Oh yes! It’s that time again. Christmas cheer has spread
through New York City as quickly as a rat overtaking an open garage can. (That simile was not meant to imply anything except
suddenness…)
Lights decorate skyscrapers, window displays gleam in the
night air, and carols are already blasting non-stop in retail outlets. Astoria,
Queens – my humble ‘hood – even has Christmas songs playing on the streets
until late evening, streaming from elevated outdoor speakers. This
extravaganza is about a week too early for my taste, but then again New York
has a huge amount of prep work to accomplish the creation of a holiday
experience.
Though questions from wide-eyed tourists can be a nuisance
while commuting (you don’t want to talk to anybody while you’re in this mindset), I absolutely love their fresh excitement. And, I would dare to say that
a good majority of the “New Yorkers” in this city secretly like pointing a lost
visitor in the right direction.
So you can ask.
They don’t really mind.
Because let’s face it; at one moment in time, that was us... wondering around the city in absolute awe.
Macy's Department Store, with the Empire State Building in sight.
Good old Radio City Music Hall, home to the fabulous "Rockettes."
Happy holidays people! I hope Turkey Day treats you well. And look out for me at the Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC!
I know, I know... it's been far too long since I've written a "Thursday's Things." Honestly, these are the hardest posts to write because timing, length, and description are everything. Plus I'm finding it more and more difficult dissecting what is considered an "odd" conversation.
Yikes. Am I a jaded New Yorker??
No. I'm not, because these two moments from last week I still find humorous. Without further ado, here's "Thursday's Things New Yorker's Say," overheard by yours truly.
Double Date
“Where is Josh?” a prim looking waitress asks her coworker
on 30th Ave. He is less prim, and maybe a little smug.
“He’s with Rach.”
“Oh,” she says.
“Know who Rach is?”
“His girlfriend I would assume?
The guy smirks. “Baby-Momma.”
“Oh. I understand…” she said nodding sympathetically.
“Ya… but I bet he’ll try and go to his girlfriend’s
afterwards – You know, try and hit them both up in one night.”
Prim waitress just kind of blinks.
Keep Your Magic to
Yourself
“Wanna see a magic trick?” a toothless man asks me in Union
Square.
“No,” I reply matter-a-factly while flipping through a
magazine.
“Come on, one magic trick??” he insists.
“I don’t have any money.”
“I wasn’t asking!” he seems offended.
“Dude…”
“One card trick?”
“Fine. One card trick. Go ahead.”
“But…you don’t have any
money…?”
“Really? Really.
Show me your magic trick for free or go find someone else who makes more than
$18,000 a year,” I reply with that ironic smile my sisters hate.
“Ehh…hell! What do you do
for a living?” he says backing away and mumbling about how his salary from the street is higher. Toothless Man then begins to laugh at me… a lot. These are always humbling moments.
It was cold. I was huddled in a
ball on stairs near 8th Street waiting for friends. That epic hunger pain was
beginning - the one where you realized it's been hours, and hours, and only one
thing will conquer such gluttonous thoughts streaming through your vulnerable
little mind.
Fast Food.
The girls arrived, with the same
determination on their faces. We were hungry ladies, with only dollars to
spare. What to do? Where to go? But of course...
NYU is located around this area,
and what is something that only NYU possesses in the city? That's right -
every southerner's dream: Chick-Fil-A. Crispy, juicy chicken smothered in
whatever sauce you prefer, and placed on a golden bun with the ever necessary
two pickles. In fact, finding a Chick-Fil-A in New York City is close to the equivalent of finding Narnia.
I know. Bold statement. But you
must understand the excitement and anxiety felt at the time. I had never been
to a Chick-Fil-A north of Virginia, and the craving for those waffle fries had
been increasingly irrepressible.
We walked left. We walked right.
This gem isn't easy to locate, you see. NYU likes to keep their little secret
out of the public eye. Ahh... but we were too hungry for such games. "Where's
the Chick-Fil-A!?" Ivy finally asked a wondering student. There was
desperation in our eyes; a gleam on our skin. The girl showed us mercy.
"Up the street, to the
right."
These words were not directions to
live by (Up the street? To where - Harlem?) but they gave us hope. And that was
all we needed to fulfill our mission. I could see us in slow-motion. Dodging
people, glancing around nervously, excited but solemn. Until The Chicken
Sandwich was in our ambitious grasps, we could not dare to dream... not if our
dreams could so easily be dashed.
(Cue dramatic music)
Ah! The entrance. Now all we had to
do was walk past the guards... eh, I mean RAs. Nonchalantly, we gave our best
college faces, and hooked a quick right into the cafeteria. It's entirely
possible you could be homeless and walk into the student union, but we
weren't sure of the rules and now was not the time to ask.
Glowing lights beckoned,
pronouncing to us "The chicken from GOD is here for you!" I'm not
even a die hard Chick-Fil-A fan, but there will always be something magical
about finding places unknown. Need I mention my meal was under $5?
And that was the best fast food I've devoured since moving to New York. Except for maybe that one late-night Taco Bell excursion in Queens...
So I was relaxing, and then going into the city soon.
My poverty breakfast was quickly made;
two pieces of bread – sans the marmalade.
But I had a strong cup of coffee to drink.
And now I just had to access my bank.
Because it’s time to pay the bills, you see,
For internet, for lights (but not the TV!)
And as I spread my papers around
And lined up the piles into a little mound,
This familiar sense came over me,
like I’d seen this done previously.
And as I organized the bills one after another,
A thought struck me – Oh crap! I’m my mother!
(Editor’s note: It is not at all crappy to be my mother. It is not at all crappy to be like my mother. Children just tend to have these "Oh crap!" moments. And Mother, if you’re reading this, don’t pretend you haven’t had these thoughts about Grandmother.)
I enjoyed a free cupcake from Crumbs Bakery, and then dined on $1 fries from Pomme Frites in the East Village. Last weekend, I grabbed a $15 brunch with friends that included two Bloody Marys, and in the near future I’ll be partaking in a “wine night.” What do all of these things have in common, you ask? Besides food (oh how I love food), all of these activities involve some sort of deal.
So without further ado: Here are five great ways to save a buck or two while living in New York City… or really anywhere.
1) Do Your Research
“Hey Brit, let’s get some drinks at so-and-so!”
I then Google search so-and-so restaurant. $17 drinks and no happy hour?
“Hey girl – let’s not.”
Okay, sometimes you’re going to splurge. But on the average, I don’t like paying more than $7 for my drinks - and even then I cringe a little. So here’s a tip: If you haven’t heard of a restaurant or bar, look up the menu first. You will be shocked at some places prices, particularly in cities like New York, DC, LA, etc. Use Yelp, Urbanspoon, and restaurant’s websites to explore just how much you might be spending before you agree to a paycheck thrashing.
2) Know Your Apps
While research is great, more often than not you’re going to find savings on the go. We don’t usually think about a way to save money until we realize we’re about to spend money. Hence, the smart phone. But a cellular isn’t so clever without a quick-thinking user. Below are a few apps that might just make you brilliant:
This relatively new app is only in the large cities as of yet, but its scrolling list of deals for 50-100% off got me my free fries this evening. And you don’t have to buy the deals! Plus you can send pictures of yourself looking like a mobster with a mustacheto friends. Get it? Scoutmob.
- As mentioned before, apps like Yelp will help give you a price range of your favorite restaurants.
Living Socialand Grouponare two other coupon-like apps, usually with a purchase price for a deal that can be used over a certain period of time.
Free fries from Pommes Frites... Delectable with a Pesto sauce.
So the next time you don’t know where to go with a friend for dinner, scroll through your apps and find the best deal. Ta da! Your meal is served.
3) “Follow” Companies You “Like”
“Following” companies on Twitter or “Liking” organizations on Facebook can definitely lead to a few perks. For example, yesterday I got a free cupcake because I donated a children’s book to Crumbs Bakery. I originally learned about this event on Twitter from a coworker, but then forgot the details. So I looked the bakery up on Facebook and verified the event. Thank you social media!
My free cupcake, which gave me quite the sugar high.
To avoid getting overly inundated with advertisement-like messages on your Facebook and Twitter, make sure you only follow the companies you really enjoy or pages that you truly find useful.
4) Know the Turf
When you find a deal, keep it in mind for life! Explore the city and learn the cheap options in each neighborhood. This way, when you’re out and about, you won’t accidently spend your entire paycheck on a burger and fries. Make note of your finds mentally, or type them into your phone. Google Maps even let’s you drop “pins” on its virtual map so you can remember the places you’ve visited in the past.
5) Use Your Friends…
… for fun. Don’t forget to throw a wine night, holiday soirée, or birthday bash at someone’s apartment. Bars are great, but no matter where you go, the spending quickly adds up. BYOB and potluck dinners are fabulous money savers and can be more fun than a night out on the town. Why you ask? Because there’s no long trip home at 2am.
So you're probably going to find this
blog post a little discussing, or possibly repulsive based on your own cleaning
habits. But maybe... Just maybe... You can relate?
I hate doing laundry. Always have, always will. This chore
is the biggest time suck I can think of and it's typically a solitary task,
meaning us naturally extroverted creatures feel as though we must be missing
out on something better than our
current state of sad affairs.
But that’s not even the worse part! No, the most
unfortunate thing about washing your clothes is that the feeling of having
"done" your laundry last no more than 12 hours. As soon as the day is
done, another freaking shirt is back
in the hamper!
Bah! It’s just bad.
And the thing is, this task actually gets even less
enjoyable in the city. I simply CANNOT carry that bag of clothes down two
flights of stairs and up two city blocks without muttering a curse word.
So I wait to do my laundry.
And then, I wait a little more…
The pile gets a bit out of control,
and I hide the basket behind the closet door.
Some clothes seem to be missing.
I contemplate doing a crucial load.
Oh but then there’s a rainstorm.
So I can’t walk my clothes up the road!
Well, I’ll just try for the weekend.
Oh but I’m out of town!
How unfortunate for me.
Though you wouldn’t see my frown…
And then suddenly out of nowhere, I’ll realize the last
time I did my laundry was…
THREE MONTHS AGO!
I know, I know… I shouldn’t have enough clothes to last me
three months. BUT I DO! So I’m sticking
to my ways suckers!It just comes down to this:You can take the girl out of college, but you can’t
take the college out of the girl.
Please though, for the love of plastic hangers, if you have a
solution to clothing storage space in the city - LET ME KNOW.
Always counting quarters and waiting.
Can you see my bed? It's there... somewhere. Stop it. Don't make that face at me. I'm sure you too have an oddity that is nose-wrinkleable. Besides... I only repeat wear the jeans.
(Editor's Note: You can still enjoy without the music, but it's not nearly the same experience. To truly get that rush, my writing needs a little musical assistance.)
The sunlight’s dancing. Eyes flicker. Wake up.
Routine, routine, get out of bed. Dizzy head. Not enough
sleep. Too much sleep? Get dressed… We’re already late. We move like someone pushed "fast forward." Routine, routine,
slowly reach for your bag.
Remember… something? Oh well.
Forget. Forget your umbrella; your homework. ‘Least it’s
sunny.
Bread or maybe fruit? Pick your poison, either way we’ve got to go.
More routine.
Lights off.
Bagged lunch.
Heels in purse.
Flats on feet. One last glance. You’re out the door.
30 steps downstairs, then 4 more out the front.
298 steps to the food cart on the corner. Yeah, the one past
the Laundromat. White man says go so you go,
go, go. Avoid the slow woman in front of you.
Sidestep, sidestep, squeeze by.
Hurry up the street. Two
minutes down Steinway’s all it takes.
That man’s talking to you. Different language. Smile’s
creepy.
Ignore button.
Blasé face.
Stare ahead and he’s gone. There’s something sharp in your
purse, but no, no. That’s only for the night! Daylight’s for smiles.
Or at least
blank looks.
Is that coffee?
WATCH IT! Watch the sidewalk – you always trip there! Two
flip flops down, may they rest in peace.
Oh yes sir, we’ll take that.
Free sample from the cafe.
Who could say no?
1,2,3 walk 1,2,3 walk. When did you start counting?
Blue sky.
Warm enough.
Mornings like this make you want to… WALK FASTER! There’s
the TRAIN!! You’ll make it if you run.
Past the fish market.
Up the stairs.
Metro card already out.
Thadda girl – you were thinking!
Swipe. Step. Stairs come two at a time.
“Stand clear of the closing. doors…”
No! No! Not if we can help it. Lunge, and your in.
Good.
Breathe deep. 1 train down, 1 train to go.
Squeeze by, and grab blessed metal. Hold
tight. 13 minutes left.
Who’s baby’s crying? That woman’s purse bumped us twice.
Headphones today? iPod’s dead.
Stare straight ahead.
Last stop in Queens. Let’s all smash together now.
Rumble, rumble in the tunnel.
59th and Lexington! Out out out…Excuse me and
pardon us.
Rush across the platform. It’s not crowded yet! The train’s
coming. But walking on the edge get’s you through faster.
5 more steps till safety.
1,2,3,4,5…whoosh.
There’s the other train. We just made it to the center of
the platform. That’s our rush for the day. Oh but wait,
DUCK!
Man with a large box almost got ya.
It’s okay. Hair’s still in place.
Up the escalator. The left side’s for walking. And of course
no one’s walking. MOVE. Don’t you
hear the connecting train? Left side for walking, right side for standing…
Blast.
We missed it. Blame it on the uninformed escalator
takers. LEFT is for walking. LEFT IS FOR WALKING.
Breathe.
Headphones?
No, wait… iPod’s dead.
Bright lights, shuffled feet… next connecting train's coming.
They all pile out.
We all pile in.
Be at work soon.
Doors open and we move. Walk faster! You’ll miss the crowd.
Excuse us! Sidestep sidestep, squeeze by. Through the gate,
up the stairs.
Sunlight on your face again – breathe in the day. Take in
the city…
Okay, stop breathing.
Keep walking.
Two blocks to go.
You see it? I see it!
Chaos. Foot traffic’s bad today. Bumper to bumper; hip to
hip.
Whatever.
Sidestep… just
walk on the grate. Hold down your skirt.
Pull out your ID. Where’s our ID? We're still on fast forward.
