Gone to NYC

First thing to know is that the line is a mile long. Wow. We went on a Monday night, and stood in line for probably 40 minutes. It winds and winds and then winds around the corner before winding some more. Then you take the elevator up to the upper floors, and stand in line. Needless to say, this sight is a popular one!

On the way up, we saw these blinds with "Do Not Touch" signs on them. Somehow, I don't think people have been reading the sign!

This was the view as we walked up to the building. Amazing.

A slightly closer view (this is the very topmost spire of the building, taken from the observation deck).

Looking south. In the foreground, lit in beautiful white light, is the Met Life Insurance building. The river of concrete bathed in red light is Fifth Avenue, and near the bottom of the photo is where it meets Broadway. Wedged into the V made by the two avenues is the famous Flatiron Building, one of New York's first skyscrapers and definitely one of our most beloved. In the distance taking up the right half of the photo is the financial district with its many skyscrapers.

Looking east to Brooklyn/Queens.

Looking north, my favorite view. Up close, with the 300 foot tall antenna, is the Conde Nast Building. Needless to say, it houses Conde Nast, the major fashion publishing company where I consulted last year. Far off in the distance is the George Washington bridge, the fourth largest suspension bridge in the U.S., which sees over a quarter million cars go across every day.

And of course, what visit to the Empire State Building visit would be complete without throwing something down onto the unsuspecting masses below? I chose a paper airplane. It made it about 30 feet before beight caught in a giant net.

Apparently I'm not the only person who had that idea.

I am my own wife

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Wed, 09 May 2007 00:45:00 +0000

This guy had "I am my own wife" emblazoned onto his jacket. I have no idea what to make of that, but it certainly stands out!

Adventures in D.C.

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 20:35:00 +0000

In the second part of my two part series about traveling the adventurous way, AKA shoestring traveling, AKA "I hope my bus doesn't catch on fire" (see part 1), I stayed at a Hostel in Washington D.C..

$22 per night is unbeatable. Pictured here is David in one of the rooms with 9 beds.

The little details were great, like the lovingly framed jigsaw puzzle of Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog, and Animal.

Also, the backyard complete with grill, ping pong table, limbo bar, and hammocks.

Unfortunately I didn't capture the funniest part of the adventure on film. This is a photo of the light fixture in the bathroom, painstakingly painted over. The pinnacle moment was here in the very same bathroom, when I went to use the sink to brush my teeth. It's usually a little off-putting when you see a hair or two on a sink. Well... when I walked toward the sink, there wasn't a hair or two. There was so much hair on it that you'd be hard pressed to touch your finger to the sink without hitting a strand (or ten). It takes a brave soul to commence brushing anyway. As a finale, the water pipe was disconnected from the drain, so after running the water it just pooled out from under the sink onto the floor. So THAT explains why the rug is wet in a half-circle pattern.

The view from the front door. Overall, the people were cool and the price was unbeatable. Better to go to D.C. on the cheap than to not go at all!

Haircut in the City

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:25:00 +0000

One of my early memories of New York City was a special (Insomniac?) about a place in NY where you can get your hair cut in the middle of the night. How cool is that? I've come to realize that the label "City that never sleeps" refers to the immense amount of late night activities which are available. Like other cities though, most parts of it shut down during off-peak hours.

In the photo, there on the second floor is Insitu Salon, the place where I get my hair cut. After years of struggling with bad haircuts and avoiding the barber, I finally found a place where I feel like it gets done right. Kim, my stylist, does a great job of considering my hair to be a part of my look, instead of giving me the same haircut the last 200 guys got. It's one of the few areas where I splurge, and I enjoy every minute of it. Like most New Yorkers, Kim is ambitious and involved in many things. Take her ice cream company for example.

No Smoking Area

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 16:31:00 +0000

A New York no smoking area, complete with New Yorkers doing what they want anyway despite what a sign says.

You learn a lot about personal boundaries in New York City. You learn that you don't have to hang out with people just because they want to hang out with you, you learn that you don't have to stick with an activity just because you're good at it or your friends want you to, and you learn to ask yourself the question "What are the consequences?". There are just too many friends, too many activities, and too little time to settle for anything less than doing what's best for you.

Like the famous quote says, "Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft." A little toughness never hurts.

Trendy furniture

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:02:00 +0000

"Step right up! Get your one-of-a-kind antique chair, now for only one thousand dollars!"

That's what I thought at first too. But actually, this chair is meant as a demonstration of how ABC Carpet + Home reuses materials in the construction of their chairs, which I bet do cost a thousand.

I have had a few interesting experiences with furniture in New York. The first was a small door next to a beautiful old church by Gramercy Park. The door had an antiques sign on it, and despite looking very mysterious and dark, I ducked inside. It turned out to be an amazing little furniture store, with some really great restored pieces. I will not soon be able to justify overpriced furniture, but it's fun to look at. The second experience I had was walking home from a dance class - I saw a great chair which would fit perfectly in my room without wasting space. I walked inside to ask the price, and couldn't find anyone. Finally, in the back, was a guy who looked up at me like a snooty british butler as I asked "how much is the chair in the window?". The reply? Twelve thousand dollars.

I'll take two.

New Yorker

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 12:10:00 +0000

And proud of it.

The famous Chinatown Bus

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 19:49:00 +0000

On my second trip to Washington D.C. in the 20 weeks I've been here, I decided to follow through on my plan. I purchased a round-trip ticket to D.C. (only $18 each way!) on the infamous Chinatown Bus.

Luckily, David (pictured, third photo scratching his eye) and I arrived early. That is good, because it took us a little bit to realize that there was no bus station; rather, we all had to stand against the curb. Then the bus swooped in, we piled on, and it took back off. Who needs a bus station anyway?

Unfortunately for the last two women to arrive, the bus was full. They were on their way to a wedding, and needed to catch this bus to make it. At my prompting, a few people offered their seats for the price it would be worth to them to give them up. Although I didn't say this, mine was worth something like $400 or $500 to me because I was on my way to the Toastmasters International Convention. But one guy did offer his for $100, and a woman offered hers for $40. The two women didn't respond. About then, the bus swooped off. Oh well, $18 doesn't buy you much service. It's fend-for-yourself at that price!

Then the guy next to me watched a movie on his laptop. In chinese. At full volume. He got yelled at by the $40 woman, and turned it down a bit, but I was thankful when his battery ran out; regardless of the fact that I found the chinese popular culture to be fascinating to watch from a cinematography and body language perspective. That, and my first exposure to the "Chinese language" version of Windows. Most of it was in English.

The bus driver's driving habits were also amusing. I never thought I'd see a bus driver fly down the exit ramp, then at the last second cut back into main traffic. Makes sense, really; he has enough weight to get away with it. I guess a New York driver is a New York driver, car or bus!

Overall, I would do it again. I mean, at least my bus didn't catch on fire.

Leadership and speaking

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:02:00 +0000

This is my boss at Conde Nast giving speeches on our infrastructure. He's two years older than I am, much like my boss at Match.com was. My Toastmasters experience has already paid off heavily; I can only imagine how far I'll be in two more years!

Plus, look at that suit! Suits aren't out of place in New York City, and I'm falling in love with them. I wore mine when I helped orchestrate a demonstration Toastmasters meeting at the New York Society of Security Analysts, and I felt like a million bucks. I wore it to work today without a tie, as a sort of casual look, and again felt like a million bucks.

Time to start saving up for more suits!

Skyline, everywhere!

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 15:27:00 +0000

The view, looking south, from the cafeteria in my office building. I used to love seeing the building and working from within my 16th floor office in the 22-story Millenium Center in Dallas. Now I'm surrounded by amazing buildings, and have stood nearly a quarter-mile up in the air. I'm counting down to the completion of the Bank of America building and the Freedom Tower.

Interesting Encounters

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:15:00 +0000

This guy has been written about in newspapers; he goes around and sells vegetable peelers. "You won't find these peelers in stores". "These are made in Switzerland". "Sharpest peelers you can buy".

I wasn't buying it. But a few people did, in the short time I was watching.

You can't pass this sign and not stop! I talked with Bill (left) for fifteen or twenty minutes. Turns out they're part of a small organization, TalkToMe.org. The guy on the far right was a fellow passerby, and he let me in on the details about a big group of rollerbladers who skate through the city every Wednesday.

A NYC video

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:53:00 +0000

Ran across this great video: 24 hours in New York City. The cool thing is that as they were going through the neighborhoods, I was able to identify which neighborhood they were in before the caption came up. Guess those walking tours paid off!

New York Moments #9

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 18:07:00 +0000

Aside from beautiful people, NYC also has more than its share of beautiful dogs, like this blue merle collie. It's not at all uncommon to see tiny little dogs poking out from purses and jackets.

A row of buildings like this serves as the main attraction in a lot of towns, such as Telluride, CO. In NYC, it's the norm.

A set of buildings like that with businesses on the first floor and apartments above, serves as a trendy, hip, happening place to live in a lot of cities, such as Dallas, Tx. In Manhattan, the entire city is constructed that way! It's a great way to live.

Am I the only one who thinks that's an odd design for pants?

A few weeks ago, I to see a show with Ismael Auray, a film director from Canada who was in town for a month. The show was called Esoterica, and features Eric Walton (pictured, on left) performing magic tricks and demonstrating his incredible memory. I was probably the only person in the entire audience who knew how he did the memory tricks, as I've learned them myself from Ron White. Incredibly useful skills, and as Eric demonstrated, lucrative too.

Ismael Auray. What's cool is that he filmed one of his short films and a music video right in the Penington, where I live. The music video--for a contemporary Canadian composer, Pierre Laponte--is available for download. Check it out. If you look closely, you'll see me for a split second in the background, to the left of the dancing couple.

It's amazing how quickly you get used to crowds in New York. For instance, the crowd pictured here didn't bother me at all.

There are signs in the subway warning people against climbing down into the tracks. The warning reminds everyone that the "third rail" is electrically charged. I've often wondered which one is the "third rail", being that there are only two rails. Well, I finally saw a clue: perhaps it's the one with two 1 inch thick copper wires welded across the gap in the rail. Makes you wonder how much current is going through there...

Batteries. I've noticed an odd thing in the Subway - there are batteries strewn all along between the rails. Duracell batteries. I haven't figured out why they are there... My best theory is that the subway workers go through a lot of them in their flashlights or radios. Or maybe walkman wielding passengers heed the warning on the battery--you know, the one that warns you not to throw the batteries in the garbage.

Imagine my surprise at finding a bulldozer parked underneath the stairs in the Subway (mind you, there is only about 2 feet of room on each side of the stairway before you fall off into the tracks). Imagine my further surprise to find someone asleep in the bulldozer!

I love the wording of this ad in a subway train. "A handful of peanuts a day may hand you more days, period". It's like saying "We think peanuts might be healthy, and that's a fact".

Rockafeller Center. Famous for its observatory, "Top of the Rock". That's where my current favorite photo of NY was shot: A New York Sunset. What makes the Rockafeller Center building interesting is that from the other side, it's a thick "slab" of a building. Hopefully soon, I'll get to check out the view from the observatory. First though, I need to check off the Empire State Building observatory. Who's with me?

Now that's a door. Spotted on Fifth Avenue, near the Rockefeller center.

Oftentimes, I want to capture the size of a structure or the feeling of a particular experience. Many times, it's hopeless, because you'd need to be able to take a 360 photo to really grasp how breathtaking a scene is. This photo comes fairly close to capturing the size of one of the churches on Fifth Avenue. For comparison, The Trinity Church, a different church located downtown, is famous for being a landmark for ships sailing towards New York. It is that tall; and I bet this church is even taller.

Then you realize that the Empire State is six times that size.

The original Saks Fifth Avenue.

It's not very often you see a thousand-foot-tall building being supported by a few pillars.

Another awesome New York sight. There is a large glass cube in the middle of a block by Central Park. Apparently, when it first appeared, it had a line wrapped all the way around the block and populated with characters such as Kevin Bacon.

When you get closer, you see the Apple logo, and realize that there is one, single, solitary elevator just below the logo.

Going down the elevator, you discover a complete Apple store! It's much better organized than any other technology store I've ever been in.

The view looking up on the way out of the store.

Someone made a great video of the day the Apple store opened. Check it out.

This building found a cool place to plant some trees! I'm pushing for a green roof at the Penington.

This is the path which runs up the east side of Manhattan near 20th St. It's great for rollerblading. Note the small patch of beach on the right side of the photo. It's the only patch I've seen on the east side, and is about big enough for 20 people to crowd onto. Someday soon I'll have to visit Coney Island. It fits a few more people.

A beautiful, deserted public space, and its view looking north up the east river. Since I discovered it (thanks to Kathy from the Penington), it has been a frequent stop while rollerblading along the east side pathway. It was built very recently, so it's not well known yet. There aren't any clues as you walk past it either; it's hidden between a few buildings. There are so many great little gems in Manhattan, if you just know where to look!

The most fun friend I've made in NYC: Nathalie Dore. We've rollerbladed down half of the eastern side of Manhattan. Next up: the entire west side.

The parlor at the Penington.

A piece of graffiti pointed out by my friend Nathaniel, an artist who was in town for the summer with his wife Iryna. He pointed out that these keys can be found all over the lower east side, and they're always in the most hard-to-reach places. He's right; I've seen about 8 of them now, and I have no idea how the guy who creates them gets them up to where they are. The only thing I can think is that he hauls around a 20 foot ladder with him. Not very plausible in New York!

Nathaniel. (beard, patterned shirt)

His wife, Iryna. (in the white baby-tee)

His art. (Psychic Radio - Fission & Ice)

His art show. (at the 2006 Chelsea International Fine Art Competition)

Random red fire-breathing woman in Union Square.

These two people were dressed exactly the same. Made for a strange sight early in the morning.

Another Segway. What better place to own one than here?

Someone important (center) being escorted by a 6'5 bodyguard (left) to her driver (right).

Random very beautiful person. Cruising down fashion avenue with mother, radiating importance.

Someone decided to something productive with all of the MetroCards the city discards daily.

Sheep's Meadow, Central Park, New York. I skated past it on my way to the Central Park Dance Skater's Association.

There were a bunch of incredibly skilled dancers at the event (think figure skaters--on roller skates), as well as a substantial audience, and even a film-maker doing a documentary on my skating instructor. My class participated in the dance for our graduation. It was incredibly fun; I was sad when I had to go. On the way out, I signed a release to include me in the film.

A little reminder of South Texas - a mariachi band trio playing right next to me.

Random key embedded in the concrete. With keys embedded in it.

Grimaldi's Pizza. One of the best pizza joints in New York City, and man, that's not a joke! The pizza was amazing. Aaron (pictured) and I went there to check it out.

I snuck a photo of them preparing our pizza. Word is they use all organic ingredients, special ordered from a place where they know the quality will be high.

I tried to capture a shot of the coal-fired oven, but the coal was just too bright for my little camera. Coal-fired pizza ovens have been outlawed in Manhattan (unless you already had one). Coal-fired is more desireable though, because you can get the heat much higher than electric ovens, creating crispier pizzas. To avoid the law, places like Grimaldi's build their pizza spots all around the outskirts of the island. Grimaldi's is right on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Yum. You can tell which side of the pizza was close to the coal (hint, it's the closer side)! It looks burnt, but it wasn't. Just dark.

That's one way to lock your door! For some reason, this tree was allowed to grow through the bars on the door.

New York experienced quite the heat wave this summer. Nathalie, Joelle and I were all relaxing on the roof of the Penington, when I noticed that this once cylindrical candle was looking rather... flat. I joked that it must have been the heat, thinking it was actually just caused by the candle melting from use. It wasn't until I touched it and it oozed out melted wax that I realized it was from the heat. Wow.

Next time you're in the mood for some seriously delicious (and seriously expensive) breakfast food, check out Balthazar. I went with a group of friends, and it was definitely worth the trip. The Brioche French Toast just melts in your mouth...

Aaron at Balthazar, digging into his breakfast.

A shot of the stage at the theater where the play The History Boys was playing. I went with my friend Susan Cannaday, a writer. Blue Man Group is still my favorite Broadway show.

Now talk about your "only in NY" experiences. I got a hookup (thanks Molly and Brie!) on some awesome seats for the screening of "The Manchurian Candidate" at the Bryant Park Film Festival. This is a free event, so awesome seats are hard to come by. Brie was there three hours before the movie to save the spot, and combined with a threat of rain--which never materialized--we had quite the view.

A very blurry shot of the HBO "feature presentation" teaser which played before the movie. It was blurry because a few hundred people were all dancing to the HBO tune. In the spirit of the film festival, I of course had to participate myself. Needless to say, the festival is a great crowd experience. For instance, when Frank Sinatra walked out, everyone clapped; when he patted his wife on the butt and said "now go be a good little housewife and get us some drinks", all the guys clapped and cheered. Oddly, the women didn't laugh.

Here's a shot of Bryant park from a webcam. The webcam is set up to let visitors see the size of the crowd at the festival. I saved this shot right before I left to go to the movie, so it was probably about half again this many people by the time it started. The funny thing is that when I arrived, I distinctly remember thinking "Hey, it's not crowded!". I meant that too--I had expected a much thicker crowd. That was the moment I realized just how much I'm at home in NYC.

Conde Nast

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:45:00 +0000

Well, here it is, the long awaited Conde Nast post. For those of you just arriving, I started a new job working at Conde Nast, the largest fashion publishing firm, right here in the fashion and publishing capital of the world. Just think Vogue, Glamour, Vanity Fair, GQ, Allure, W, Style; as well as many others such as The New Yorker, Wired, Architectural Digest, Golf Digest... The book and movie The Devil Wears Prada are based on an editor-in-chief at Conde Nast. Needless to say, it's a very New York place to work!

To start off, here's a shot looking down the street near my building, a block east of Times Square.

Some coworkers. Conde Nast is famous for it's beautiful people. In the headquarters building, the employees are 75% female, and it's not at all uncommon to see models walking to and fro.

The view outside of my window.

As mentioned above, I read The Devil Wears Prada before starting my job here. The book is about an assistant who was hired to work for the editor-in-chief of Vogue here at Conde Nast, and the crazy demands which were put on the assistant. The book was very good, and really makes you think about your life priorities. The author changed all of the names in the book, but the descriptions in the book fit perfectly with Conde Nast. Pictured here is the newstand mentioned in the book as the place where the editor-in-chief's magazines were purchased in a rush every morning.

The movie has many good shots of New York, but deviates so much from the book that it's not the same story any more. It's Hollywood. I highly recommend the book if you were interested in the movie!

My workspace, complete with Aeron chair, Dell flatscreen, and iMac.

The famous cafeteria at Conde Nast. Before I started working here, people were already talking about the cafeteria. It was designed by Frank Gehry, and is reknowned not only for the architecture, but also for the skilled chefs who prepare the meals.

Ah, New York.

Music on the train!

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 03:34:00 +0000

This guy decided to bring his music on to the train with us!

Have a Panini!

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 21:14:00 +0000

New York was my first exposure to Panini sandwiches, and now I see them everywhere. They're not bad!

Michael Jackson!

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 11:53:00 +0000

This subway performer certainly turned heads. I've learned that the subway performers have to pass an audition process and be licensed to perform in the subway. Apparently, It's a reasonable way to get noticed in the music scene.

Property Theft

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 19:32:00 +0000

Here's what happens if you forget to keep an eye on your bike while you grab a coffee!

I remember reading before I came here that New York has drastically reduced the crime, to a point where you are really quite safe from bodily harm. However, there was still a lot of property theft.

Beetlegeuse, beetlegeuse, beetlegeuse

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 19:56:00 +0000

This macabre looking pile of steel is a playground. I spotted it outside of church just north of my house. It looks like it was meant for small children, and meant to be a modern artistic piece. I wonder what the story behind it is...

Birds!

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 13:14:00 +0000

New York has a serious pigeon population. So much so that the logo on top of the MetLife building supports a nest for a pair of peregrine falcons which were introduced to manage the pigeon population.

When you think about it, it could be worse: Austin, TX has a serious deer population which causes a lot of accidents as they run out into the street. The only real risk you run with pigeons is losing your lunch when you spot a pigeon or two happily dancing away in someone's vomit as if it were a bird bath.

Shakespeare in the Park

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 16:43:00 +0000

I was walking along south of Union Square when I ran across the famous line for Shakespeare in the Park. Looking at the website, it looks like they run it in two segments. "MacBeth" from June to early July, and "Mother Courage and her Children" from August 8th to September 3rd. The latter is the one which has Meryl Streep in it, and has everyone saying that the line will form three days ahead of time.

I believe this is something I'll have to wait a year to do. By then, I'll know exactly who would be the most fun to stand in line with.

You get creative living here...

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 03:45:00 +0000

Yes friends, that is a chair strapped to her back. Quite the good idea, really. She was probably off to stand in line for Shakespeare in the Park. The tickets for that are free, so people line up at 6am the day of. This year, Meryl Streep is going to be performing, so people are lining up three days ahead of time. I'm highly tempted to unleash the power of NYC and Craigslist: to hire a college student to sit in the line and get me some tickets. Why not?

Incidentally, the woman in the green shirt in the background is a good specimen of what the majority of women in New York seem to look like. Skinny!

Now where did I park my...

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 16:34:00 +0000

If any place was meant for Segways, it's NYC. I would get one, but I can't get used to the idea of eliminating all the free exercise which comes with walking around.

Too bad the common belief in the 19th century didn't prove to be true. Namely, it was assumed that not using your body would make it last longer. Makes sense, really, as most things get weaker with use. We could all sit behind a computer all day, use elevators, ride segways, and never have to work out. Then, if food that tasted good was also good for you...

So anyway, I've got to go hit the gym.

New Yorkers are flexible!

noreply@blogger.com (Severisth) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 03:33:00 +0000

Apparently, New Yorkers are more flexible than I thought. And I'm still easily amused. Damn you Chris Rock!