Look Both Ways. Twice!

Seattle is the home of the J-walking ticket.  Believe it or not the cops in Seattle have so little to do that they will cite you walking against the light or not in a designated crosswalk.  So its just funny as hell to me when someone comes to visit from Seattle and I see them standing at the crosswalk in downtown Manhattan waiting for the light like a bullwhipped puppy. 

You see, New Yorkers don't wait for anything.  If they see a break, a hole, or crack they'll slip right through it.  Where we are all going in such a hurry I haven't quite figured it out completely.  Personally I've always walked too fast (talked to loud, laughed too much... more on that in another post) so this feels just right to me. I suppose it has something to do with transportation.  Its all on a time schedule and so are we.  You are always running to catch a subway that you don't even know if its there.

When you do decide to dart out into the street through that break in the traffic you definitely want to look both ways, regardless of the fact that almost every single street in NYC is a one-way.  Not because some crazy cabbie may be screaming in reverse.  No, they are actually the least of your worries.  The closest I've come to getting run down in the street was not by something yellow with four wheels.  It was by a darkly dressed creature whose body resembled the narrow tubular frame he rode with two wheels. 

Cyclists; they are the most dangerous things on the road. They will come flying at top speeds of 30 mph going the wrong way on a one-way street through an intersection without so much as a flinch much less a pause.  And when they nearly mow you down they yell obscenities at YOU!

This kind of crazy, balls-out intensity has been glamourized before in movies like the Japanese film "Messengers" and "Quicksilver" the 1986 cheeseball flick staring everyone's favorite drinking game host, Kevin Bacon.  But the most realistic one is the soon to be released "Empire".  It's all NY and it's all cyclists.  Set in the classic Warren Miller fashion of jammin' music and edgy footage.

Watch this 4 minutes and 22 seconds of "Empire" and for godsakes look both ways when you cross the street. Twice!

Good Night Good Kitty

She was the smallest. The runt. Not surprising really, her mother's name was Itty Bitty. She was one of a legacy that came from a farm on the Okanagan river. Saul, Meyer, Veronica, just to name a few of her relatives throughout the land. Even her name had a legacy; she was named for my Grandmother, the street my parents live on, a song from a band MDHK once played in, my favorite movie and a snowboard apparel company my college BF once owned. She was Little Betty Kitty, Betty Blue, or "the girlfriend" to My Darling Husband Kent. You couldn't help but love all 6 lbs. of her. Even when she was being eerily human in her sometimes manipulative female ways.

We had some optimistic ideas about bringing our 'girls', Betty and Veronica (my grandfather's name is Vince, but Veronica turned out to be a female, so we went with an Archie theme) out to New York with us. They'd lived for 12 years in a house, with a cat door. Free access to the world, and occasionally free access for raccoons to our world. But once we saw our apartment in Manhattan it became painfully obvious that this would not be in the best interest of anyone, particularly 'the girls'. Never mind the flight out here in a carrier.

After many close calls and unsuccessful attempts to find suitable homes in Seattle we resigned ourselves to the fact that these cats were going with us. Then like an absolute angel from beyond my wildest dreams my friend Dana's co-worker Kelsey showed up the night before MDHK's departure. I'd met Kelsey before and was aware of her kind, competent, resourceful nature. What I didn't know was that she lived in house with 4 other women in our neighborhood and they were looking to adopt and/or foster a couple of cats. "Are you frickin' kidding me?!!!". I could feel my heart soar. I threw Veronica in Kelsey's arms to charm her immediately.

A house meeting of the roommates was called. A vote was taken. The word was in; "Yes"! 'The girls' would go live with the girls.

Kelsey sent adorable photos via her phone as updates to relieve our worried and guilty minds. Betty seduced and Veronica charmed. All was good. Until Kelsey sent word that Betty was loosing a lot of weight despite the excessive feedings and they were going to take her in. I called the Vet, gave them my credit card and asked that they do whatever tests or x-rays necessary.

You can probably guess where this is going. After a round of antibiotics her white blood cell count was still triple what it should be. An x-ray showed what was most likely a cancerous growth in her stomach. She continued to loose weight and eventual most of her faculties.

Kelsey and her roommate Britta kept her near and us comforted but it was time. Time to celebrate what Betty had brought to us, what she would leave behind and just how much she was loved. As childless parents of two cats it was near impossible to make this decision from so far away, but it was time. Time to stop placing these human constraints on Betty's animal destiny. In Seattle"The Girls" had a dinner with friends that knew Betty and shared stories of her cuteness. In New York I laid on the couch until 3 a.m. alone in my grief and guilt crying until I could feel her pass through me on her way to kitty heaven. She was a good kitty. She had a good life.

Good night good kitty.

The Real Deal

Whether you're a native or newbie to a city sometimes you have to do touristy things just to cross them off the list and legitimately be able to say "been there, did that" the next time someone suggests it. I'm not talking about going up in the Space Needle or visiting the Statue of Liberty. Those are rites of passage. No, I'm talking about the $100 brunch at Pastise (yes, we made that mistake already) or going to a luau in Waikiki, Hawaii (I grew up in Hawaii so I'm exempt from that one). You know the kind of thing that makes you wonder which end of the horse you must hast have fallen off and how hard did you hit your head when you landed. Because if you were in your right mind you would not have done this voluntarily. Right?

However there are the things you do because they are just so damn real that not only will you do them once but you'd go back by yourself and do it again alone. They capture the essence of why you are there. Such as buying fresh seafood from the only saltwater tables in Pike Place Market at Jack's Fish Spot, stopping at a Stuckey's to buy floaty pens on Route 66, or throwing coins in the Trevi Fountain in Rome because John H. Secondari told us so (and you thought it had more to do with Clifton Webb, didn't you?).


Katz Deli is one of those places for me. It reminds of what is so amazing about living in New York. It is a hold-out on a street of hold-outs, such as Yonah Schimmel's Knishery, a block from what can only be referred to as the corner of "here and now" its so hip.(Ludlow and Rivington). It's also, if you didn't already know, the location of the famous fake orgasm scene with Meg Ryan & Billy Crystal in "When Harry Met Sally". And one of those places that you might wonder why you pay to be so abruptly treated. But the moment you look up into the eyes of man who will soon make you the most amazing thing on a plate and say "I'll have a pastrami reuben on rye with a side of mixed pickles" and he puts in front of you a small deli plate with a sample of the meat you are about to eat, there becomes no question in your mind why you love this place. It is without a doubt a very real experience, of true quality and culture that cannot be duplicated. In fact it is The Real Deal.

Picture perfect; pastrami reuben on rye, side of mixed pickles and a Dr. Brown's Root Beer

A Day Nothing Like That One 8 Years Ago

Every person I know from the generation before mine can tell you where they were when they heard that Kennedy had been shot. For our generation it will be the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001. Where I was is fairly insignificant (vainly at the gym on my way to a 6:30 a.m. class). What I did all day, even less significant (motionless under a blanket on the couch staring at the TV). What is significant is realizing at someone else's expense just how fragile life is.

At the time I worked for a company that was a vendor to Royal Caribbean cruise lines. As a result I went on 6 cruises in one year. Not all its cracked up to be, trust me. After the third you are ready to get off that boat! We had worked very hard to roll out a branded concept on Royal Caribbeans newest ship and it was scheduled for delivery in New York Harbor on November 7th, 2001. Two months after the 9/11 attacks. They hadn't let a passenger ship into the harbor since then and it wasn't certain that we would allowed in either.

Not only did we get approval to bring this enormous ship into Manhattan we were the first passenger ship allowed in since 9/11 so we were accompanied by helicopters, fire boats, police boats and met at the dock by Mayor Giuliani himself. This would have been enough for me but what happened that night was more intense than anything I've ever experienced. It makes me cry every time I talk about it.

Since we had sailed from Boston with just crew members the ship was essentially empty. So Royal Caribbean made arrangements with the city of New York to host an overnight sail for surviving family members, fire fighters and police officers. The ship was alive with excitement, laughter and these devastated people all dressed up having a wonderful time. Possibly their first in nearly 60 days. But then we sailed past Ground Zero, the bright lights filling the sky. The entire ship of nearly 2,000 passengers became silent. Then the sound of names being called out; "Johnny I love you", "Kelly I miss you", "I'm still here Roger".

It felt like the silence would never end, but it did. By the end of the night the ship had completely run dry of Boddingtons and Bass Ales, Irish folk songs were being sung, children ran freely, women kicked off their heels and danced. It was like a huge family reunion, minus 2,000 absentees.

Eight years later here I am, living in the city that no one will forget what happened to it. On a daily basis there is no sign of the tragedy that happened less than a decade ago. But once a year it remembers just as we all should remember. Where were you? How will you remember?

My Most Perfect NYC Weekend So Far!

Of course everyone has a different formula for their perfect weekend. For some it's all about culinary adventures or shopping 'til you drop. Maybe yours is nothing more than doing nothing. For me its about balance, quality and having a good plan, which could also be interpreted as, I am a multi-tasking control freak. Can you imagine what my perfect weekend looks like? The past 3 days have culminated in what I would have to classify as "My Most Perfect NYC Weekend So Far!".

We are on the cusp of having 2.5 months of house guests. I'm not sure if that was the impetus for our no-holds-barred super fun backed weekend of togetherness but I'm glad it went down the way it did. The next time someone asks me "what should we do in New York" (which to me is a really stupid question - what is there not to do here?! It's New York for god sakes) I will share with them this:

Friday: Raining. Theatre, pizza, cupcakes in West Village

MDHK had spent most of Thursday night pouring over the Fringe Theatre Fest schedule and decided on "666" at Minetta Lane Theatre, while I had just learned of a sinful indulgence just down the street that boasted cupcake and wine/beer pairings, at Sweet Revenge (see a theme?). We took this opportunity to eat dessert first before having the best Italian thin crust brick oven Naples style pizza outside of Via Tribunali in Seattle (which used to be our Friday date night ritual) at Numero 28 on Carmine Street. Basically Carmine street is a hotbed of foodie fun.

Saturday: Overcast, dry, breezy. Space, museums, Harlem, Gold Coast shopping, interactive wine bars, Chinese Take-Out in East Village

MDHK is a major science geek. It's part of his charm which is why I wanted to do something that he would love. This involved a trip to 81st and Central Park West, a.k.a. The American Natural History Museum and Hayden Planetarium for the Journey to the Stars movie which was really cool. But movies make me sleepy and museums make me hungry. The night before we had talked about going to Harlem one day to explore and since we were a quick subway ride away we grabbed a strong well crafted Americano at Joe and headed up to 116th St in search of hole-in-the-wall ethnic cuisine. Lowe's Caribbean Restaurant fit all of the criteria; small, not impeccable, friendly, authentic, gritty, delicious and cheap (I highly recommend the curry chicken, collard greens & rice). Which is what makes our next stop a strange juxtaposition; Columbus Circle/Gold Coast to shop for new shoes at Camper for MDHK. Well, shopping makes me thirsty so wine was in order at Clo interactive wine bar in the Time Warner building on Columbus Circle. So much fun you can't have just one! At 9:30 p.m. I declared this day almost over. It had been a full day and there were only 2 things left I needed to complete the picture: take-out from Plump Dumpling (the most delicate steamed bundles of love) and a little home town entertainment from SNL while on the couch with MDHK. Not very glam but exactly what I wanted and exactly what I got!

Sunday: Sunny, breezy, Coffee & New York Times at the Oval fountain, Brooklyn Flea, Brooklyn Bridge crossing

Really do I need to say any more? I think you get the picture perfect idea of this day. I'll leave a little to your imagination and to your own interpretation the next time you find yourself in The Big Apple.

The Agony and The Irony

Enough of the swan song blogs about our poetic story book move across the country. I'm not as Polly Anna'ish as all that. Let's be honest about what it's like to move to New York at the begining of the summer. This summer in particular. June was the wettest month on record for New York. It rained every day except five. Fine by me. What did I care, I was leaving for my annual vacation to Lake Chelan, WA on July 15 for a week and then to spend another week in Seattle where they were experiencing the dryest summer on record. As it turned out also the hottest. On July 28 it reached a record breaking 104 in Seattle and I was there in all of its un-airconditioned glory to experience it. What was I thinking?


Back in New York they finally hit their stride with summer. 90+ degrees with almost equal amounts of humidity. At least everything (except the subway tunnels) is air conditioned here. But besides hide out in their apartments what do people do to cool off here? Though we're on an island you can't go swimming in any of the surrounding water for fear of growing a third eyeball. And only small children look cute running through the spray fountains in the parks, not 40+ year old women who are crazed with heat.

So to proove to you that I'm not completely stupid with glee in my newly adopted home of Manhattan I give you the top 8 things I could really live without. I only came up with 8 because there are so many things I love here that I just couldn't make it to 10.
1. The F'ed up way my hair looks every day thanks to the humidity
2. Humidity; duh! Sometimes it is as high as the temperature.
3. No A/C in the Subway stations; Our NPR station here, WNYC, did a story on how unbearablely hot it gets by taking a thermometer down there. One station reached 106 degrees.
4. Being surrounded by water you can't swim in. Even the NYPD take lethal amounts of antibiotics before they suit up in airtight suits when they have to get in the Hudson.
5. Radio stations here suck! Really, for a city that has so much live music and culture it is amazing how many people listen to radio stations from other cities. In partiular our favorite from Seattle KEXP. Thank god for real time live streaming over the internet, and that it airs on a local station a few hours a day.
6. Critters; its just a way of life here and I'm getting better about it. As a matter of fact I can now trick myself into thinking that rats are just squirrels with a shaved tail. But then that leaves the issue with squirrels. They are rats with fluffy tails. So I guess I'm freaked out either way.
7. Apples; for being known as the Big Apple their apple selection leaves something to be desired. I know this sounds petty but lets be honest - I am coming from The Apple State where varieties like the Honey Crisp could make your whole day just by letting the juice run down you chin as you bite into it.
8. Brunch; this is going to end up being a blog post all it's own eventually. I don't 'do' brunch. As my friend Dawn likes to remind me, I once said "Don't make me wait in line for a f*&%ing egg!". Brunch in NYC is big. There's an entire culture around it that involves people willingly waiting in line for an hour or more just to eat breakfast. Places like Prune boast a 2 hour wait. Guess who'll you won't see in line there....I'm at David's Bagels getting a pumpernickel with tofu chive cream cheese and nova lox in 4 minutes.

Human Nature

I'm well aware that it's human nature to look for patterns in life. We create patterns as a result that support infrastructure. But I also think that its just a way for the mind to soothe the soul by looking for things that are familiar

Our house in Seattle had a large old hydrangea bush next to the driveway. Each year the blooms would bring a mellow blue happiness to many dining room tables. We would share the bursts of color with family, friends and strangers that happen to walk by and comment on its color.

When we got married I was an ambitious 29 year old on a budget so our wedding had a very homespun feel to it. It was a croquet party themed affair that took place in the gazebo at Meridian park just a few blocks from our house in the Seattle neighborhood of Wallingford. We figured croquet would give people something to do after the 16 minute ceremony, it would take the pressure off me to wear a big white dress, and give everyone the excuse to buy a new hat (my favorite accessory).

In an attempt to save money I made our wedding invitations using dried, pressed hydrangeas which we had also planned to use to decorate the food table at the wedding. That old hydrangea bush was part of our wedding and continued to be part of our marriage over the next 13 years. As you can imagine it was one of the things I hated to leave when we sold our house and moved to an apartment in New York. Where would I find my mellow blue happiness in the city?

Our apartment in New York is in Stuyvesant Town which feels a lot like living in a park or on a college campus. It's very well maintained with lots of greenery and a big fountain in the center of the complex called the Oval. Within the first week of moving in it happened! All of the beds outside of the buildings were exploding with mellow blue happiness. There were hundreds of hydrangea bushes all over our apartment complex. To me it was yet another indication that what we had done was the right thing. A sign that things were going to continue to be great here in our new home. Of course when I told MDHK about it I expected him to give me an education on soil composite but he didn't. Instead he said:

"It must be a sign".