New York life
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Surviving Snowmageddon 2016
Iām from Minneapolis. āWow, itās cold there!ā people chuckle with a wide-eyed expression and clearly no idea where that is. Theyāve heard itās cold. Its close to Canada – itās not in Indiana. Minneapolis gets cold, and it gets snow. Sometimes lots of it. If you grew up in the ā50s and ’60s, you remember…
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The Gallery Opening
A night in Chelsea with hundreds of art lovers (and those who came for the free wine) The Chelsea neighborhood in New York boasts many art galleries. The openings can be big events and are a fun way to see several in one evening, with wine, snacks and plenty of socializing. Many of the buildings…
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A Halal Christmas
Christmas in New York. My first one, and I would be alone, family would be in other parts of the country. But itās New York – no one is ever alone. In preparation for the big day, I checked out places guaranteed to host a swarm of tourists and fellow New Yorkers where I…
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No Gifts, Please
I know Iāve said it before but dang, New Yorkers wait in lots of lines. If you move to New York with an attitude that your time is precious, you can give that up. Because it takes an hour just to get where youāre going where you will wait in a line for 20 minutes.…
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Tragedy and comedy in The City
Once you have lived in New York and made it your home, no place else is good enough. – John Steinbeck I made it across Central Park yesterday* (cheering, fist pumps.) Ā It usually swallows me up and I stumble down some dark path into middle earth. From the west side to the east, all those…
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Hanging on the Upper West Side
Itās been a month since Iāve put pen to paper (so to speak). I have a really good excuse for not writing lately: Iāve been spending a lot of time on the Upper West Side. Itās clean. People donāt pee on the streets. Cavalier Spaniels do. I noticed it a few mornings ago, downtown in…
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The NY subway: your evening’s entertainment
Early evening on the F train last week, a very cute and happy looking 20-something black man in a Hawaiian shirt was sitting alone taking selfies. Smile. Flash. Smirk smile with head tilt. Flash. Smile with teeth. Flash. He was leaning his head on the window, thus his phone was pointing at the darkened window…
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The important Line Debate
I got a walking app yesterday. It shows me how many steps I take every day. I didnāt start it until late and just walked to a store a little ways away. In terms of how much ground I usually cover in a day, this was nothing. And it was 2400 steps. If I had…
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Being alone in New York City
Iāve learned a lot about Myself and The City on this amazing New York journey. I ask questions like āWhat do I want?ā āWhatās important to me?ā, and āWhy does the F train have a suspended weekend schedule?ā I donāt have the answers, just throwing it all out there. Iāve been both a tourist and…
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Being a real New Yorker
I changed my Facebook āLives Inā city to Brooklyn. Iām feeling like a real New Yorker. Had lunch in Chelsea with a friend and he, upper west side resident, remarked on my nascent noteworthy grasp of neighborhoods, train stops, landmarks, etc. I told him I like the challenge and discovering something new every day. Not…
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Let me talk a bit about bathrooms…
There are none in Manhattan. I was telling my friend this and he said, of course there are – they are labeled Starbucks, a term from the Dutch settlers meaning toilet. This welcoming chain has hosted many non-coffee drinkers seeking relief, and I know where almost every Starbucks is located. My Midwestern sensibility compels me…
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The Challenge of Getting Around
I realize that I am geographically challenged. I accept it. Donāt like it but thatās my reality, as they say. Ā Even with google maps I canāt tell which way Iām headed unless I turn the phone all around. And, since I can never appear to be (gasp) A Visitor, I keep going with resolve –…
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A Good Excuse…
Iāve not been as successful as I hoped keeping up this blog, and Iām sorry. I have a good excuse. Iāve been in bed. Coughing. I canāt type and cough. Someone gave me a bad case of bronchitis (which Iāve never had in my entire life) and I was laid up. I slept a lot.…
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My New York Surprise Today Ā
The best lessons learned are those we experience firsthand. My lesson for the day: there are umbrellas and there are New York City Umbrellas. Who knew? Walking down Flatbush Avenue toward LIU with my cheesy Minnesota umbrella (and a 40 wind gust having its way with it), the thing snapped itself shut – inside out…
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āScuse me, I gotta run
I was walking down Smith Street yesterday, a lively avenue with butcher shops, flower marts and tiny French restaurants. Groups of people were standing, engaged in loud and spirited conversations. āI sawr itā¦ā Ā āI sez, whada yuhs guys tawwkinā about?ā Ā āIt aināt woith it..Fuggedaboutit!ā We donāt do that in Minneapolis. When I see people on…
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Challenging myself
Thursday, April 16, 2015 I will admit it. My life in Minneapolis is great. But I think itās important to test your spirit, go outside that comfort zone, and, through resistance, strengthen muscles you didnāt know you had. For example, just once, everyone should live in a place with cockroaches. I donāt have cockroaches in…
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Welcome to New York
Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Iāve been in my new apartment for a week now. I wanted to write about all the surprises, expectations and experiences of my first week. Rather, Iāve spent it painting walls and gathering essentials (plates, knives, matches) and trying to remember why I left a beautiful, sunny loft in Minneapolis for…
Midgeworks Paintings & Illustrations 