NEW YORK CITY
FLAT IRON - UNION SQUARE - WILLIAMSBURG - BUSHWICK - TRIBECA - GREENWICH VILLAGE
My Other Home
I've been going to NYC since I was a child. When I was adopted at 8 months from Seoul, South Korea, I landed in Portland, OR. We moved to Delaware when I was two-four years old. I can't remember. It was before Alan arrived. My gay great uncles, Bruce Bossard and BIll Russell were at both of our arrivals. One is a secretary, and one is a Tony playwright. They're New Yorkers, and I went there when I was four in my favorite dress to the Ritz Carlton. I remember the awning of the hotel and my shoes and socks. The pictures jog my memories. It was pretty Mia Farrow. I puked up Linda's raspberry vinaigrette on a Greyhound bus back to Delaware.
Childhood
The Big Apple
I grew up in New England. I went to pre=school at Holy Angels with all grades. Alan arrived in Delaware, and we had a photoshoot in the woods. We went to NYC before he arrived and after, I believe? I have memories of bus stations, dresses, and broadway. I was in hotels as a child and traveled more than Linda's and Guy's siblings and parents by kindergarten. We would go to Philadelphia Phillies baseball games. That's where the train stations and buses are. I was excited when Alan arrived, because I didn't want to be alone anymore. The New York Uncles would also come to visit us where I would sing Disney songs on my childhood tape casette on video.
Adolescence
Queens & Manhatttan
In high school, I spent a summer in NYC at Columbia University with my best friend. She's from the UK, but her parents are from Mississippi. She studied biology, and I studied Creative Writing before I won the Thomas Leck English Award. We saw Spring Awakening multiple times. My cousins were living there as were my uncles. Guy, Linda, and Alan came with us to have dinner and see everyone before we went off to the summer program. It's always been harder for me than them, but they're jealous of me. I took the initiative and had the idea to do that. I was college focused very early as that was my next life move according to Linda. She was very adamant about that. When I was 12, I said I wanted a career, not a husband. I've always been different and excelled at whatever I choose to focus my energy on.
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She loved Magnolia Bakery, and we would walk around the city, Central Park. and explore with our different classes. One of the big group outings was to go to the M&M store together. My classmate who lived there and was from there, Evan, invited us to his house with his friends. I guess we were the only cool ones. We had an early curfew. Nothing inappropriate happened. I had a boyfriend, and he went with Chelsea after that. His dad was a urologist. We were the two strongest writers in our group. Everyone recognized that and was nice about it, so that was actually cool and worth it.
Adulthood
Flat Iron & Union Square
New York is a city that has everything and is always active. On one trip, my high school bestie and I went to Panorama Music Festival. We saw Cashmere Cat, Justice, Glass Animals, Vince Staples, and many others. You have to take the ferry to the island. We stayed in an AirBnB.;
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When I was working as a Product Designer at The Onion, I would travel to the NYC during a merger with my new boss and coworkers. They sent me out first as the bridge and the scout, because I am the coolest and most attractive. People generally like me, and I excel in professional settings. I met all of the Univision and Gawker Media stuff. We had to sit in the big office in the Flatiron district. I like Union Square, because that's an easy walk to get there. You get to walk through all of the hustle bustle.
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I learned about Jamba Juice from the other Head of Product, Lauren, before she left to go to a different digital publsiher. My boss was a Hungarian immigrant and the other designer was Chinese. We all worked well together and got along fine on a work level. Michelle and I became closer like Rachel, and my work relationship in Chicago. I make friends easily. They let me stay with them after I had a bad Airbnb in Bushwick.
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I've been to NYC a lot, so my memory is scattered. They also visited me and stayed here for a wedding.; Then they moved to LA, because it was all falling apart. We were losing all of our top talent, so I did what I could. Do my job and make my own thing while the clock dwindles down. Bad management and not caring during a merger creates a toxic and unpleasant work environment.
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I had friends there as well from college and life. The Knitting Factory. Long Island. The Botanical Garden. The Subway. Peter Pan Donuts. St. Peter's Basilica. The World Trade Center Memorial. The MoMa. The Guggenheim. The Met. Broadway. Time's Square. The Class. Tribeca. Eat by Chloe. Bleeker St. Milk Bar. Momofuku. Williamsburg. Friends. Sushi Bombs. Reiki sessions in Brooklyn. Street Art. Organic Nail Salons. Artist Lofts. Hawaiian Tropic. Upper East Side. The Grey Dog. Blue Bottle. The Whythe.
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I've had New York trips for business, leisure, and romance. That's my triangle. That's my zone. I mind my own business and get noticed, followed, and copied. I'm an influencer in real life first. That's why the internet is easy. That's why I chose that as my business profession and career path, because it took a decade to build. The smell of hot garbage and bricks. No place like it in the world. Dirty tissues, post-metro.
Transportation
Logistical Lauren
Strategy
Taxi Cabs
There are many boroughs in NYC. That's what they call the neighborhoods or counties, I guess. There's Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Queens, Harlem, The Islands, Flat Iron, Tribeca, Times Square, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and more. I probably got some of them wrong, but taxis were the main way of tourist transport to get around the city to all of the different boroughs. Each area has a distinct look, feel, vibe, and personality. In each district, there are different industries and areas of specialty.
Design
BIkes
A lot of people like to bike. I do not like biking in a city, but I have before. I might for a leisurely rental, but that's not like my vibe. I admire the courage of the bike couriers, and everyone that does that. I can't. I'll just walk or cab or uber or subway it. Most people in NYC don't have cars, because it's an expensive nuisance. That's city life.
Marketing
Subway Stations
The small tiles on the walls that spell out the stops always caught my eye. Some of them don't have those types of signs. These days, they have the touch screen directories on some of the platforms with all of the colors and letters. Everything is confusing in comparison to Chicago. The Loop and CTA is very simple in comparison to the NYC Underground. There's a book about urban legend and The Mole People. It's very dirty down there. There are many sounds, smells, performers, and lurkers.
Digital
Planes
LGA or JFK. I usually fly in and out of La Guardia. One time there was a pigeon that was trapped in the terminal, and no one was very concerned about it JFK and ORD are those kind of people. MDW and LGA are those kinds of people. I've flown out of all of them at some point, but I just go with what feels more regular.
I Love NY
01
The Food
Everybody gets the pizza in NYC. Katz's Deli. The Seinfeld Diner. Magnolia Bakery. The Bagels. The Bodegas. The Greek coffee cups. The Bacon, Egg, & Cheeses. The Vegans. The Ethnic Eats. Eats by Chloe. Juice Generation. Donuts.
Life revolves around food. You can't function if you don't fuel yourself. I enjoy the mix of classic pleasure eats and the new and modern options. They have everything good there - new and old. Food brings people together.
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I've been to a lot of other places that I'm not mentioning here, but it's about the food culture. You don't want to blow up the spot. That ruins the local life with the secret spots.
02
The People
There's every kind of person in NYC which is what makes it great, scary, and real. New York is a dirty freshness with a fast pace and small pockets of peace. You just have to know where to go or how to find them. It's about wandering and being a flander. I like to walk when I'm there. It's a good work out.
It clearly helps if you know people there or have been there before. If you go on your own for the first time, it's easily overwhelming. That's why they say, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.
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It's not uncommon for people in Connecticut and New Jersey to commute into the city for work. Living in New York is a commitment to that kind of lifestyle.
03
The Lifestyle
New Yorkers will always tell you to look out for yourself first.
That's the way of the world, which is why I haven't wanted to move there long-term or full-time. It takes a special kind and the freedom to do so. People will follow you, old ties won't let go, and so on. I like that city in small doses and trips spread out over time.
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The cultural movement of trends, ideas, and thoughts have historically moved from east to west back to the midwest and then south if it ever gets wind of it via travel.
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People from NYC and Jersey come to Florida for Jimmy Buffet and mob ties. That's the PanAm connection of American History and development of infrastructure, industry, and real estate for tourism based economies, time-shares, condos, second homes, etc.
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Travel Fiction
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