June 23, 2005
Travel Karma: An NYC Cabbie Books the Holy Grail
Believe it or not, I'm writing this on the bus on the way home from O'Hare. How obnoxious. I can't wait till they make smaller laptops. Once again, I luck out with taxi drivers. On the way from Chelsea Piers to LaGuardia, I am panicked. I have only two hours till departure and I'm all the way on the very western edge of Manhattan, and the airport is clear across the island and over the river aways. And, it's rush hour. I frantically try to wave down a cab in front of Chelsea Piers, but a very nice Manhattanite tells me it's easier on 10th. So okay, I hike over a couple blocks. Still, cabs pass me by. This is odd, because in Chicago, cabs are usually jostling to pick up a passenger with luggage. Luggage means airport, airport means good fare. In New York, nope. That doesn't happen. Another Manhattanite takes one look at me and suggests I head another block north. I figure, what the hell. So I do. What an act of random kindness, he directed me to a taxi depot. Dozens of cabs, and still, not a one wanted to pick up a fare. I suppose they were on their break? But then another stranger waves a cab down, gestures at me and says, "After you." Whatever anyone thinks of New Yorkers, I'm here to say that I've had nothing but the best experiences. Even Mustafa, my cabbie was warm and sincere. I was madly making phone calls for the initial few minutes, trying to make up for the rude, hasty goodbyes I tossed off at the meeting in my harried effort to make my flight. And then, in the midst of stressing about traffic and chastising myself for getting such a late start, I dropped off into the sweetest slumber. Next thing I knew, we were on the FDR Bridge, the worst of the traffic was behind us, and the meter was at a mere $20, indicating that not only did Mustafa not rip me off when I was sleeping by driving in circles, he somehow maneuvered his way across the island like a pro. And still, so sweet and unperturbed. When I opened my eyes, a gentle voice from the front, "You slept a little, eh? That's good, you looked like you needed to." Turns out, his degree is in chemical engineering and every morning, he does some sort of financial risk management, my guess for a family fund or something of the sort. But I asked him what his passion was, and he said, "Driving. I love driving." He asked what I did, and we talked shop for a bit. He's one of the few people I've met that actually scored a great, great price on an airline ticket. When airlines advertise fare sales, they have to set aside a certain number of seats at the lowest advertised fare. Usually, it's not that many, so it's always key to jump on a fare sale as soon as it's advertised. Whatever this guy did, and I think it must be travel karma, he landed a round-trip direct flight from Chicago to Orange County for $180 on United. A fare like that is like the holy grail. You get it once, and you feel blessed because you know it exists. I still think there's some karmic force about it though, because if I could be that at peace with myself and the world around me, I'd jump at the chance to be an NYC cabbie.
Posted by carolyn at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2005
Uptown, Crosstown, Whatever
Today was crazy! Had three back-to-back meetings, all crosstown, uptown or downtown from the other. First stop was at a building right by Union Square. Easy, just jump on the 6, head uptown and I'm there with enough time to cop a squat and swap out my orange sherbert flipflops with a pair of BCBG heels minutes before the meeting. Next up, a meeting at a Times Square hotel. I cut through the Union Square Greenmarket to get to the subway, passing piles of organic produce, fresh flowers and herbs galore. Bushels of sugar snap peas looked so enticing, I briefly pondered quitting my job and starting a vegetable garden. I have a favorite apple stand on the north side of the market, so I bought two winesap apples and a cup of fresh apple cider ($2 total!) to accompany me crosstown. Thus far, the subway has been remarkably convenient. It's only a few blocks away from my hotel and there always seems to be a stop within steps of my destination. I've also never had to wait longer than five minutes for a transfer. (That's unheard of in Chicago.) While I was waiting to catch the crosstown L, I noticed a collection of tiny, whimsical bronze sculptures hanging from rafters, hiding in corners, crawling under gates. Turns out it's an art installation: Life Underground, Tom Otterness, 2001. Funny I never noticed that before. Wonder how many do pause and wonder in the crush of commute? Times Square meeting ran longer than expected, so I hopped a cab back across town to Park and 28th. Business lunch at Rice, a very funky Asian-Jamaican-Latin fusion spot where I had a salmon salad. The dressing was a bit heavy, drowning out the delicate mesclun taste, but my colleague's chicken wing appetizer smelled heavenly and the black rice with curry chicken looked gorgeous. Atkins aside, the place was packed for lunch. Strangely enough, conversation turned to barbeque. Must be getting trendy these days, all those shows on FoodTV Network must payoff. Finally free for five hours, I plunged back into the subway and hit Delancy St and the Lower East Side. The goal was to end up at Teany, a tiny tea house founded by Kelly Tisdale and Moby (I guess they were a couple, and are no longer?). Alas, when presented with a north-south decision, I opted south down Orchard. A minor and somewhat pleasant digression, as I was able to hit two spots in my Top 10 NY guidebook. Fishkin Knitwear and Forman's. Both would have been great shopping spots if I were in my 40s. Now, not so much. However, I did find a great little costume jewelry shop that had plenty of baubles to rummage around in. $5 necklaces and funky charm bracelets from the 50s and 60s. One charm had inexplicable letters on both sides of a disc. When you spun the disc, it spelled "I love you." Sappy science at work! After realizing that I had gone five blocks in the wrong direction, I flipped it and reversed it and am now finishing up this entry at Teany with a lavender infused lemonade. A bit on the tart side, but the atmosphere is fantastic. Moby playing in the background and a hip but unpretentious bustle. At the table across from me is a man in a horribly purple button down shirt talking about his desire to go back to Egypt. Across from him is a cute blonde dressed preppy with lemon yellow polo shirt, collar turned up, and a pink and brown rugby shirt tied around her shoulders. She is looking very interested in what the purple shirt has to say. It appears that the dwindling number of eligible men in Manhattan has reached crisis levels. Thank God for Chicago. I love this city, but there's no place like home. It's started raining, think I'll go brave the weather and get me back to my cozy room to rest up before dinner tonight. (Uptown, of course.)
Posted by carolyn at 03:37 PM | Comments (1)
June 21, 2005
I Love Lower Manhattan
Ah, a great hotel experience to relate this week! I have set up home base at Manhattan Seaport Suites in lower Manhattan, it's on Front Street between Maiden and Wall, and a five minute walk away from the South Street Market and Pier 17. My room is perhaps not hip or glamorous, but it is truly HUGE by New York standards. Wood floors, wireless internet access, a clean bathroom with organic toiletries...this is definitely a great Manhattan find. (And, unlike Paris Las Vegas, this room has a coffee maker). According to the front desk, they're renovating. That would explain the two husky guys who comandeered one of two elevators to load eleven flat-screen televisions. Previous trips to New York always followed a set itinerary. Business, with dim sum and shopping in Midtown squeezed in the middle. Maybe, if I was feeling funky, a quick walk around SoHo and TriBeCa to browse the boutiques. Rarely did I make it to the very southern tip of Manhattan. I had made the World Trade Center pilgrimage, and since then, haven't really had the desire to explore the neighborhood any more. In fact, I accidentally booked this hotel. I was trying to get a hotel close to Chelsea Piers, which is hosting the conference I'm attending, and ended up in Lower Manhattan rather than Chelsea. Which is alright by me, I love this area! I had never been to the South Street Seaport, a pedestrian only shopping-area with al fresco restaurants. Just past the market is Pier 17. This tiny mall with its unobstructed view of the East River is so small and charming, feels more San Francisco than it does New York. After doing some last minute shopping for appropriate business attaire (I have horribly second-guessed every single outfit I brought with me), I walked the two blocks back to the hotel and grabbed sushi at the tiny but charming Koodo Sushi, located in the same building as the hotel. Talk about luck, it was exactly what I was looking for. Unassuming, reasonably priced, and creative maki. I had the New York roll, which is a spicy tuna roll beautifully wrapped in eel, salmon, sliced avocado and caviar. Also, since I can never resist, an order of agedashi tofu. Entire bill? $15! I took my delightful dinner back up to the comfort of my air-conditioned room (true New York takeout style) and enjoyed the nummies while watching Sex in the City. Ah, what's not to love about this city?
Posted by carolyn at 09:28 PM | Comments (0)