Post Tropical Storm Hanna outside my house

Hanna stirred up quite a storm last night, but as of this morning sunshine and a pre-fall cool has set in around NYC. I couldn’t imagine yesterday morning that last night would have been so torrential. While the rain was falling hard and falling for a long time, it was pretty tame.

There must be some folks in Long Island without electricity for sure, but other than that, not much damage was caused by the storm. When there are no injuries, it’s been a good storm.

Two of my friends were out in Flushing yesterday at the U.S. Open and they said matches only stopped as the storm progressed, but some of the main matches still went on. It’s like nothing really happened this morning. The storm pretty much did what it was supposed to and it seemed that with the free HBO weekend and long lines at Blockbuster yesterday morning, everyone was well prepared for a nice time indoors. The rain did look beautiful though when I went outside for a bit. It was soft and heavy, just a perfect combination. And since the darkness was overpowering what little lights I turned on outside my house gave a really wonderful aura to the entire scene.

And now we begin a Sunday that will lead us into a [hopefully] brisk Fall season filled with pumpkin juice, butterbeers and dances underneath the whomping willow. Holy Harry Potter reference Batman! I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore. End. post. now. K/Luv you/Buh bye!

There were some chores to be taken care of today. Some mundane tasks, but they happened to be on Central Park East. And any task that’s on CPE is OK by me. The neighborhood is filled with the sort of NYC essence you’d find in a Woody Allen film or a Neil Simon production. Something about the place just exudes classic New York.

I feel it has a lot to do with the preserved buildings. Especially the ones that are open to the public like the Frick Collection. Or just the tree-lined sidewalks that overlook the Central Park Zoo.

So I meandered into the park from 6th avenue and after going over a gazebo, some picnicking folk and taking in the skyline from different angles, I just found a nice boulder to rest my butt on and looked at the Victorian Gardens. It was filled with kids - sounds of laughter, screams, and laser-like noises in the distance from below and sounds of honking, sirens, and horses to the side.

A live unadulterated stereo of New York City. Perfect place to take a nap. It was awesome.

Today I moved from my BK sublet up to a friend’s place at Lex and 28. Doing so, I yanked my luggage into a cab to go up to the new place, and on the way, the cab hit a lady on the bike.

Now, the good news is - she did not die. But she could have.

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NYC is where Hip-Hop was born - as if you didn’t know that already (I hope).

That being said, the immortal and revolutionary Rock Steady Crew will be celebrating their 31st Anniversary from July 24th-July 27th. The four funktastic days of festivities will include a Celebrity Benefit Basketball Challenge, B-boy/B-girl Battles, 5 on 5 Crew Battles, and live musical performances from artists like Kurtis Blow, The Beatnuts, Soul Sonik Force, and Craig G & Marly Marl.

More information and locations of the events can be found on their official site.

This is the perfect opportunity to get out from behind your semi-fancy Swedish ‘puter desk thingy and shake your ass, all while witnessing something that is way more indigenous to the 5 Boroughs than Gordon Gekko and Alex Rodriguez.

On my way home, I get this call from an 877 number, but I didn’t pick up since I figured it was probably the Blood Bank - they call me daily.

Anyway, it was Con Ed calling to tell me about their concerns about a shortage specifically in the Yorkville ‘hood and that I should turn off any unnecessary appliances. OK. I can do one better than that, I’ll grab a friend in the ‘hood and hit the Heidelberg for a beer.

Even though it wasn’t the coldest place - they must have gotten the call too - the beer was ice cold, it wasn’t crowded and the scenery was just perfect. I joke about the Upper East Side a lot but if you look around, we’ve got some good looking men walking around these parts!

Did anyone else get the call - or are you home with the AC blasting? That’s ok, my friend and I took one (two) for the team.

I went out to Cafetasia today for lunch. Located right near Washington Square Park, Cafetasia is a tasty spot. The decor is modern and chic, with cafeteria style tables similar to Republic (accept that they lack the convenient shelf underneath). It’s a good place to lunch at by yourself, since the have tables facing the window - perfect for a solitary, people-watching lunch.

They’ve got a good prix fixe lunch menu, too - $8 for a small dish and a large dish, along with $1 drinks. I got the Thai iced tea, cucumber salad, and delicious Basil udon with tofu. It was delicious food at a sweet price!

Photo from pps.org

Yesterday marked a favorite yearly event - the Museum Mile Festival. Every year, 5th Ave shuts down to cars in the evening and the museums open their doors for free. It’s always a nice opportunity to get to the museums (which I, like many New Yorkers, don’t often do). Plus, it’s just fun to walk down the middle of a street usually filled with traffic.

Last night, the weather was perfect for the occasion. I met up with some friends at the Museum of the City of New York - my first visit there. With a grand entrance and historic appearance, the building is beautiful. We checked out the Maritime exhibit (which showed a historic look at downtown ports), New York Interiors (lavish displays of historic interiors), and a theater exhibit (with costumes from major musicals, including Rent). Definitely worth a visit.

As usual, there wasn’t much time for more than one museum. We headed down to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum courtyard, always a nice spot, and watched a cool glass-blowing demonstration. After that, there was only a little more time to walk along 5th and admire the chalk artwork covering the street.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming free events in the city - movies and concerts in the park. There will be free live music this weekend at the annual Madison Square Park barbecue event.

Whenever I change work neighborhoods, one of the first things I scout for is a place with good noodle soup, preferably udon. One of my coworkers recommended the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar, which is a small chain restaurant. They might specialize in dumplings, but I ordered a big bowl of Miso soup with noodles and it was delicious! The service is fast, the food is healthy, and the place is clean. It’s a perfect spot to get my noodle fix.

Photo from innatirving.com

My mother and sister hosted a lovely bridal shower for me last weekend at Lady Mendl’s. A historic brownstone, Lady Mendl’s has a lovely exterior and a ridiculously elegant inside. High ceilings, ornately-carved furniture, and large windows fill this refined establishment.

As it’s just a short walk from Union Square, I thought I’d arrive with moments to spare. But by some odd stroke of luck, nearly all the guests arrived early and I entered to find a full house of guests! We’d reserved one of the private rooms and it was the perfect size for an intimate party. The space feels like some (very wealthy) person’s sitting room - and this just creates a warm vibe.

I unfrazzled myself with the help of some delicious champagne cocktails - the guava and champagne was particularly tasty! The atmosphere made for easy chatting and mingling until the lunch and tea were served. The meal consisted of a yummy salad, a selection of delicious finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and chocolate-covered strawberries with candies. Everything tasted wonderful, and looked adorable at the same time!

After I’d opened my gifts, one of my bridesmaids remarked that she’d like to live at Lady Mendl’s and I agreed.

I was laid off yesterday. I know I know. Such a sad thing right? Not at all.

Freedom is how I look at this. Not only were my former employers really kind to me, they even sang for me as I left. I’ve seen a lot of people at the company be ‘let-go’ and ‘fired’ - 2 very different things - and this is the first time I’ve seen them sing.

Being unemployed in NYC is not a terrible thing at first. But once the costs of living get you down, you have no choice but to either seek refuge in family/relatives or friends. Living costs alone are atrociously high and with the recession in place it’s difficult to survive.
But at times like these, you have no choice but to be creative, save a lot, use free Internet cafes and find peace, solace and beauty in walking around watching the trees.

I’ve spent my day updating my resume, talking to strangers at a tea shop, recording my podcast, and already networked with a whole new slew of people to plan my next big step.

But honestly there’s something nice about being in NYC during the day and being outside. This spring is the perfect time to be out of a job. =)

Be sure to check out this site which lists free events in NYC - especially if you ain’t got a job!