Cyn in NYC

Turning 22 in the city.

2008-12-09T10:12:00.001-08:00

It's funny how things kind of start to come together when time is running out.

4 Train not unlike 405.

2008-12-03T11:49:00.000-08:00

I was stuck somewhere between East 125th street and 86th for ~40 minutes Monday morning around 8:30 AM. This coupled with a maddeningly slow crosstown train into the Bronx made my normally 30 minute commute to East 68th street a 1 hour and 15 minute one, due to what was apparently many sick passengers on board the train in front of us. Thanks to the delay, the next few local trains went express to move things along, which meant I had to get off at 59th street and run like hell. Yay, Monday!

One thing I kept thinking was, "How is this not just like Los Angeles?" Don't get me wrong, NYC MTA has an extensive system that gets you anywhere. However, train delays, track closures and door malfunctions are a daily occurence. I have to add an extra 30 minutes to my morning commutes to get ANYWHERE on time. And apparently the problem is getting worse. Delays are up 25% from last year.

FOOD.

2008-12-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

I'm broke as all hell in this fine city, but this does not mean that I don't indulge in eating out. This and my weakness for fine beers are the root of the problem.

Anywho, here are some great spots I've frequented in the past couple of weeks.

Alachi Masala, Upper West Side: I wasn't expecting much out of this place, considering its location. Spiciest (and most delicious!) lamb and potato dish I've ever consumed! Luckily my stomach took it like a pro. And we were treated to rice pudding for dessert. Score! Well worth the 13 dollars and condescending waiter. I asked for more rice, and he pointed to my nearly empty bowl and said, "finish that." OK MOM.

Excellent Dumpling House, Downtown-ish: Not really sure what part of town this falls under...we were walking up from Battery Park/WTC and kind of stumbled into it. It's a shady area of town, if you ask me. Yes, tried the dumplings. Mediocre at best - they were steamed and a little watery, and the napkin they were served over looked kind of sketch/unsanitary. Dug the LoMein, however and practically cleaned my plate. Then again, I was also ridiculously hungry. Would probably go back again, but I don't really have a reason to be down in Canal Street anytime soon.

Cafe Lalo, Upper West Side: Okay granted, we picked a slice of chocolate mousse to go. It's just short of the corner of Amsterdam on 83rd, so I'm sure I walked past it tons of times and missed it. The decor of the place was really cool (might have to stop by again to eat in at some point), and the mousse was fucking amazing. Definitely gave more weight to the "chocolate as an aphrodisiac" argument. Really!

BCD Tofu, Herald Square: YES. YES. YES. I've been awaiting the opening of this restaurant about as much as I have been awaiting the opening of Topshop. Comparisons to the K-town Los Angeles one are inevitable. As with most Los Angeles/New York comparisons, it boils down to style of substance. This one is swankier by far. There's a bar and grills at the bigger tables. They play the latest K-pop tunes. The Coke comes in cute little Korean bottles. But, when I asked for spicy, I got mild. When I asked for water, I got something that tasted like it came straight from the hose. Also, the eggs provided for the tofu soup were too big and didn't cook properly, even though the soup came boiling hot as usual. All for 3-4 dollars more than the Koreatown L.A. location? No thanks. But in the meantime, this is my go-to soup place.

Cocoa Bar, Lower East Side: Do we have something like this in Los Angeles? Maybe. If not, someone needs to get on this because it's fantastic. Coffee + wine + chocolate? Yes please. That being said, I was not terribly impressed. I ordered chocolate cake (notice a pattern here), and was given a nearly frozen slice, destroying all hopes of appreciating the flavor. I know it was near closing time, but really? Didn't try the wine, but the gals enjoyed their picks. But all the same...bad cake means no business from me. Your cute hipster barista and excellent background music redeemed you not, Cocoa Bar.

Long Overdue, but still timely

2008-11-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in earlier posts, Columbia and the Movimiento Alas people put on an event that brought together a gaggle of Latin American presidents, not to mention Shakira and Alejandro Sanz. Translating devices were in high demand.

Here are some YouTube clips of the conference moderated by hotshot gringo economist, Jeffrey Sachs. Tony Saca's [heavily edited] spiel appears around 2:10. Little style, even less substance.

October has been eventful.

2008-10-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

October: Landed two jobs in the Upper East Side, had a friend visit from Los Angeles, missed Los Angeles some mo', finally got around to do touristy things, like visit the Statue of Liberty, Strawberry Fields and eat Friday's in Times Square (not too proud of the latter). I also saw Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen at JFK. Tiny and alien-like, they are.

I'm visiting Strawberry Fields again if time and weather permit, and I'm determined to get some ice skating in at Rockefeller Center. Allen bailed out on me last week.

Also, In the name of social science research, I've only slept about 6 hours in the past two days. And it's 38 motherfucking degrees outside.

More later.

New York Man Specimen #1

2008-10-05T21:42:00.001-07:00

As luck would have it, this past weekend witnessed me dancing and nearly pashing with a 30-something Angeleno turned East Village snob, who shall remain nameless mainly because memory fails me.

The location: A tapas bar in Soho, with excellent sangria, tapas and a good mix of both gringo Latin music enthusiasts and actual Latins. I expect many more visits to this place before the year is up

Overheard in Harlem #1

2008-09-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

"She's a four-eyed honey, she's a four-eyed ho!"

-Random boy on the A Train (couldn't have been older than 12 or 13), spittin' rhymes at my nerdy expense.

Weekend recap.

2008-09-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

The weather was gloomy and rainy this weekend. I might have to break down and invest in galoshes, as my standard footwear (black Converse Jack Purcells) leave my poor feet soaked after just a couple of blocks. I've never had the need to purchase galoshes, since rain in Los Angeles rarely goes beyond a light drizzle.

Speaking of my hometown, I missed it terribly this weekend. More on that later, I suppose.

I finally got around to visiting The Museum of Modern Art. I'm not terribly well-versed on the topic of art, and was glad to have a knowledgeable companion along with me. Highlights: Campbell Soup Cans, assorted Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp and (overpriced) Damien Hirst pieces. That's the extent of my art knowledge. Pretentiousness ends here.

Also: Spotted Sondre Lerche (or a very convincing look-alike) by Union Square. Gawked. Saw Burn after Reading, and was not impressed.

Mouse in the house!

2008-09-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it wouldn't be New York without 'em.

First sighting occurred around midnight last night. Was ~~talking~~ complaining to a friend on the phone about a toothache that has been persisting for the past week. He suggested Ibuprofen, and off I went in search of my Ziplock bag full of meds. That's when I heard rustling near my wastebasket. I turn to look and a mouse darts across the room, and squeezes its way out through the space between the door and floor. I drop my phone in the process and the battery pops out, and then I have to put it back together, hands shaking. I don't know just how much more trauma my poor aging PEBL can take.

For now, I'm inspecting my room thoroughly and covering the gap between the door and floor before I go to bed. I've never been one to freak out over mice (on the contrary, I've always thought they're pretty cute), but maybe that's changing.

New York Flicks: Man On Wire

2008-09-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Spent Thursday night at the Sunshine Cinema, also known as the "hippest theater" in New York City. I suppose businesses located in the East Village have a license to call themselves the hippest anything. It was my first time down there; my daily activities rarely take me below 32nd unless I'm doing the tourist thing.

It's also the only Landmark Theater in New York, and having inherited a ticket to any screening back in July, I figured I had nothing to lose. Chose to watch Man on Wire, mainly because it was New York related, and I figure I need to expose myself to as much of this stuff as can while living here. Woody Allen flicks are also in my mental queue, by the way. I sheepishly admit that I've yet to watch one. Judge me as you must, film snobs.

Also, idea of whimsical, child-like stratagems triumphing in an otherwise ho-hum, drone-like corporate setting such as the WTC is a really beautiful one to me.

The story: A Frenchman, tightrope walker by trade, learns of the building of the WTC Towers. Thus, his dream of walking across the towers is born. Somehow enlists team of friends who apparently have no dreams or aspirations of their own to help him plan what is considered a crime.

The result: Cooky Frenchman triumphs over regimented American capitalist system. Americans prove once again that they have no sense of humor.

And I've discovered that I may have a fear of heights.

Missed Photo Ops: Part I

2008-09-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

At M2M, my new go-to place for cheap udon noodles and sushi (no stomach flu symptoms as of yet). The workers had taped a sign to the display counter that read, "QUE VIVA MEXICO CABRONES." The (mostly white) patrons did not share in my amusement, their eyes glazed over as they waited for their soups.

Sigh.

While on the subject of Mexico, President Felipe Calderón will be at Columbia on Wednesday, participating in a ~~shameless photo op~~ forum on the "Children of Latin America," along with the presidents of Argentina, Paraguay, Panama and El Salvador. I'm looking forward to hearing the latter speak the most, of course.

"You looked better on myspace!"

2008-09-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

In an effort to dress up the old blog, I've added a profile picture. Profile pictures are tricky. A flattering photo is a must. When flattering photos are few and far between, bloggers resort to side-profile shots, sunglasses, exaggerated bangs covering one eye or both, terrible lighting, the list goes on. I'll join the club and post a silhouette photo.

That said, there are two things wrong with this photo:

1. It was taken over two years ago.
2. It's not of Cyn(thia) in NYC, but rather Cyn(thia) in LDN. It's me looking upon St. Paul's and London from the Tate Modern.

It's pretty obvious that photos of my 21-year old self must be taken for the sake of posterity (as well as the unlikely case that a MISSING flyer must be put together). But I also think the photo encompasses what I'm interested in academically and professionally. In a way. Bear with me.
While the specifics are still quite nebulous in my head, one of my life's goals is to not only visit and live in as many cities as I can, but to become heavily involved in the planning and development of cities. At what level remains to be seen.

Freedom Tastes of Reality

2008-09-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

So I've been in New York City for a little over a week.

Just another move in my string of impulsive decisions of 2008. I'm scheduled to return to Los Angeles in December, but that can all change, depending on whatever circumstance I find myself in come the end of the year.

But I've been productive! I managed to get myself accepted to Columbia's post-baccalaureate studies program. It's been both bureaucratically maddening and academically awesome. So that's my official reason for being here. I should also get some graduate school applications in along the way. We'll see how that goes.

Unofficially, my reasons are quite simple. Explore. Live. Enjoy.
As any die-hard urbanite should. Seeing as my social life is slightly above non-existent here, I spend my leisure time wandering around New York, neck craned at an angle above 45 degrees, except when taking a peek at my map book, or ogling the clothing in shop windows. I have this (illogical) idea that the worst part of being a tourist is acting like one. I wandered into Times Square last Friday and was absolutely disgusted with myself, and even more so when I got stuck in the turnstile at the 42nd Street Station. N00b.

It's all part of the process of getting to know the city, I suppose. Show me the good and the bad, New York City. I want to see it all!!!

But spare the muggings.