Don't Lose Faith

 It is easy to think there aren't anymore good people left in the world but don't lose faith. There are people that do the right thing left in the world. Yes, even in New York City.

The other night when I was walking to dinner my drivers license fell out of my pocket along the walk. We went back the next morning and walked the path, called the places we had been and it was no where to be found. It was gone and I was gathering documents for my replacement drivers license.

Then it happened...our call box rang and someone I didn't know was on the other end. I couldn't believe it!  A lady had found my license on the ground and took her time to walk over to our building and return it to me. She was my angel that day.

In my 9 months here I have seen multiple good deeds.  Far more than I would have expected for such a "tough" city!  Good deeds and good people do exist in NYC.

Perspective

You have heard the saying, it's all about perspective and that is so true. After living in the south for the majority of my life I have never been one for cold weather. I was nervous about moving to New York because of winter. I was labeled a cold weather wimp by my co-workers in the south. I have learned though that it's all about perspective and the right gear. 

I used to be upset if the weather was below 50 degrees in the winter but now after experiencing regular temperatures in the 30s I have found myself being happy to see temperatures in the forties. I don't even wear my heavy coat now unless it is under 40. My perspective as changed and I am now so excited when the temperature reaches 55. 

The funny thing is that this goes the other way as well. My in laws persecutive has changed in the other direction. They moved further south and have lost what little tolerance they had for cold weather. They think it is cold at 65 degrees and only seem content if it is 80 degrees. 

So next time you hear yourself complaining about the weather just remember it is all relative!! 

Take the Train It May Actually Smell Better...

Do you like to cook?  If so then you know the smell that onions make as they brown in the skillet.  Smells great and unmistakeable.  Nothing has that smell except a cab driver that has neglected a bath for about a week.

I rode back in a cab from LaGuardia recently and was great with a very friendly driver that had an unmistakeable odor.  It was so bad that even with the window open and breathing through my mouth it was still unbearable!

The great thing about the train is that you can get up and move cars if there is anything you don't like you just change cars.  That can be expensive in a cab since the 1st block costs you $2.25.  A number of our posts talk about the joys of the train and I really don't think that we can over emphasize how great the subway is in NYC.  Sure you will find your fair share of homeless on the train but you don't have to smell them for long and there is plenty of space to get away.

Avoid the onions and ride the rails!

You should try...

How many times did you hear your mom say that when you were growing up. If you are like me you heard it every time you were about to leave the house. It was always a good idea then but it is even more important now living in the city.

Living in the suburbs I was always about a five minute car ride from a bathroom because every gas station and fast food joint will let you use their bathroom.  Here it is a whole new story. There are not many places to stop in and use the bathroom. Most the bathrooms here have large signs that say FOR CUSTOMERS ONLY!

Beyond the lack of bathrooms available to the public is the fact that you can't just stop the train when you need to go like you can pull your car over. These two factors together make it apparent that my mom was right, you should always try before you leave because you don't want to have to use the subway station bathroom.

If you are in the city and do need a place to go there is an app for that. Check out Sit or Squat for ratings on the cleanest bathrooms around you.

Anything goes.

After spending some time in this city wheather on the trains and the sidewalk you quickly adjust to the odd.  There is a never ending string of strange.  A great example is the annual "No Pants Day" (If you think I am lying check it out:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Pants_Day).  If you see enough weird it begins to become normal.  I'm not sure if this is good or bad that's probably another post for another blog but either way come and see it for yourself.  This city accepts everyone doing anything. Step out of your shell and embrace the strange.  You may overcome some of your own fears!

Oh, I will not comment on my participation in the No Pants Day!  Something has to be a mystery...

What? Your not comfortable with that?

What makes you uncomfortable?  What makes your jittery, edgy, and wide eyed?  I bet you can overcome your fear here in the city.  It seems that this city has so much going on all the time that you are forced to get over the things that make you uncomfortable.  If you, like many people don't like to walk on sidewalks made of street grates we can help you with that.  If you have a fear of being caught in a revolving door or elevator, we can definitely help you with that as well.  Scared to be rubbing against 100 people that you don't know in a large sardine can, we can help with that as well. Afraid of small rodents ones with wings (pigeons) and without (rats) we will help you with that too. The list could go on and on...

The city is very good at making one reach beyond what is comfortable.  You can always count on having to be bit more aggressive or a bit louder than you may normally be in a different environment.  I think people here are forced to follow that famous Nike slogan "Just Do It".  You have to because if you don't someone else will and you will be left standing in the cold. (literally sometimes) So if you are ready to conquer some fears this is the city for you.

Don't be Afraid of the Food Trucks

Something I always thought was strange when I would visit was how people would line up to eat out of trucks. Now living here I finally get it. Food trucks are not just hot dogs and pretzels. You can get ANYTHING off of a food truck or cart that you can dream up.  Not only can you find any food you can think of but the food is actually good.  


Something I realized is that these trucks have a following and if they are going to stay in business they can't serve bad food. Last week I had a great kosher falafel made with African spices that could have been 15 bucks I any shop in the city but off the truck it was 7 dollars.  You have to love no overhead.  Don't be afraid to try these rolling trucks of deliciousness!  The only scary things about them is that you can't hit them all! 


Hop on twitter and find the food truck you are looking for. Enjoy!

Waiting on a rainy day

Where I grew up it was a common question to ask when seeing a friend soaking wet was, "Did your Mom ever teach you to get out of the rain?"  Here in the city there seems to be a real void on this saying.  

People here will stand in the rain waiting for anything and everything!  Where I get off the train there is a coffee truck that will have 5 people in line no matter how bad the deluge.  It is not only coffee people will get wet for, it is burgers, shakes, cupcakes, pizza, sample sales, designer boutiques sales. and more. 


I always thought it was only the tourists that would stand in long lines but I was wrong. The main difference is that tourists wait to see the sights like The Empire State Building and New Yorkers wait to eat or shop. I even heard about one woman who was walking down the sidewalk and saw a really long line so she just got in the line. She didn't even know what the line was for but told someone if the line is this long, it must be good. 


You might think that these people have an umbrella. It is much more typical to see people standing in the rain in their waterproof jackets without an umbrella. Umbrellas can be helpful but often just get in the way, especially in line since they tend to poke your neighbor. If you fill the need to get an umbrella buy the cheapest thing you can get on the street.  All of the street vendor umbrellas are pieces of junk so don't feel like your investment will pay if you get a bigger one.  One little tip, you can get a decent umbrella (as long as it's not too windy) at just about any 99 cent store.

When you are here you will rely heavily on your feet and so you can't allow the rain to ruin your day.  You will be outside a lot and have to be ready for the rain.  Wear rain boots or something water resistant if you don't like we feet.  No matter what, suck it up and get out there and get in line. There is too much to see, eat and buy to stay home in the rain or snow for that matter. 

Wanna talk like a New Yorker?

If you want to know what people in the city are saying watch this video.  This is all too true!  You might be surprised...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRvJylbSg7o

Holiday Wrap Up

The holiday season is officially over.  Many people consider New Years to be the end of the season and it probably should be but one can't forget the end of college football. Now that we have a new national champion it is officially time to call it the new year. Our first holiday season in the city was really interesting.

There were MANY surprises about being in the city over the Holidays.  It is truly hard to decide what is worth writing about so I will attempt to give a visitor guide of things that you will probably not find in the guide books.

The first surprise was the awesomeness of the many Holiday Markets that can be found all over the city throughout the season.  There are these 15-50 stall markets set up in these temporary huts.  I now you are thinking how any "I Love NY" shirts can they sell.  These markets are night like this at all.  They are filled with local artisans and small business selling hand crafted gifts.  These are a great place to get one of a kind goodies.  If you were on my list this year you may be a proud recipient and not even know it.

The tree at Rockefeller Center is a sight to be seen but something we learned was don't go to see it the first Saturday after it is lit. We made that mistake. We headed that way and found huge crowds. It you want to go make sure to wait till a week or two after it is lit and try for a weekday or night and not a weekend.

Another surprise was no snow. The holidays in the city were supposed to be snow filled but not this year. We had hoped to see 5th Ave and Central Park covered in the snow. We didn't get to see that but the window displays on 5th Ave were still great. We enjoyed seeing the amazing displays in the windows even without snow. So if you come around Christmas time make sure to hit 5th Ave and see the window displays.

Well Happy New Year and stay tuned for more surprises!