A bonified celebrity sighting

At last - Rick Ocasek, Paulina Poraskova and brood in Times Square, presumably en route to see a play. Rick is one weird looking dude - there is no way he can blend in a crowd.

Saw Sweeney Todd last night. What a beautiful production. I have never seen it before so I don't know what it's like with a full cast of 30+ and lots of changing scenery. This was spare, creative and simple so nothing took away from the songs and the story (except Patti Lupone's lapses in diction which I understand she is notorious for). There were about 10 cast members and they all played all the instruments accordion, double bass, violin, piano, clarinet - it's mindblowing how talented those cast members are and it makes me realize how few skills I really have. Kind of unnerving but inspirational to see.

We are off to Connecticut to spend the weekend with Rich's family. Looking forward to seeing family I know and even meeting some new family members.

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukah! or Happy Holidays! - whatever you prefer.

My homeboy no more

Johnny Damon has signed with the Yankees. He is dead to me.

Strike! Strike! Strike

Only three weeks in and already I am experiencing New York City history. This morning at 3am the NYC transit workers went on strike. No subways, no buses. The last time this happened in 1980 the strike lasted 11 days. It so happened that I had planned to meet a friend for lunch on 55th St today. So, I dressed in layers (it's in the 30s today), put on my comfy sneakers, plugged in the iPod, walked out of my apartment in the Village and off I went. It's a beautiful sunny day and most people seemed to have a pretty good sense of humor about the whole thing. However, I think that good humor will only last a day or two and then people will begin to get grouchy. I'm not sure how I feel about this politically. I believe in unions but it just feels wrong to do this right before the holiday. I know that's the way to get the most leverage but it hardly serves the greater good, which, to my mind, is part of the original mission behind the creation of unions in the first place.

So, I walked up to 55th - it only took me about an hour - had lunch with Maren and then turned around and headed home. I walked through Times Square for the first time since being here. It's so dense and there is so much media leaping out at you but I kind of love it. On my way home I turned my iPod back on and as I hit 42nd Street in Times Square again The Decemberists song "I Was Meant for the Stage" came on. I am choosing to take that as a good omen.

Everything is beautiful at the ballet

I saw an amazing movie last night. "Ballet Russes". It's a documentary about French ballet company (well, technically they were based in Monaco) that was made up of Russian dancers, many of them young children whose families had fled Russia during the revolution. This company toured the US and was responsible for spreading a knowledge and love of ballet throughout the country. It also was the creative force behind what ultimately became the New York City Ballet. In all my dance obsessed years (how many teenagers do you know who have 3 poster of Baryshnikov on their bedroom wall?) I had never heard about this company. Or maybe I had but their significance didn't register.

In this movie they interview several of the surviving members - prima ballerinas, corps members, some of them with the company from the very beginning and others who joined at significant turning points for the company. To see these men and women speak about their time with the ballet is so emotional. To see film and photos of them dancing 50-60 years ago (most of the dancers are in their 80s now) and then to see them still so passionate about the music and the dance is incredibly moving. I was moved to tears more than once throughout the movie. I am so thankful to the creators of this film for leaving something for posterity because these men and woman are such artists and they have given us such an enormous legacy.

I wanted to run out of the movie theatre to go buy season tickets to both the New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. I love ballet.

My first celebrity sighting

Well, after a couple of weeks of hoping for a Sarah Jessica Parker, a Robert DeNiro, an Uma Thurman or maybe even a Steve Buscemi, who do I get? Johnny Knoxville. Yes, the man who brought "Jackass" into the world and who may or may not have contributed to the demise of Nick & Jessica. I was walking up Broadway to Union Square and I was just about to turn onto 14th Street when I saw him. He was wearing the requisite celebrity sunglasses so I wasn't entirely sure it was him and in fact, despite being pretty sure, I was kind of trying to pretend he wasn't my first NY celebrity sighting. But then the little girls behind me started saying "That was Johhny Knoxville". "Where?" "We just passed him". And "Oh my God he's so hot". Occasionally so funny you almost pee your pants? Yes. Hot? Uh, no.

Feeling like home

This week I left New York for the first time since moving here two weeks ago. I went back to Boston to visit my former roommate, Kelly, and to see her current art show. I don't miss Boston. I never have. I left at the end of the summer of 1996 and I have never regretted it. I do like the city. I was there at an important time in my life and I did a lot of growing up and becoming my own person there. But that's where it ends. I have never had the urge to move back and when Rich applied for faculty positions out there I was not excited about the prospect of returning.

Nevertheless, I think it can be healthy to return to your old stomping grounds. Boston is a city that has changed a lot since I was there. Places, like people, have a way of staying fixed in our brain as they were when we knew them. By returning and seeing the change first hand, it serves as a reminder that life goes on and I am just one small bundle of energy amidst the millions who flow in and out of cities. But some things have remained. Yesterday I walked past the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square. That was the first art house movie theatre I had ever encountered and I was thrilled. For the first time ever I saw my favorite movie, Wings of Desire, on the big screen. Just walking past that place I get the same visceral thrill I felt the first time I went there, that thrill of discovery that there is so much more I haven't seen and that the world is full of experiences waiting to be had.

New York City inspires that same thrill in me. Every time I walk out the door there is a new experience to be had. As my bus entered the City last night on my return from Boston, I thought to myself, "I'm home". Of course, home will always be where Rich is, where the cats are, but I don't feel like a visitor here. A total newbie, yes. But a visitor, no. I feel like I belong here.

Tourist day

My cousin Jeffrey came to town for about 24 hours so today I played tourist with him. We started the day at the Empire State Building. My, it was like going to Disneyworld. We stood in various lines for an hour before we finally made it to the top. It has been about 15 years since I was last up there and I don't remember it being such an arduous process. Nevertheless, it was fun to get a bird's-eye view of the city and I think Jeff enjoyed it.

From there we walked - alot. We were making our way to Strawberry Fields to pay our respects to John Lennon who was killed 25 years ago today. It was really something to be there, standing and staring at The Dakota. I was six years old when he died and I can actually remember it. I think it is was my entry into the world of collective loss and memory, along with the explosion of the Challenger, the fall of the Wall, etc. Those events that you celebrate or mourn with so many others in the world. So there I was today, 31 years old, with my 18 year old cousin who hadn't even been born when Lennon was killed but who found himself close to tears to be there. I called my mom to tell her where I was and that I was paying respects on her behalf. It was pretty crowded but I guess the real crowds form later in the day as it gets closer to the actual time he was shot - shortly before 11pm. I'm sure it will be beautiful and there will be lots of people around, but I think I will go back and pay my respects later when I can actually be quiet for awhile and reflect.

After lunch we walked back through the park, down 5th Avenue to Grand Central Station where Jeff was catching his train back to CT. I realized that I had no memory of being in Grand Central Station. It's really beautiful and it instantly conjures up all the romance of riding a train. It's so much more civilized than driving everywhere and I wish there were more trains around the country.

I'm now back home, in from the cold. I've had a nice mug of hot chocolate and am looking forward to a quiet evening at home after my satisfyingly touristy day.

Puffy coats and moon boots

When I was in 4th grade and we moved to Des Moines, Iowa, my mother began suffering cold flashbacks to her days living in Buffalo, NY. And rightfully so, I might add. That Midwestern cold can be merciless and quite frankly, the fond memories of playing in the snow are few and far between. I seem to favor my mother's side of the family when it comes to cold and despite spending many generations in England, we have Indian blood coursing through our veins as well and come winter, those genes try to tell us we belong somewhere hot and humid instead.

Back to Iowa. When we got there my mother bought me a calf-length puffy purple coat which I loved because I was in the throes of a purple phase. Where our fashion tastes diverged was when it came to footwear. I was quick to note that the more fashionable girls my age were wearing what were called "duck" boots. They were hard plastic on the foot and quilted from the ankle up to about mid-calk where they stopped. They were slim and cute and came in a variety of colors. The other footwear was the "moon" boot. The name pretty much says it all. They were massive, thick, heavily padded on the inside, and as one walked down the hall of the elementary school everyone was alerted to your presence due to the loud booming sound you made as you walked. Guess which one my winter-phobic mother made me get? As you can tell, I still haven't quite forgiven her.

As a result of this childhood fashion trauma, when I went away to college in Boston, while I allowed my mother to once again buy me another huge coat, I refused to allow her to go near any footwear. The coat proved to be very unfashionable in the era of grunge and I think by my second winter in college I was getting by with lots of layers and a corduroy blazer (it was after college I refused to suffer for fashion).

Now that I am walking the streets of New York City where the high temperatures are currently hovering around the freezing mark, I am noticing that one can make a fashion statement and stay warm. Boots are everywhere and people are back to tucking their jeans into them - very retro and currently very hip. There are saggy boots, suede boots, furry boots, colorful boots, big UGG boots (where were they in 1982 I ask?) and winter coats? I think enough grown-ups decided being cold sucked because I am seeing lots of calf-length and longer puffy winter coats; coats that I never would have thought fashion-forward thinking people would be caught dead wearing.

I am so glad, because it is so, so cold.

If I can make it here...

We arrived in New York City exactly one week ago today. I had hoped to have this blog up and running sooner but I have not had dependabel internet access since we moved in. Actually, technically we still don't. We have a neighbor with a really strong signal and are currently "borrowing" it.

New York has been great so far. We have a terrific but small apartment so we are trying to figure out where top put all of our stuff and as we unpack find ourselves wondering where it all came from in the first place. We are about one block from Washington Square Park - amazing. Rich has a 5-minute walk to his office. Until yesterday we hadn't even found the need to get on the subway because there is so much to explore just within walking distance. Now that our dishes are here we can start cooking our meals and stop eating out all the time. It's been fun but I think we are ready to stop hemorraging our money to the restaurants!

We had dinner with WIll and Joyce, went out with Deana and Mike and tomorrow I am meeting up with Maren. My cousin Louise is in town for a few days so we went to Central Park with her yesterday and I am going to meet her at the MOMA this afternoon. My other cousin, Jeffrey - other side of the family - is also going to come stay with us for a day or two this week.

Oh, and I ate my first knish at Yonah Schimmel's Knishery. I don't know if it was exemplary of a good knish. It was much more potatoey than I expected.

This blog is meant to be a chronicle of our adventures in this big, bad city. I know a lot of you want to know how we will be adjusting to life here and hopefully this will be a good place for you all to check in and see what wackiness ensues when you unleash a Ph.D and an actress on the Big Apple.