i have returned from my new york getaway and let me just say i might be one of the only people who is not completely in love with city. a great place to visit, but i would probably go crazy if i lived there. maybe southern california has spoiled me with its ever predictable weather (sunny and sunny), endless variety of cheap asian food (valley blvd, anyone?), and never having to worry about falling onto an uncovered public toilet seat (until 2 weeks ago, i didn't know those seat covers were a "courtesy"). i'll give you a rundown of my thoughts on good old nyc.pros:
- things are pretty much open 24/7. there was never a moment where the thought "i'm hungry but i will have to settle for stale bag of goldfish crackers" crossed my mind. for you drunkies out there, last call is at 4am.
- there are a ton of places to eat. i think the only chain restaurants i saw were in times square, which i don't think any native new yorkers actually go to.
- you can sit outside and not have to suffer in a cloud of lung cancer causing smoke. you can also people watch, which is definitely more fun in ny than it is in the oc. even when you are outside, your only view is of a parking lot with nice landscaping.
- they have topshop and uniqlo! stores i always check out online but never buy from because i am a cheap bitch who doesn't want to pay s&h.
- the architecture is actually nice to look at.
- they actually have national landmarks older than my parents.
- no tax on clothing, at least in the city!
- if you want to pee, good luck. the restrooms are either closed after a certain hour or just plain don't exist. if you do find one, expect it to be small (if you turn around too fast, your ass might knock over the hand dryer because again, there are NO PAPER TOWELS), dirty, and without protectors for my butt cheeks.
- many places only accept cash or american express. no, i'm not talking about those hole in the wall asian eateries people are always complaining about over here. i'm talking about nice establishments serving 7 course meals.
- things can be expensive. we wandered into a supposedly "famous" deli for a meal. a pastrami sandwich cost $17. no joke. you can get one from the hat for about $7 over here. i can't compare, though, because i couldn't even bring myself to spend $17 on a sandwich.
- the weather is a fucking bitch! first few days went like this: rain. downpour. humidity. sun. rain. downpour. humidity. sun.
- maybe i'm being a baby, but i'm always a little wary when entering the subway station. sorry, but if you need to blare out ongoing messages about watching out for theives across your speakers, then be prepared for some stereotyping.
- i am not sure if i love or hate the subways. they are convenient and cheap. but they can also be crowded and annoying if you have been waiting for one for 20 minutes and when you finally see it coming, it just goes right on by you. in the end i think my car wins, but in ny traffic, i would gladly get sandwiched between the french tourist and an up and coming rap superstar.
um.. this post is about 3 weeks too late. i suck at blogging.
