The highs and lows of Brooklyn life

I’ll start with the lows because there aren’t many. My main problem with living in Brooklyn is this:

This is the cart that I have to stuff my dirty clothes into to transport them to the lanundrette. Not only is it annoying and time consuming to leave the comfort of my apartment to wash my clothes (even if I have cut it down to once every two weeks and simply refreshed my wardrobe) it is also pretty embarrassing, well maybe just for me.

Once I have managed to haul the cart down two flights of stairs and across the block to my destination I then have to deal with displaying all my ‘worn’ undergarments to a shop full of people! Every single time I load up the washing machine I drop, not a ‘t’ shirt, not a sock, but an embarrassing pair of pink briefs (thanks ladies who bought me the ‘Princess of Power’ underwear for my hen do!).

The one time I actually managed to successfully do my washing at the laundrette and load it all into the shameful cart I was crossing the street on the way home when I heard ‘Miss…Miss…I think you dropped something!’. Of course there was my once clean underwear lying on the road with a few socks precariously dangling from the cart also threatening to fall into the gutter. One thought only came to mind….why am I doing my washing outside of my apartment??? These items do not need to leave my personal space!

Luckily, living in BK is not just about doing chores. This weekend I had a perfect Brooklyn Saturday and never left the borough once. First stop was the local Italian restaurant to pick up coffee and the most amazing muffins ever before me and my friend and neighbour hopped on the bus to the Flea Market.

Wandering round the Fort Greene Flea Market is such a great way to spend a Saturday morning. There are all kinds of trinkets and treats to choose from and it has a local, laid back feel with a few crazy characters thrown in. I went for a Dosa and a Mango Lassi and bought a Gurarati scarf so it was obviously an Indian kind of day for me…

          

After the market we wandered round Fort Greene to a great little cafe called Choice Market and had some more pastry based treats.

http://market.choicebrooklyn.com/pages/about-us-market

I really like Fort Greene/Clinton Hill (excuse my real estate terms, it’s probably all Bed-Stuy on the map!), it’s such a leafy, beautiful neighbourhood. It’s also famously where Patti Smith went to art school  - who I’m still obsessed with even though she wouldn’t let me take a photo of her at her book signing – it was for the blog

The final high about living in Brooklyn is the diversity of all the different areas that make up this wonderful borough. As I mentioned before we live in Bed-Stuy which has historically been a dangerous/troubled neighbourhood. Luckily this isn’t the case anymore and the area seems to be changing rapidly with more businesses popping up every day.

Where else in the world would you exit the subway to see a girl shouting down the phone about her babydaddy and a guy doing Tai Chi on the grass next to her.

The Alternative Tour of NYC

I’ve just spent a great week being a tourist with my parents in New York City. The last time they came to visit me here they stayed a short walk away from Times Square, right in the centre of the madness, in August. It was crazy, hot and exhausting. I know they enjoyed the experience but I realised in retrospect that it wasn’t that much of a relaxing break for them.

Luckily this time they were able to stay in our new luxurious apartment in the chilled out Brooklyn neighbourhood of  Bed-Stuy. The weather was pretty much perfect everyday and the trees were just starting to bloom. They loved our new area and enjoyed staying on a beautiful Brown Stone lined street. I’m sure they’ve never experienced so many people telling them to have a blessed day in their lives!

Instead of traipsing around Midtown Manhattan we focused on finding fun things to do in Brooklyn (and Queens) and chilling out on our holiday together.On the first weekend we checked out some of the outdoor Flea Markets which had just opened up for the season. The Fort Greene Flea market is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning – I will definitely be going back ASAP so more about that later!

The main event on the alternative tour of NYC was heading to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge which is a stone’s throw away from JFK airport. On a bright but windy monday we studied the subway map then took the A train out to Broad Channel in search of the Migratory Bird Sanctuary. We wandered through deserted streets and past some cute sea-side looking houses until we came to an ugly highway and still no sign of the Bird Sanctuary. The wind started to whip up and we pulled our waterproofs on tighter and headed in the direction of the park. Suddenly a car pulled up next to us and a friendly, enthusiastic New Yorker wound the window down and shouted out to us; ‘On your way to the Bird Sanctuary? My sister just called me and said there are some bird watchers on their way to the Wildlife Refuge and I thought I’ll go and give them a lift!’ It was totally random but was starting to get really windy so we jumped in the car with the friendly stranger.

Not only was the Wildlife Refuge totally free but it was actually really cool – not that I am much of  a bird watcher. Where else in the world can you spot pretty impressive birds with the Manhattan skyline in the distance?

After viewing ospreys and egrets we decided to make our way to Rockaway Beach down the road. We couldn’t face the walk down the highway again so luckily there was a bus waiting for us.

People don’t really think of beaches when they think of NYC but actually there is an amazing amount of beautiful coast just a subway ride away from the bright lights. It’s kind of weird too because places like Rockaway Beach are totally underdeveloped. On the windiest day in history we arrived at the boardwalk to this sight:

Yogic times on Rockaway Beach

I had read about great food options that have been popping up on Rockaway Beach in the summertime and was excited to sit and stare out to sea while sipping on a capuccino and eating some tasty treats. Unfortunately it was too early in the season to experience this. Instead we walked the whole length of the boardwalk and found nada. We ended up in a Dunkin Donuts by the subway station. At least mother caused some amusement when she ordered one ‘munchkin’ donut and was told unfortunately they only came in fives. Luckily he took pity on her and gave her one munchkin for free.

Rockaway Beach in April 

A sigh of relief

Life is full of annoying cliches to be used when things aren’t going quite as you want.

‘Cheer up, it might never happen.’ or, ‘Good things come to those who wait.’

They are cliches, and they are cheesy but for me they actually ring true right now. I have finally ascended to the echelons of New York life. I have never been happier than right now sitting in our beautiful, spacious BROWNSTONE apartment in Brooklyn. Matthew refers to it as Sherlock Holmes’ attic. It has some Victoriana charm which makes me feel right at home.

           

Brownstone charm plus modern convenience  

I could sit and list all the amazing things that have happened in the past couple of weeks but if I do I might just explode with excitement. Whatever, I might just make the list anyway to make me feel even smugger!

We now live in an awesome (dare I say it) up-and-coming area of Brooklyn called ‘Bed-Stuy’. I probably would have been shot here in the 90s but now live next to a Wine Bar, a Mexican Tapas Bar, a Soul Food Restaurant, a Library and an Organic Deli. Ahhhh, so New York. AND the coffee is 75 cents from the Deli. AND it’s good. AND my amazing friend lives four blocks away. AND the rent is less than we wanted to pay. AND we have a (small) second bedroom. AND it’s opposite a church which wakes me at 7:30 am on a Sunday with Gospel music. Not sure how good that is actually.

                                                          

Our beautiful block. We live on the top floor in the fourth house from the end in the first photo! 

As if by magic, in the same week we moved I was finally recognised as an official teacher by the New York State Education Department. I now get paid to go to work, and to have two months holiday in the summer. I am scared to say anything more about this incase I jinx it somehow. I am SO scarred from the whole experience so, touche bois, touch wood, touch my head, it’s allllll good.

In the last few weeks we have been to the St Paddy’s Day parade in Manhattan, had brunch and meals out with family and friends, and wandered the East Village checking out Japanese restaurants on a Sunday night. I’ve been to Yoga class, shopped at little organic places and just soaked up the NY viiiibbbeee. This also included witnessing an accident on the Brooklyn Bridge and appearing on the local News!

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=8580030

The only issue  now is that I finding time to blog what with all the dance classes, poetry readings, book clubs, theatre performances and gallery openings I’ll be going to.

The changing room and the hipsters

Last week me and my Swedish friend ‘did’ New York.

We bought Time Out and scoured the pages while sipping coffee in a cool downtown cafe. The first stop was to check out the Barney’s designer warehouse sale which was aptly named. An abandoned building in Chelsea had been filled with cut price wares. We rifled through the bizarre and overpriced until we found a couple of gems to try on. As it was a sale shop and not an actual store the changing rooms were pretty make-shift. I was expecting curtained cubicles so I was a little surprised when we walked into an open free for all.

Now the swedes are famous for their openness and I am from a Northern lefty wonderland but these ladies made me and my friend look like complete prudes. There was a lot of ass on show. Most seemed to have opted out of much underwear to speak of. Not to sound like a perve but it was actually quite cool to be in such an open environment in this country of uptightness.

As I scanned the room I came to realise that this make-shift changing room somehow represented New York for me. There was cellulite, boobs, and bodies of all shapes, sizes and colours. Two super skinny model girls slinked themselves into fringed suede dresses while an extremely curvaceous woman squeezed herself into jeans. It was open, without attitude and none of these women gave a shit what anyone else thought about them. It was great.

Later on we were in a Dive Bar in the Lower East Side.

I’m not sure whether there’s a translation for a ‘Dive Bar’ in British English. Maybe a cheap, scabby, student bar which has bad toilets and great music. The Smiths, Joy Division and the Stone Roses were blasting from the Juke Box while ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ was being projected onto a screen. Two hispterish looking guys were sitting next to us and we struck up a conversation with them about where we could go to have a dance in the area. They laughed and explained to us that Lower East Siders are way too cool to dance in front of anyone.

Ironically we started talking about hipsters. One of these guys lived in Williamsburg and was wearing a slouchy beany hat and a worn military jacket. He started complaining about the high volume of ironic facial hair and skinny jeans on his block; all this, while looking up electro-capoeira nights in Bushwick on his pristine I-pad.

Funny how no one ever refers to themselves as a hipster.

 

The great New York apartment search

Prepare yourselves for another whinge.

I was warned but I didn’t quite believe how bad looking for an apartment in New York would be.

It all started a few months ago. We weren’t quite ready to move at that point (see two posts ago for the reasons) but thought we should do some research and see what was out there. First mistake. Do not embark on an NYC apartment search until you are completely ready to move and it is unavoidable.

The first dingy basement we saw was apparently worth $1700 a month. It had no kitchen to speak of and led out into a dirty yard full of abandoned furniture. The ‘realtor’ spoke of its hard wood floors (HWF) and original features. After this positive experience we decided not to look at anything until we were forced to.

We have now been searching seriously for about four weeks. We have seen all manner of weird and wonderful abodes. Last weekend we headed out into a more ‘chic’ area of Brooklyn after deciding that location was more important than space. After seeing the closet sized spaces we were being asked to live in, we changed our minds again. Space IS more important than location. A few days later we looked in a less desirable area being touted as ‘Prospect Heights South’ to make it sound more like a desirable area. The only amenities within walking distance were a McDonalds and a Popeyes. It was a scary, dark and deserted ten minute walk from any amenities or transport to the apartment building. The outside area was being ‘renovated’ and the main entrance was a ply-wood door. Of course the apartment was absolutely huge. Damn!!!

           

I just want to be able to see this kind of amazing New York stuff everyday. Why does it have to cost $5,000 a month to live close to the action? 

In desperation we walked into a Real Estate office in Park Slope one weekend and begged someone to help us. A dude from Costa Rica with a grey goatee  promised he would find us something that would suit our needs. When I told him I was a Spanish teacher he started chatting on to me in Spanish. It turned out he had also lived in Mexico and was excited to introduce himself to me as a ‘brujo’ or wizard. He went on to explain that he had been initiated into Santeria and how Olofi, the God of Santeria had told him to dedicate his life to helping people.

I’m not quite sure what Olofi would make of his choice to go into Real Estate.

Coney Island (The Blackpool of NY?)

Last weekend I had the pleasure of going to Coney Island.

My last blog post caused some controversy in the NYP circle. I say controversy obviously to make my life sound much more important than it is. What actually happened was a lot of my friends got in contact with me to check whether I was OK. They hadn’t realised what I’d been going through. Probably cos I hadn’t told them. It was really nice to hear from people and get support and good vibes from my friends and family. I also got an invitation to go to Coney Island with a fellow Sheffielder. He’d read my last post and decided I needed cheering up. It worked. It was an awesome day.

I’d been familiar with the name Coney Island for a long time. It features in a song by Death Cab for Cutie that my husband used to play when we lived in England. I thought Coney Island would  be an island. Actually it’s a beach resort that time forgot. The Blackpool of New York.

Visiting Coney Island in winter is definitely the best time to go. It has a post apocalyptic vibe. You can sense the fun and excitement from summers gone by in the boarded up stands and the static rides.

                                          

I’d also read about Coney Island in the Pattie Smith autobiography ‘Just Kids’. The descriptions in the book have a very nostalgic feel and I think really capture the place.

                   

The cultural diversity of New York is what draws many people to the city. It’s definitely one of my favourite things about living here. As we walked along the boardwalk in Brooklyn last weekend Coney Island merged into Brighton Beach, other wise known as ‘Little Odessa’. It was amazing to see the cultural identity of the area and hear people speaking in Russian. It was also great to taste some authentic Borscht and cheese pancakes which were served with jam and cream and turned out to be sweet.

                                         

                                              

Journeying

I’m on a constant journey.

I journey four hours each day to get to and from work.  The stress of this journeying coupled with not actually being paid for my efforts for four months led me to go on another journey. I’ve spent a lot of time working on dealing with my situation. I started reading spiritual/self help type books. Well, one, to be exact. When I felt down about the situation I tried to put it into perspective. What led me to that point was the following:

1. Commuting to work for four hours each day and not being paid for the work I was doing.

2. Living in the suburbs.

3. Working  in depressing surroundings far far away from the shininess of New York City where I had previously imagined I would work.

New York City shining in the distance during my commute. 

4. Feeling down about the job itself including dealing with extremely uncooperative teenagers, fights, disorganization, a new system and a lack of resources.

5. Trying to understand the frustrating and bureaucratic process of getting my UK teaching certificate recognised here.

I was discussing said situation with a colleague who drives me half of the way home to try to alleviate the pain of the commute. I described it as ‘the worst thing that has ever happened to me’. I think he was surprised. He responded by saying something polite which I understood to mean ‘you’ve led a sheltered life’.

It’s true. I’ve never experienced anything stressful or upsetting in my life. This experience has helped me to realise that. It’s helped me to appreciate my previous experiences and taught me to deal with the new ones. Life is about learning how to cope when everything doesn’t go your way. You have to be patient, have perspective and not take it out on the people close to you.

Last week I received my first pay cheque from the NYC Department of Education. I have never been so grateful for being paid before. I am starting to understand my students a little more, to not get frustrated with them but to just keep smiling and try to get on with it. I know I’m not doing a perfect job but I don’t dread going to school anymore. In fact, I love seeing most of my students, most of the time. I’ve also managed to read about two novels a week since I started the dreaded commute and I quite enjoy it now.

Moving to New York has been really challenging for me but it definitely feels worth it.

A wintry day in the city

I was happy to have a week away from work over Christmas. I took one luxurious day where I pottered around Manhattan. My original goals were cultural but I ended up just shopping and eating. I documented my day as I went along so I could share it with the wonderful readers of my blog. So here was my day…

             

I arrived on 7th Avenue and 34th as usual. It was freezing so I headed straight to Korea Town and my favourite restaurant ‘Woori Jip’ which means ‘Our House’.

       

      

I walked across to Fifith Avenue and stumbled upon the Lord and Taylor Department store. I knew of the store but had no idea where it was. I was able to push through the crowds and get a little snap of their lovely Christmas window display.

        

After checking out the windows I headed to the New York Public Library to use the free internet. I love the lobby of the library building – and not because it features in the SATC film! I then wandered up Fifth Avenue and suddenly realised I was at the Rockefeller Centre. On the opposite side of the street there were a group of monks coming out of a church. The juxtaposition of spirituality and consumerism struck me for a moment.

         

I passed this beautiful doorway. I found the Fendi decorations a little over the top and preferred this funky New York themed display at ‘Brown and White’.

              

One goal of the day was to try the sweet treats at the Momofuku Milk Bar. I’d been reading about this concept cafe for a few months and was eager to try their specialities. One thing I had to taste was the Soft Serve Cereal Milk. Yes, you heard right! It’s literally cereal flavoured milk – cornflakes soaked in milk then strained and turned into ice cream. You could never imagine how much you would NEED it as a staple in your diet! After the ice cream I went for the crack pie. It was like a gooey, buttery, flapjack pie. I think the name comes from it’s addictive nature.

     

After gorging on dairy based products I took the subway down town and had a gander in the sales. 50% off in Topshop and the clothes were still more expensive than back home so I couldn’t bring myself to buy anything.

         

I was obviously famished by this point so I went for dinner at ‘Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles’(!!) on Doyers St in China Town with my friend Liz. We had these amazing dumplings, two bowls of noodles and some drinks for $14.75. Bargain and it was delicious.

That’s (not) funny

I think I’ve already mentioned the weird ways that people communicate in this city/country/tri-state area. I sometimes feel that people sound, to put it politely, less ‘genuine’ than they do at home. I don’t know if this is because for almost 30 years of my life my main contact with the US was through Hollywood and oozingly cheesy shows and movies. Or is it because people are just more fake here?

I often get the feeling that people are not really listening to what I say  and that the flow of conversation is stunted. My clever northern quips are sometimes followed by an ‘Uh huh’ . Noooo it’s a joke!! I don’t think many people have heard of the famed Yorkshire ‘banter’ here.

Another thing that irks me is when someone tells a joke and it’s met with; ‘That’s funny’. Errr if it were actually that funny you would laugh. That’s the whole point of laughter. It saves using words like ‘That’s funny’.

The conversations that you overhear here are so ridiculous too. A comment that would get the piss ripped out of you for the rest of your life back home is taken seriously with an ‘uh huh’ here. On the first really cold day of the year I overheard this awesomeness at the train station;

Annoying Long Island girl number 1: ‘ I’m like SO happy I have hair. I would get so cold if I didn’t’

Annoying Long Island girl number 2: ‘ Yeah, or you would like wear a hat, I suppose.

Now, that is funny.

Blogging about blogging

I knew it would get to the point where I would start blogging about blogging.

Since I started this blog in June I’ve tried to write two posts a month and so far I’ve kept to my word. Suddenly life takes over and there is literally no time to sit around writing about life! I keep thinking to myself ‘I must blog!’ but instead I go to see a comedy show, or go to the beach or go out for amazing food.

I often think about all the things I want to write and tell people about but I worry about not being able to write them succinctly and ending up sounding like an annoying ‘blogger’. I feel like I’m focusing on style and not on content.

If someone who didn’t know me came across this blog what would they think of me? Does it portray who I really am? Then again, isn’t that why we use the internet and social networking? To create a persona. To pick and choose what we show and tell to the outside world.

In writing this blog I have tried to portray the quirky things that have happened to me here so far. The British perspective of life in New York. The problem is I don’t think of myself as very British. I haven’t lived in the UK for over three years now so my relationship with my home country is a very interesting one. What I do realise is that all the places I have lived have shaped who I am today and at the same time have kept my Britishness intact. Even if I don’t feel that I represent a typical ‘British’ mindset as soon as I open my mouth everyone know where I’m from.

So far I haven’t written anything about my job which has become a big part of my daily life. While I’m currently writing about New York City I actually spend most of my time on a small strip of land about an hour outside of the city. It’s a beautiful beach surrounded by huge brown project buildings. Not one of the iconic images you find on key rings on 5th Avenue.

So if I could blog about every bloggable thought or idea that has come into my head over the last few weeks what would I be writing here?

Well, Thanksgiving is a great holiday where you get to eat Christmas dinner a month early.

Christmas in NYC is a magical time minus the Christmas songs. More Slade less ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year blah blah blah’

Even strangers on public transport say ‘bless you’ to you when you sneeze here. It makes me feel very uncomfortable and I try not to sneeze in public or in a meeting if I can help it. Everyone stops and looks at you and you have to thank them for saying bless you. Very awkward.

Looks like I’m still quite British after all.