turned on. Today he told me that he's getting a plumber to come in and check out the gas line, but that my cooking situation's up in the air until they can figure out what the problem is.
And, as it turns out, that's why Mario slipped the pizza menu under my door today. He proceeded to give me other take-out advice, too.
[edit - here's a picture of what seems to be my new stove:
]
First Day in New York
Saturday, December 03, at 05:58 PM
I finally made it to New York-- pulling into my new
apartment in Brooklyn yesterday afternoon. My first
goal-- getting electricity-- only took a few (dark)
hours, and the help of the friendly folks at Judy's
Unisex (who apparently hold the keys to my building's
utility room).
Meanwhile, New York is lovely. I've always thought of it as a cutthroat kind of place, and admittedly, my first day kind of confirmed it. I spent the day out gathering fun household stuff-- which proved to be a six-hour experience. So far, the highlight of my first day was at the Atlantic Center Target here in Brooklyn. I know, I should know better than to visit Target on a Saturday afternoon in any city... But I wasn't thinking.
While shopping, I left my cart at the end of a crowded aisle (everything's crowded) to pick up a few things there. After all, I didn't want to crowd the aisle even more with my stuff. But when I came back to the cart (90 seconds later?), someone had apparently walked up to it, taken everything out of it-- around 12 items, including a mop!-- and kindly left my stuff on the floor. Then they took my cart.
That's right, someone stole my cart-- but not the stuff in it-- at Target. It's a good reminder never to leave a computer-- or a kid-- unattended around here.
Meanwhile, New York is lovely. I've always thought of it as a cutthroat kind of place, and admittedly, my first day kind of confirmed it. I spent the day out gathering fun household stuff-- which proved to be a six-hour experience. So far, the highlight of my first day was at the Atlantic Center Target here in Brooklyn. I know, I should know better than to visit Target on a Saturday afternoon in any city... But I wasn't thinking.
While shopping, I left my cart at the end of a crowded aisle (everything's crowded) to pick up a few things there. After all, I didn't want to crowd the aisle even more with my stuff. But when I came back to the cart (90 seconds later?), someone had apparently walked up to it, taken everything out of it-- around 12 items, including a mop!-- and kindly left my stuff on the floor. Then they took my cart.
That's right, someone stole my cart-- but not the stuff in it-- at Target. It's a good reminder never to leave a computer-- or a kid-- unattended around here.
Moving to New York
Sunday, October 30, at 01:52 PM
I've decided to move from Chicago to New York, where
I'll be starting a new job at the Brennan Center for Justice--
so what better time to start a blog? Perhaps I
can document some of the fun-- including trying
to find a studio apartment in Manhattan that's
comparably priced to my oversized (and
apparently underpriced) 2-bedroom in Chicago.
I'm sad to leave Chicago for other reasons-- I'll miss a lot of people here, and my present job-- but as long as I'm leaving, New York is an exciting place to end up, right?
I'm sad to leave Chicago for other reasons-- I'll miss a lot of people here, and my present job-- but as long as I'm leaving, New York is an exciting place to end up, right?