Thursday, August 17, 2006

Thursday Thirteen #4


13 Things I Love About New York

1) The UWS - Beautiful brownstones, boutiques, brunch places, and easy access to Central Park. I think Raj and I might start looking for places up there in a few weeks. I would love to live there.

2) Central Park - I love how stepping just a few feet into the park brings a refreshing drop in the temperature, a nice breeze, and a sense of serenity. Sheep's Meadow, the lakes, and the winding paths through the trees are all beautiful. Every time I go, I think to myself that I have to go more often.

3) Nolita - A couple weeks ago I had the best day wandering down Prince, Spring, Mott, and Mulberry street, shopping, people watching, sipping coffee, snacking on hazelnut gellato, and appreciating how lucky I am to live in this city.

4) Diversity - Every day I walk among, work with, hear the languages, smell the foods, and see the faces of people of all backgrounds, races, and cultures. Even though some of them, like the hipsters, annoy me at times, I like that we all exist together.

5) The Choice of Anonymity - Living among millions of people, doing the commute each morning packed together like sardines, it's surprisingly easy to become lost in the crowd, easy to be left alone so that you can do your own thing without comment or interference. I think it comes from New Yorkers cultivating the talent to ignore all the craziness around them; part self-defense, part politeness. I know I've developed the same skill.

6) Museums - They make me sleepy but I love that they're at my fingertips for the moments that I'm drawn to explore them. I love the Rubin Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and have yet to explore the MOMA and hundreds of smaller museums and galleries.

7) Restaurants, Bars, and Clubs - There is an infinite number of choices with new ones opening each week. Although I'm not a fan of dropping lots of money on food (I prefer spending my money on clothes, tangible things, trips, or investing it), I do appreciate a fine meal on occasion, and find it entertaining to check out the various scenes in the city. Having a glass of wine at a cozy table with Raj, and being still, is one of my favorite things to do. I have to have brunch at Pastis, but it's on my list.

8) Shopping - From Bloomingdales to boutiques, every kind of shopping experience is here for the taking. I like Bloomingdales for make-up and boutiques for jeans shopping. Every time I see a Tibetan shop I can't help myself from walking inside, although I rarely by anything. Every shop has its own smell and vibe, usually due to a particular scented candle. I wish my apartment smelled as nice as some of those stores.

9) Convenience - There is a gym within five streets of almost every location in Manhattan, along with a coffee shop, dry cleaners, and nail salon. The city is made for those that work, and have limited time to get the basic necessities of life (yes, I just called dry cleaning, manicures, and coffee "basic necessities"). But seriously, each minute you don't have to waste on errands frees you up to enjoy and maximize the hours you have free from work. Nothing wrong with that.

10) Walking - I have gotten to know this city by pounding the pavement. I have a pretty good feel for the East side, the UWS, and Chelsea, but I still have the northern part of the Park, the Village, and way downtown to explore. Every 20 blocks = a mile. It's amazing how many miles you can walk without noticing the distance you've covered here.

11) Visitors - People come to New York often, either on business or to visit. When I was in Michigan, my family didn't visit until they had to on the date of my graduation. Since living in New York, even though my family still lives in Texas, I've seen them more frequently than I did before moving here, which makes me very happy.

12) The Energy - I feel as though I'm living at a center of things. Even though I'm completely not at the center of anything - not even my law firm - I like the feeling that things are happening here, all around me. There is an energy and a vitality that pulses through the city. Sometimes I find it exhausting, sometimes exhilarating. It's nice to get away from, but even better to come back home to.

13) The Tiny Apartment I Share - The romantic part of me loves the fact that I'm living with my boyfriend in a tiny little apartment with ancient AC, a leaky bathtub faucet, a bedroom that's only an inch wider than our bed, only one drawer in the kitchen, and a family room too small for a couch larger than a love seat. It's so young love in New York! Even though we both mention often that we would like a bigger place - and trust me, I have some grand plans for our UWS future - I know I'll look back at this time with nostalgia in a few years from now.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here!)
  1. My Two Cents
  2. Gypsy
  3. Caledonia
  4. Amy
  5. Minerva Jane
  6. Mar
  7. Trouble
  8. Nyasha
  9. Darla
  10. Terrilynn
  11. Shannon
  12. Carmen
  13. Friday's Child
  14. Zeus
  15. Kailani
  16. Tink
  17. Norma
  18. JennyRyan

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

26 comments:

K said...

I've always wanted to go to NY! Now I want to go more than ever!!
Great list!!

Gypsy said...

*sigh* All things I miss about being in a large city.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to visit NY some day! I really want to visit at Christmas time for some reason!

Amy... said...

I'm not a super-duper city girl but I really do enjoy New York. I really like your list! Okay, two silly questions:

~What are hipsters?
~What are UWS? Oh wait, is that Upper West Side?

Oh, and the tummy thing...it is really comfortable. Much more comfortable than walking around with my pants unzipped:)

Buttercup said...

Two Cents - Thanks!

Gypsy - Visitors are always welcome. :)

Caledonia - It's so beautiful in the winter, especially before the snow gets all brown and mushy and all the lights are up.

Amy - "Hipsters" my dear are people who self-identify as being "hip" and who are often non-conformist in the same exact conformist way. They, generally, like indie music, the girls wear baby doll dresses and combat boots and have a block of too-short bangs, and the boys where tight jeans with tighter shirts and are usually skinny and not very manly. Thanks for giving me that opportunity to shamelessly stereotype!! :) The UWS is the upper west side; so great! I'm glad the tummy thing is comfortable... good luck!

Minerva Jane said...

what a wonderful post. i too love the walking aspect of NY culture. It's what made me fall in love when I first moved here last year.

MaR said...

I have only been to NY airport... it seems I have been missing something! I love scented stores...I always look around in an attempt to find out how the do it, what kind of a candle they are burning but no such luck until now. Enjoy NY and your tiny appartment! our first place was a very dark one because of the huge trees in front of the main windows, the shower was tiny but the location was great. Happy TT!

Trouble said...

This is a great list! I <3 NY.

Tell bean to post some pics of Park City pronto. Damn I miss that place!

Anonymous said...

now you made me want to jump on a plane and fly over. I have only been to the States once and it was only Washington and Oregon states. But NY has always been on my list of places to visit in the very near future!
thanks for visiting!

Darla said...

I'm another one who's never been. One of these days...

Thanks for visiting my TT!

Amy... said...

oooohhhh, I like your comment about hipsters..."non-conformist in the same exact conformist way". I totally know who you're talking about and they are ALL OVER! I don't understand the appeal. I think I'm going to copy your whole definition because I think it is great!

Anonymous said...

That's a terrific Ode to New York. I've never been either, that made me want to.

My TT is here.

Tracy said...

The MoMA is my favorite NYC museum. You'll have to check it out! It's not to big, so it doesn't feel too overwhelming, and the sculpture garden is a good place for a coffee.

Shannon said...

I love NY too. There no better place. It's a good thing I live only a couple of hours away!

Carmen said...

Central Park is awesome. I could get lost in there for days!

FRIDAY'S CHILD said...

Nice way of describing New York. Never been there and don't think will ever see the place but you have described it well.
Thanks for dropping by.

Zeus said...

I have never been to New York City, but thanks to your great list, I feel like I have been there and then some! Terrific list with a lot of thought put into it!

Anonymous said...

NYC is definitely the next place I want to visit or at least have a layover there. It sounds great! Happy T13 and thanks for stopping by.

Tink said...

I'd love to go to New York! Can you be my guide? ;-) Hmm, I better start saving then!
Thanks for stopping by!

Norma said...

I have visited several times, but you make it sound like a good place to live too.

Thanks for visiting.

Buttercup said...

Whoah!! 18 visitors! Thanks everyone for stopping by. I'm already looking forward to next Thursday.

Darla, You didn't leave your link info and now I've lost you in the sea of blogs. Leave your link and I'll add it!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your list. I've never been to New York before, but if I ever go now I will know all the best places to see! Thanks for visiting my TT :)

Leanne said...

I loved being in upstate NY this past June. It is truly beautiful country. However. The drivers scare me. Driving scares me in general, but driving on those mountain roads is like a heart attack waiting to happen.

We didn't make it down to the city, unfortunately. It's nice to imagine it though through your descriptions!

You know, you two should have a custom blog design. Something fun and frilly and sisterly that goes with your title/names. I love purple, but you guys aren't purple, you're Buttercup and Bean. ;)

Buttercup said...

Thanks for the comment Leanne. You are totally right. I've been thinking the same thing about customizing the blog and I've got a few ideas. Hopefully, we'll have a makeover in our near future.

Laura said...

i see some of the same reasons here as why my darling daughter #3 fell in love with NYC during a school trip this summer. she called us everyday while there to tell us that she will live there when she grows up. she intends to go to NYU to start.
thanks for visiting my tt this week.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how I missed you, this was a great post! I love to read about NYC :-)