Archive for the 'New York' Category

16
Jun

I Don’t Have A Penny But I’ll Show You A Good Time

By Dan 0 Comments
Categories: New York

So until January 2010, I really need to buckle down and try my darndest to not blindly blow my money like I kind of have been doing for the past year. Last night was the perfect example of me being a good boy and not spending a ridiculous amount.

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My friend Jamie ventured into the city in order for us to have a fun little night out in order to commemorate her turning 26 this past week. The night started with my go-to inexpensive classy dinner destination, Room Service (Note: Their website for some reason still only acknowledges the Chelsea location despite the HK location being open for a few months now). It is an very good Thai place, but the truly alluring aspect of it is that it looks super classy and hip and not tacky and cheap looking like so many Thai places in Hell’s Kitchen. You walk in and think you’ll have to spend well over $20 per person but they have several meals starting at just $9!! I have been there 3 times in the past two weeks and it’s getting kind of ridiculous… and considering that I think I have a few dates coming up, I think they will be seeing some more of me.

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Jamie and I were then supposed to head to the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre in hopes of catching Amy Poehler in action for FREE — yep Sunday night 9pm shows are free. We still had 2 hours until the show started and thought it would be a good idea to kill some time at Cafe Grumpy down in Chelsea. Apparently arriving at 8pm wouldn’t cut it from the looks of the line. I thought there would be no way we would get in, but today I spoke to someone who said they arrived at 8pm and they were able to get in and saw Amy, Rashida Jones, Rob Huebel among several other comedians. Soooo disappointing for us!

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While standing there deciding what to do instead, I had the fun idea that we should go walk along the brand new High Line park since it was one of the first days since it had opened that it had not rained. I did some quick research and found out that it spanned from 20th Street to Ganesvoort Street, and since we were coming from uptown we hoped get in at 20th, but we were told by a park attendant that we had to enter at Ganesvoort. We were both DYING for a restroom from that coffee. I nearly had a panic attack hearing this since I am not very familiar with that part of the city and thought anything with a name for a street would be all the way down in no man’s land Battery Park for all I knew. We took what I like to call the CityLine which is just walking the entire length of the High Line underneath the above-ground train track with scenic views of run down gas stations and the most opulent Equinox I think I’ve ever seen.

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As for the High Line itself, it is pretty awesome. I would’ve never imagined such a thing in this city and it’s cool that someone thought to make it. Since it’s still new, it is fairly crowded which makes some of the narrower sections of the High Line hard to navigate. It’s definitely a fun place to stroll, take some pictures, and lounge. My least favorite part would be that the restroom doors were locked when we were there, ahhhh. I would love to see the city do something as creative with the new pedestrian area in Times Square which right now looks like a mess.

And with this lengthy post, I leave you with the video for Little Boots‘ latest single “New in Town” which I think is probably the best track from her debut album Hands. Enjoy!


13
Nov

I Love This Place Enough To Have No Doubts

By Dan 0 Comments
Categories: New York and Television

Oh, by the way, I’m a reality television star.

Last week I was sitting around holed up in my apartment and I texted little Mikey something to the effect of “I’m bored, help.” Surprisingly, my text was not ignored, and I was actually graced not only with a response but with a PLAN. He informed me that I’d be joining him and his boyfriend at a gallery opening and that I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

I hoofed it down to the Lower East Side and met Mikey outside this mess of I line. There were people with clipboards and camera equipment and I was like, “Oh lordy, I don’t know if I can do this.” Mike explained that from what he heard some sort of MTV show reality show was filming and my first thought was, “Real World Brooklyn…? Let’s leave.” We then found out:

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BAM! Now we’re talking. Without Tivo I have not really been able to sit through full episodes of The Hills anymore since I can’t justify all those commercials and blank stares and chewing without a fast forward button. For those not in the know, Whitney Port of The Hills is getting her own spin-off called The City based in… you guessed it: New York City. She never really played any role in the original series other than a tool for exposition but she at least seemed to be the least brainless (except that I’m convinced Lauren is secretly smart but that she plays down her intelligence because, like, that’s what girls are supposed to do, duh).

ANYWAYS, we had to sign waivers, take pictures, and were led into this very crowded studio with a pretty awesome DJ and FREE open bar (HELLO!). The art was cool, I met the artist, whatever blah blah blah. He said something like “Yeah, I don’t know what these cameras are all about, I don’t really pay attention to any of that MTV stuff.” Ok, yeah I know, you’re so alternative, I get it.

Whitney eventually showed up with this weird bedazzled headband thing worn around her forehead with some other girl who I recognize from the show but have no idea what her name is. She talked to some ~important people~. I’m sure Mike, Richard, and myself were in the background of at least some of her conversations but who knows. The three of us were definitely not cool enough for the party. I was “day look” J Crew-ed out from head to toe and feeling particularly heinous that day anyway, so we didn’t stay long and ended up having an incredible and CHEAP meal at Cooper 35. They had an amazing drink selection all for $4. UNHEARD of. I had a decent mojito served in huge pint glass.
I’m not sure when exactly I’ll make my reality television debut, but we’ll see what happens.

11
Nov

And It Always Happens Like That

By Dan 0 Comments
Categories: New York

So today I had a lunch meeting at the Four Seasons restaurant without realizing I was going to be eating there.

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Apparently I was missing the jacket necessary to dine at the fine establishment. The maitre d’ gave me one. Embarrassing. …but I was there before the other guests, I guess that counts for something? Luckily I was dressed properly otherwise?
I went home to look up their website and found this:

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…which I’m sure they put there so you don’t feel as stupid when you go home after eating there to check the dress code after having to borrow a sport jacket.

01
Sep

You Would Leave at the End of the Summer

By Dan 0 Comments
Categories: Boston and New York

So I am no longer a resident of Boston, Massachusetts. My usual packing method for any trip or vacation is to wait until the very last minute. This would be no different. Movers were supposed to arrive at 9am (but they came at 8), so I decided that midnight would be a good time to actually start packing boxes… after goodbye drinks with some friends of course. As a result, I pulled the very last all-nighter in that apartment which was a very appropriate way to spend it all things considered. Miraculously the movers were able to fit everything out of the door.

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After grabbing a bite to eat at the delicious B.Good, I took a two our nap on the floor of the apartment using the sole couch pillow I forgot to pack. It then took a few hours to get everything that remained into my car and to clean up the joint a bit. The strangest thing had to be the echoes of an empty apartment. I eventually arrived at my parents’ house in New Jersey close to midnight. What a day.

My apartment wasn’t the only place I would bid adieu to this week. Spending Labor Day down at my parents’ beach house is the usual plan at the end of every summer, and this year was no different. The beach house is currently up for sale, and if all goes according to plan this is likely the last weekend I’ll be enjoying here, and we’ll have a new place next year. I wouldn’t say that I am super attached to the house since we’ve only had it for about six years now… but it’s definitely been a great summer getaway all those years. Growing up, my regular house was never the place my friends and I would convene, but the beach house was definitely a change to that as I would frequently have people over for weekends at a time.

beach

Anyways, this weekend was spent getting the shit beaten out of me by the waves, scavenging for food since my parents decided to make some meals that, to put nicely, don’t agree with my palate, getting a bracelet made for me by my twelve year old cousin (I got to pick the colors, which became one of those very important unimportant decisions that take me a half hour to make), go bike riding for the first time since I don’t even know when with my other cousin, and finish a book that I started months ago. Very nice overall.

So tomorrow morning, after growing up in various boroughs, going to high school in Manhattan, and living there for a summer while interning, I will become a bona fide New Yorker when I pick up my keys from the building management without any sort of end of internship, beginning of a semester, or graduation dictating when it is time to leave and move on.

Lastly, while summer is known for typically more upbeat music, if I had to choose my Debbie Downer tune of the season this year it would have to be “The Stakes Were Raised” by Slow Runner. I fell in love with the album and song a few months ago, but this one song in particular has been growing on me more and more as it becomes permanent favorite.

20
Aug

Did You Think I’d Lay Down And Die

By Dan 0 Comments
Categories: Boston and New York

So thirty days since you’ve last heard from me. An explanation is appropriate. Let’s break it down.

The Week Before the Bar Exam: I powered through the sore throat that appeared to possibly be strep throat, but when you’re studying for the bar you don’t have time for silly doctors so you just do what you gotta do. The baristas at the Boylston and Mass Ave Starbucks in Boston became very familiar faces as I was taking over a table there for 7-10 hrs at a time. I had the opportunity to try a ton of things on the menu that I never tried, and I got to say despite being a little medicine-y I am kind of a fan of the new Vivanos.

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Jacob Javits and His Center: So the Sunday before the exam, I stuffed every article of clothing into my car (and life has been very Jewel-esque since then, with me going out to the car to find an outfit in the morning), made a pitstop at my parents’ place in New Jersey for the night, and then stayed at my grandparents’ place in Brooklyn for the week of the exam. The night before the exam I went to sleep that night thinking I stood no chance of actually passing. The next morning, when my train to the exam idled on the Manhattan Bridge for 20 minutes, I thought, “You know what… this was meant to be, the train knows I shouldn’t even bother showing up.” Of course I was being dramatic and was still on time anyway. The essay portion was kind of like throwing a bunch of legal shit at the wall and hoping something sticks. The NY Multiple Choice was a nightmare. The Multi-State Multiple Choice was not as bad as I think everyone else painted it out to be. I think the delicious Chipotle burrito I had during the lunch break of the second day had all the answers to the afternoon session in it. I don’t find out my results until November, and I’m not making any promises.

Gradge Partay: After college EVERYONE had a graduation party, it was kind of fun but also kind of annoying. I decided sit back and not have one back then. Now, attending a graduation party instead of a wedding would be a novelty for my friends, so my brother and I decided we’d have a joint graduation party since he happened to (miraculously) graduate college this year as well. It was a blast and fun to see some of my friends’ reactions who had never been to my parents’ “estate.” Oh, we didn’t let a little rain stop us from going in the pool either.

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Hell in Hell’s Kitchen: I had the week from hell -literally- when trying to find an apartment with Dave somewhere on the west side of Manhattan. We tried searching all apartment postings on craigslist which led to the old bait and switch (”OH! That apartment you wanted to see just got rented today, so so sorry about that, but we have other units available!!”), we tried working with the broker that Dave’s firm recommended, we tried going door to door to doorman buildings and seeing if there were any openings (which is actually a good method), and finally the magic method was showing up at an open house that we found through the “by owner” listings on craigslist. We saw apartments where bedrooms had no natural light, we saw spiral staircases that you couldn’t use if you had a waist greater than 30″, and we saw many a nightmare-ish 5th floor walk-up (and a 6th floor walk-up!), but when we saw our baby we knew she was the one. So after Labor Day Weekend we will be moving into our lovely two bedroom apartment in lovely Hell’s Kitchen that will fit all my lovely furniture and it will be lovely.

Wrapping It Up: And now… I’m back in Boston tying up loose ends with my apartment, packing up, hoping I stumble upon a some amazing job posting online, and having a proper goodbye with the city where I had some bad times but also a lot of good times as well.

With that… I will survive~