Turn It Up Loud, Captain! *

On Wednesday night, I braved the cold and the stroller people and saw the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade balloons being inflated. Here is Scooby-Doo waiting for his Scooby snacks:



On Thanksgiving I went to a very nice brunch. I even had a few bites of turkey bacon, which you know is a huge step away from vegetarianism for me; oh my God, it tasted good!

I saw the motion picture “Rent”. I must say, I much prefer the stage musical – it was a lot more powerful. (But, that might be because, when I saw it, Doogie Howser was one of the lead actors.)

I also continued my quest for decent Mexican food. (I was experiencing some serious cravings yesterday.) I tried a hole-in-the-wall called La Paloma. The search definitely continues … (BTW, you guys rock for giving me places to try. Of course, if one of your suggestions sucks, I will call you out on it. Just kidding. Sort of.)

I am happy to report that I have found an apartment of my own! It is a studio, in Hell’s Kitchen, in a fabulous high-rise building. The building has a 24/7 doorman and concierge, a gym, a sundeck, and a billiards room (boys, you are going down now!). There is also a café and drycleaners on the premises. I pick up my keys this week, and will slowly (or very slowly, depending on how long it takes my stuff to come from California) start moving in.

Finally, I know this is old news, but I had to comment on Lindsay Lohan absolutely slaughtering “Edge of Seventeen” on the American Music Awards. I was reminding of this atrocity when the kick-ass original came on my IPod while I was working out this morning. Just saying.

* A gold star to those who recognize that particular lyric, which really has nothing to do with anything, except that it is also on my IPod.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is 34 degrees right now. And it might snow tonight. And tomorrow. I’m just saying.

There are certain of you who love nothing more than telling me it is 80 degrees in L.A. and you’ve had to use your air conditioning. I’m not naming any names (Joe), but you know who you are. You suck. ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Pretty As A Picture

I thought I would share some pictures with you. Here is the view from my current apartment:



This is the view from the Top of the Rock:



(One of these views is a little more impressive than the other!)

Today I wandered around the south end of Central Park. It is so beautiful, as you can see:



And, on a totally random side note, one morning last week while I was on my way to work, this guy got on the bus and sat next to me. In his hand he had an advertisement he had ripped out of the newspaper. As I just couldn’t help myself, I glanced over to see what it was for. The opening of a new Target? A great sale at Best Buy? A new restaurant to try? No my friends, it was an ad for volunteers for a clinical study on bipolar disorder. Gotta love public transportation!

Hollaback

I am eating pizza from a place called Fat Sal’s. I have to say, this shit is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s. (That song sticks in your head, doesn’t it? he he he)

I have started apartment hunting, and apartment hunting in Manhattan is quite an experience. There is an episode of Friends where Ross is apartment hunting (Cathy, I know you know the episode!), and one of the places he looks at is a studio with a “bathroom/kitchen”. Not an exaggeration. These apartments are small - think Barbie Dream House. And once you find a place, the approval process is out of control. Thank God juvenile criminal records are sealed. (Just kidding.) I am starting to understand why a lot of people live in Brooklyn!

I have been here a week now, and I have never seen weather change so much on a daily basis. (I admit that I have never lived anywhere with actual “weather”. But I do think the meteorologists here really need the Doppler 7000. Unlike Dallas Raines.) Tonight it is raining, and tomorrow the temperature is going to drop like 20 degrees. Frozen B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Rock On

You will be relieved to know I found the Kiehl’s on the Upper West Side. I hope you didn’t lose too much sleep over that. ;-)

This weekend I took advantage of the nice weather (mid-60’s) and visited the Top of the Rock (http://www.topoftherocknyc.com). The Top of the Rock is the observation deck on the 70th floor of Rockefeller Center. The view was spectacular! I also visited the gigantic multi-level Banana Republic. Another winner!

On a side note, I saw “Pride and Prejudice” this weekend. A great movie, though the male characters had to wear the most unfortunate pants. Apparently there was no Banana Republic in town.

Today I started my new job. I rode the bus to work (2 buses, technically). After 2 ½ hours of orientation, I was presented with my safety backpack, chock full of emergency supplies. (One can never have enough astronaut food.) No free DVDs with this job, but it was pretty darn cool walking in the sunshine down 42nd Street at lunchtime.

The Search ...

… has begun for decent (dare I hope for good?) Mexican food in NYC. (A girl has to have goals.) FYI, my So Cal favorites are the taco stands (Roberto’s, Alberto’s, or any –berto variation), El Tarasco, and The Gardens of Taxco.

My first attempt was a place in Hell’s Kitchen called El Azteca. I was encouraged by the tacky décor and good salsa (not as good as El T, but good nonetheless). But, my hopes were soon dashed when my taco arrived in a pre-made taco shell. As in Ortega. As in the ones you can buy at the grocery store in packs of twelve. Some things can’t be forgiven. The search continues …

On another (somewhat amusing) front, if you know me, you know that I have no sense of direction. Zero. Nada. So, I spent some time today looking for the Kiehl’s store on the Upper West Side (which I never found), and a guy (who was clearly misguided) asked me of all people for directions to 6th Avenue. I think I pointed him in the right direction, though it is entirely possible he ended up in New Jersey.

Adios for now.

Jacket and Scarf Required

The high today is supposed to be 47 degrees. Um, yeah.

I am all moved into my short-term rental. It is a studio, not unlike a hotel room, in the area known as Hell’s Kitchen. Back in the day, Hell’s Kitchen was the home of the most badass criminals. Today, it is the home of many a Dunkin’ Donuts (including one in my building). My favorite story (so far) about why it is called Hell’s Kitchen is the story of a veteran police officer and his rookie partner watching a riot in the area and the rookie commenting, “this place is Hell itself”, and the veteran officer replying, “Hell’s a mild climate. This is Hell’s Kitchen.”

I took my first spin on the subway yesterday. (Actually, a few spins.) It is quite unlike my ultimate driving machine.

Today I am planning to brave the cold and head to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree (just delivered yesterday). I’ll be the one all bundled up with a Dunkin’ Donut in my hand.

Home ...

Welcome to my blog, where I will babble on endlessly about my move from Los Angeles to New York City, and all of my adventures as the new girl in town. Feel free to post a comment if you think I am being dull. Or, as is much more likely, particularly witty.

I am standing on the stairs, in the rain, waiting to board my Jet Blue flight to JFK. (Jet Blue, for those who haven’t flown it, is best known for its nationally televised landing gear malfunctions.) The Burbank airport doesn’t have jet ways like most airports, which is charmingly old school, yet annoyingly 818. The woman in front of me, who is also getting pelted by rain, turns to me and says, “I wonder what the weather will be like when we get home?” Home, as in Manhattan. A good omen, I hope.

In the next few days, I will have a crash course on living in Manhattan. My immediate goals are to (1) figure how to get to work on Monday, (2) learn how to ride the subway (no doubt essential to the achievement of goal #1), (3) calculate exactly how far I can walk in my new super-cute high-heeled boots (which just might happen if I don’t hit goal #2). I will keep you posted!

And now, some random song lyrics to end this post (lyrics that I know my boys will recognize, as I was singing them loudly in the U-Haul over the weekend):

Get down girl, go ahead, get down.

Later, alligators.