What it means to be a New Yorker

Kitty over at NY Portraits has a great site, writing about life in New York. Her recent post "On Being a New Yorkers" is a great account of how to judge a true New Yorker. Her claim: no one can live here a year and be considered a New Yorker. I'll always consider my dad a New Yorker, despite the fact that he hasn't lived here for 40 years or so.

Here are a few reasons of why I claim the title:

• Since 1995 (when I moved from Long Island) I've had 9 different apartments
• 7 of those were in the first 5 years
• I've lived on floors 6, 5, 2, 1, and two basements.
  
• I've lived in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. My wife holds the Bronx card. I'm pretty sure that covers all bases.
• With a misty eye, I recall my very first roach (and the girlish squeal that followed)
• I've done Times Square on New Year's Eve enough to know it's not worth it more than once.
• First night out drinking was in this great city, followed by my first hangover
• I've had a bedroom that fit a bed and not an inch more
• I never use shopping carts
• I never buy garbage bags
• I've eaten my weight in recession specials.
  
• I can't get enough of the brunch
  
• I've got my bar, with $7 pitchers of Stella
• I have seen shops replace shops that replaced shops in my neighborhood. (ie. 73rd and B'way: Food Emporium -> Gristedes -> Loehmans).
  
• I know that my stand-by restaurant (West Side Brewery) will close one day and I will go into a serious depression.
  
• I can't look at NY photos and films without trying to find out from where they were shot

Why I might not be a New Yorker:

• I do have a driver's license (yet I'm a lousy parallel-parker)
  
• I rarely pay for coffee
• I don't go to clubs
• I haven't seen many plays or musicals
• I avoid art galleries
• I'm not political
• I don't go to the gym
• I don't have a small dog in my bag
• I've never been mugged or hustled

So I guess I've still got some work to do. What qualifies you as a New Yorker? Tell all in the comments.

Tumbleweed houses — Now there's a small kitchen...

Living in New York City, we renters are used to cramming our lives into tiny spaces, but this guy wins the price for smallest diggs. It doesn't hurt that they're beautiful as well!

Jay Shafer designs houses that are "smaller than many people's bathrooms". Some as small as 100 sq feet, the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company creates homes that look to be sitting on trailers. Floor plans show how the spaces are laid out, and they really are a sight to behold. They're beautiful, clever, serene and I'd say as functional as a small hotel room would be. I could see these being perfect rental quarters for a home in the country. I think most city folk would pay $100 a night to stay in one. Nestled into some lilac bushes with mountain views or a babbling creek nearby... Or it could just be me babbling.

If you've been thinking about an addition to your three-bedroom, you might want to skip this one!

Link: Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

Clean your fans!

If today was any indicator of what we're in for this summer, we're in for some serious heat. Our cheap-o little "Lasko Breeze Machine" felt like it wasn't pulling its weight, so I took it down and got out my screwdriver. I was hesitant to even spend the time, since there was almost no accumulation of dust. But unless the Yanks got a surprise visit from a different type of angel, I could afford to take my eyes off the game.

I took it apart (as much as possible -- if you have the oscillating type, it's even easier), washed the front, wiped the blades and the back and turned it on. Now, this appropriately named device is back to its former glory, flinging breeze like no other.

The moral? Clean your fans! You're paying the same to run them dirty or clean, even when they're not pushing air around. Get them funk-free and enjoy the early days of air conditioner season without the crazy bills.

Manhattan-Henge Next week

(Looking for July 2009 info? Click here)

Marie Winn, author of Red Tails in Love, reminds us that Manhattan-Henge is coming up. Two days a year the sun sets over NY in perfect alignment with the (30° off-kilter) Manhattan street grid. The sun appears to drop straight down between the buildings. Two winter days annually have the sun rising in the same fashion.

The first sunset is coming up next week. I saw this last summer (looking west on 79th street from the museum) and it was amazing.

• May 28 at 8:10 PM
• July 11 at 8:27 PM

Ahhh, the wonder of it brings to mind this lyrical ode:

Finally, at 7:37 early Wednesday evening as the sun was setting
in the Minnesota sky...
Out in the distance, on the horizon, it appeared to me like a vision
before my unbelieving eye...
I parked the car and walked with awe-filled reverence towards that
glorius huge majestic sphere...
I was just so overwhelmed by its sheer imensity,
I had to pop myself a beer.

Get out your cameras and find an open street, New Yorkers. And pop yourself a beer.

Link: American Museum of Natural History's Page on Manhattan-Henge

[photo used under the CC license. photo links to photographer]

PS 87 street fair around the corner, literally, figuratively

Please note this is the 2007 school fair! For the 2008 fair, click here.

In an effort to highlight more local events, here's an annual favorite.

PS 87 Just Kids Street Fair
West 77th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus
Saturday, June 2nd 2007 (Rain date: 6/3)

I'm off to find a good community calendar and see what other local events are in store for us this summer.