Balls Out

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas! I certainly did, as I spent it with my favorite boys, who I shall call Bo and Luke.

The three of us spent the long weekend re-arranging furniture, drinking, sightseeing, drinking, eating, drinking, and playing pool. And, did I mention drinking?

My building has a deck on the 32nd floor with the most amazing view. Here is a picture of Luke and me on the deck:



Doesn’t it look like he is going to throw me over the side? (We’ve known each other for 18 years – he is probably tempted.)

And here are the Duke boys on the subway. And yes, Bo always looks that goofy. (coo-coo-coooooo!)



On Christmas, we got Dunkin Donuts (natch), opened presents and headed to Rockefeller Center to ice skate. Unfortunately, it was raining like crazy, and though other people were on the ice, we decided against it and set off instead to an Italian restaurant in HK, where we had an incredible dinner.

With New Year’s Eve around the corner, the city is packed with tourists. I am hoping to catch a glimpse of the Times Square ball before the big night. (The thought of standing in a herd for six hours, braving the elements and the porta-potties, isn’t exactly appealing.) Did you know that the original ball, which descended in 1907, was made of iron and wood and weighed 700 pounds? The current aluminum frame ball is covered with 504 Waterford crystal triangles, 90 rotating pyramid mirrors and 696 lights, and weighs 1,070 pounds. A little party conversation for you. Aren’t you glad you read my blog? ;-)

I wish you all a fantastic 2006, full of what matters the most in life, and that, of course, is love.

Re·al·i·ty: the quality or state of being real

I live in Manhattan.

This particular thought has gone through my head a lot over the last few days. Sometimes it is accompanied by feelings of wonder and joy, and sometimes it is accompanied by feelings of uh-oh. Fortunately, it is usually the former.

I did have an uh-oh moment yesterday. My belongings finally made it from Los Angeles, intact save for a few broken glasses. As I spent the day unpacking, reality set it. All of the sudden, I am not living out of a suitcase in someone else’s apartment. I am sleeping in my own bed and eating takeout off my own plates. (I have used the oven in my apartment exactly one time, and that one time, the fire alarm went off. I took that as a sign not to cook.)

It is interesting (well, maybe just to me) what items made me particularly giddy when I unpacked. My framed photograph of a Manhattan Beach lifeguard tower. My wooden pig I hang my keys on (my grandfather made it). And my shoes.

This is my first Christmas away from my family. I miss you all. (And yes, I mailed your presents.) Thank God two of my favorite people in the entire world are coming to visit. Ye-haw!

For those of you who have asked about the transit strike, basically, it sucks. I am lucky in that I can walk to work. Many of my co-workers are bridge and tunnel, and their commutes were not easy. People are definitely taking it in stride though. New Yorkers seem to be that way. Just like I am going to take it in stride that I have a closet full of fabulous shoes that I can’t wear until the mercury rises. Because, as it turns out, I am now a New Yorker.

O Christmas Tree

My awesome sister Renee and her family (hi kids!) sent me a baby Christmas tree to go with my baby apartment (thank you!). So I just had to show it off:



And, since we had a really clear (but freezing cold) day today, I wanted to share the view from my apartment. If I look to the left, I see the Hudson River and New Jersey:



If I look straight ahead, I see a behemoth of a condo building that is currently being built. (Not so pretty.) And if I look to the right, I see part of midtown (somewhere in the 50’s):

Gummy Bears

I sit here, on my air mattress, writing this from my new apartment – I spent my first night here last night. I really like my little studio, and I am digging the full-service building. Having a doorman to hold the door open for you. (Chivalry! Yes, I know that is his job, but still!) Having a concierge who can accept your endless deliveries. And an on-site café, with pretty good pizza, that delivers. Sweet.

I am anxious for my belongings to arrive. Not having a TV sucks. (Remember, this is a girl who worked for CBS for 5+ years.) Oh, and my bed would be nice! I did buy a couch, which is supposed to be delivered on Wednesday. At least then I will have a place to sit that is more than a foot off the ground.

On a side note, I have started eating gummy bears again. (A forbidden food for vegetarians, not because they are shaped like tiny little bears, but because of the gelatin.) And I noticed I actually have a process for doing so. I take a handful out of the bag, and I separate them by color. Then, I eat them by flavor preference, starting with my least favorite (green) to my most favorite (red). Wow, I hope my TV comes soon!

S to the Now.

As of today, I have been a resident of NYC for one month. And wouldn’t you know it, the first snowstorm of the season hit. Yeeeeeeeeeee! As I walked to the bus stop this morning, my only goal was to not slip and fall on my ass. (Again with the lofty goals!) We got about 5” of snow in total, and by lunchtime the sun was shining. So I went out and took some pictures, just for you.

Here is the Christmas tree and skating rink at Rockefeller Center:





And, this is Bryant Park, which is a beautiful park right across the street from my office:



(It has a temporary skating rink set up for the holidays.) I understand that in the summertime, the library (which is right next door) puts out books for people to read and there are weekly movie screenings. I learned these fabulous facts from an acquaintance I met for drinks last night. She and her husband moved to Manhattan from L.A. about four years ago. She gave me all kinds of great information, and she even recommended a Mexican restaurant. (She also told me it took her three years to find this place – that is some serious dedication to the cause.)

Everyone has been so great about introducing me to people they know in the city. And now I get to return the favor, as a friend has asked me to meet her friend who just moved here from L.A. As long as he shares the passion for good Mexican food, we will get along just fine.

Snow Alert

Last night we had a “snow alert”. It sounds a bit silly, but they take their snow very seriously here. I guess it is like L.A., where a few drops of rain inspire “storm watch”.

It did actually snow! The first snow was on Saturday night. After a very late dinner in the Meatpacking District, we stumbled (literally) out into a winter wonderland. It was really pretty.

A big storm was supposed to hit last night (hence the snow alert), but apparently it decided to pick on New Jersey instead. (Do you blame it?) And another storm is possible at the end of this week. My boss told me today that it never snows this early in the season. She is so lying to me – I think she is afraid I am going to flee.

I have been spending some time, measuring tape in hand, at my new pad trying to figure out how one goes about setting up a studio apartment. You’d think it would be easy, being only one room. You’d be surprised. I have also spent some quality time trying to find studio-size furniture. It is quite possible that the deliverymen from Crate and Barrel are going to be my new best friends. Despite the fact that my belongings are still en route, I will be moving in this weekend. It will be me, my air mattress, my laptop and my Sex and the City boxset for the next few weeks!

Tonight I saw the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Impressive. My Christmas tree this year will be slightly smaller.

The city is beautiful right now, with all of the holiday decorations and the (allegedly premature) snowfall. I wish you all could be here!