New Perspective: Missing NYC

Hey all. I'm back! I was traveling between Christmas and New Year's and actually spent the last week enjoying 85-degree weather and blue Caribbean waters in Mexico.

I've written before about how hard it is for me to "re-enter" NYC after being away, but this time, something's different. For one, I've been reflecting on how proud I felt to be able to say I was from NYC when asked while traveling. I could really feel the admiration foreigners felt for my city (one woman asked me if it life here was really like "Sex and the City") and was grateful to be a small part of it.

What is it that non-New Yorkers admire about this city? Could it be the courage it requires to survive and thrive and be challenged by such a city? If Paris stands for beauty, fashion, sophistication, then maybe NYC stands for achievement, determination, courage and ingenuity? Or is it because NYC is THE cultural capital of the United States--not only because it's the US city the world sees portrayed most often in movies and TV, but also because for so many reasons it's the city they think of first when they think of America.

We really enjoyed Mexico. It was an adventure-filled, wonderful trip. We'll miss the warmth, the easygoing vibe and the minimal clothing. We gained a better understanding of and appreciation for Mexico, particularly its history, people and natural landscape, and we were sad to leave.

But when we walked through the door of our apartment on Saturday, I was happy to see my little apartment and sleep in my own bed. And once the laundry was done, the suitcase put away, and the photos from my trip downloaded onto my computer, I felt complete again.

I'm eager to start the New Year and look forward to all the beautiful things this year and this city have in store. I guess slowly but surely I am becoming a New Yorker...each time I leave and return, it feels more and more like home.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Neighborhood: Cobble Hill

Miss Fashion, who grew up in Brooklyn and is helping me discover new neighborhoods outside of Manhattan, suggested we meet in Cobble Hill last night for dinner. I had previously fallen in love with DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights, but my evening in Cobble Hill was even better in some ways. This neighborhood reminded me of the Lower East Side, without the grit. I mean, people were mellow and smiled and sat at sidewalk cafes eating dinner with their kids and dogs.

First, we met up at Borough Hall and walked around the neighborhood, where Miss Fashion pointed out the beautiful brownstones. There were kids and parents everywhere, and at one point, we witnessed a returning father being greeted by his wife and kid at the door. A very sweet moment.

We then went to One Girl Cookies on Dean Street whose reputation is built on their Whoopie Pies and amazing cookies. Being the sweet-fiends we are, we both loaded up. Let me just say the pumpkin whoopie pie is amaaaazzing! And the Lucia cookie (the one with the black and white marble frosting) just sent my endorphins soaring. So good. And how cute is their store? So much bigger than bakeries in Manhattan with an entire seating area in the back, where you can just sit with your girlfriends and get your sugar rush on. I will definitely be back.

We strolled down Smith Street (Brooklyn's "Restaurant Row" according to some) and I was surprised by how many adorable boutiques there were, including Bird, which had great dresses and accessories, including foldable commuter shoes/ballet flats with carrying case:...and another whose name I forget that carries the cutest Vivienne Westwood rubber Mary Janes and Wedges, which Miss Fashion was crazy for. And we stopped in at Rime, this streetwear store that sold Kid Robot stuff, including both tricked out and do-it-yourself Munny's. They were having a DIY Munny contest actually. There was a Flight 001, where I stopped in for some travel accessories and we also passed Brooklyn Industries, though we didn't stop in. There were just too many cute stores and not enough time.

You've got to love Cobble Hill's broad selection of restaurants, from Cuban to Thai to Italian to French. On Pacific, the Angeleno in me got excited when passing the surf-shack Mexican restaurant called Pacifico and seafood joint called Trout (although the blogosphere seem less than enthusiastic about the food) But we ended up eating in the outdoor patio of Apartment 138 because Miss Fashion had heard good things:I had a Caesar Salad and a classic burger slider. The food was really delicious, esp considering restaurants seem to slack off when it comes to the slider. This one had a lovely toasted brioche bun and perfectly cooked patty and sauce. Yum! And the Caesar had a uniquely tart dressing that I really enjoyed.

Miss Fashion and I talked a lot about finding a neighborhood to call home in NYC and all the factors that go into that decision. I'm still haven't weened myself off Manhattan, but I'm beginning to think that in the future, with more excursions like last night's, I may change my mind.

Real Estate: Open House Post-Mortem

Yesterday afternoon, City Guy and I spent four hours traipsing around in the hot, humid weather to visit SEVEN buildings in the FiDi. Fun, but exhausting. I have mixed feelings about buying after all this. Things I've learned:

• It's going to be hard to get everything we want. We'd ideally want a 2 bedroom or 1 bedroom with home office (that we could convert into a nursery down the road), but even in this market, we're looking at a million (maybe $800-900K if we're willing to give up certain things, like location or amenities).
  
• Based on running the numbers in a handy dandy mortgage calculator, based on what we're paying for rent right now between the two of us (on the low side), buying doesn't make financial sense, even with the tax savings. However, the minute we compare the cost of renting a two-bedroom to the cost of buying a $850K place, for instance, we can justify the expense.
  
• I feel poor. When you go to these open houses, you see the same faces over and over...there are a lot of bankers with a lot of money still buying in this market and they don't seem to blink at the prices.
  
• We're going to start considering Brooklyn. The Williamsburg waterfront developments, for instance, would satisfy my jonesing for a water-view and the units are bigger for the money. Check out The Edge.
  
• Even with the glut of condos in the area, developers are planning even more. 50 West St is scheduled to open in June 2010, for example.
  
• There's no rush. Like with everything else in life, I must be patient.
• If we buy, we might have to stay in NYC for the next 5 to 7 years.
  
• We need a good mortgage broker.
  
• We need a good real estate attorney.
• NYC real estate is no joke.
  

Real estate is vexingly on my brain. I've already scheduled three appointments for next weekend. We're going to check out The Edge, Northside Piers and the beautiful green condo development in Battery Park City, Visionaire. Wish us luck!

On My Mind: What Makes a Home?

In light of the stated mission of this blog, I was wondering. Is there a checklist of things that make a city feel like home? I thought about other cities I've called home and what made them so and came up with this little list. What do you think?

• Knowing where to find what you need--whatever it is--a good massage, a great formal gown, low-priced cheeses, vintage records, party favors... [great finds]
  
• An intimate knowledge of your neighborhood and a working knowledge of other parts of the city [street-by-street, cool spaces]
  
• Knowing how to get around most efficiently. In LA, this meant knowing what freeways got you from point A to B most quickly; in NYC, it's knowing what subway lines get you from point A to B most quickly, with the fewest transfers, or avoiding crowds. [stuff i've learned]
  
• Food--a handful of places where the staff recognize you when you show up; a few gems no one knows about but you (or so it seems) [great finds]
  
• Friendly faces, friends and a sense of community...b/c if no one in the entire city cares if you live or die, you're no better off than the woman who dies and gets eaten by her cats [people]
  
• A house or apartment you like living in. Can you really feel at home in a city if you're living in digs you can't stand? If you dread going home, the city can't feel like home. [cool spaces]
  
• Having coping strategies--how to minimize your exposure to bad weather, how to avoid crowds, how to avoid traffic, when to show up to X theater to get good seats for movie opening this weekend, when and where to buy tix for Y festival before all seats are sold out. [stuff i've learned]
• An appreciation of the quirky, unique facets of the city's culture [have you noticed...?, only in new york, gotta love it]
  

I figure now that I have a list, I can systematically work towards making this city feel like home. You'll notice I'm using subheaders to introduce some of my posts. I'll use them so you know when I'm covering these various "home requirements"--like Street-by-Street (a detailed walking exploration of neighborhoods), Great Find, People, Cool Spaces (architecture, real estate, urban landscape), Nature in the City, Happenings...I fully expect my definition of "home" will evolve with time, experience and your input, but I'm excited to see where this little experiment takes us. Until next time...

Can New York City Feel Like Home?

I've been living in the City for four-plus years now, and I'm about to tell you something that will make the skin of real New Yorker crawl--I moved here from Los Angeles...and I still miss California. You have to understand. I loved the visiting New York before I actually moved here. It's an energizing, alive, exciting place, but once I had an address here, it never quite became "home."

My husband--let's call him "City Guy"--loves New York. He's lived here forever, and he can't imagine living anywhere else. We met in NYC, so thank the city for that, but like a lot of newlyweds, we're at that point in our lives where we're wondering if NYC is the kind of place we want to settle down in. Do we really want to pay a million for 800 sq-foot box in Manhattan or move somewhere, like Texas, where we could get our very own McMansion with a pool for that money? Just kidding about Texas, but anyhow...a lot of the friends I've met since moving here have themselves moved away from NY over the years. So I wonder: do most people eventually leave?

I was thinking about this during a bout of insomnia last night, and realized I hated LA when I first moved there, and it took me about four years to "conquer" the city, learn how to navigate the city like a native, find my favorite little shops and restaurants, the quirky little neighborhoods, the doctor and dentist I adored, the friends and neighborhood that felt like "mine"--in effect, to accumulate all the experiences, places and people that made me feel homesick for LA when I left.

So I came to thinking that maybe the same principle works for NYC. Maybe it's time for me to stop kicking and screaming, stop bemoaning my lack of sunshine and warmth (though, yes, spring has sprung in NYC, and I can just feel my brain coming alive again), my lack of swimmable beaches and hikable mountains, my lack of four-wheeled transportation with which to transport my groceries from the supermarket, which I also lack, and really set out to find the New York places, people, experiences, treasures that will make this city feel like home and not just a big, bad indifferent city full of strangers.

So, that's why I'm here. I'm going to give it a real shot. I'm going to walk the streets in search of a sense of "home." Yeah - I should have done this years ago, but there was grad school and work and my nose was so close to the grindstone I couldn't see much. But there's a time and place for everything. Come along and see what I find...