Not in New York...

lily pond and lavender

Oli

I suppose this post isn't really appropriate for a blog on living in New York, but since my aim is to write new posts every week, this one will just explain my hiatus for the next couple of weeks. I've been in Honolulu the past few days, catching up with family, friends, and the warm Hawaiian sun. (Eduardo is in New York, but hasn't yet contributed any posts to this blog.  Maybe he will in the future, Eduardo?)

I've had some time to meet my little nephew Eli, who is so cute and mellow.  I don't think I've heard him cry at all, perhaps in part because my brother and sister-in-law are so in tune to his needs.  He just needs to scrunch up his face or furrow his brow, and they know exactly what he needs.  Eli's big brother Zekie is such a loving and affectionate kid, who I've heard say sweet things like, "I'll take care of you" while kissing Eli's feet, which Zekie calls "poochies".  Even though I'm biased, I think Zekie is an amazing kid, with a kindness, sense of humor, and a joy for life that I find inspiring.

My visits with family and friends here always seem to ground and rejuvenate me.  It has been such a short visit, and not enough time to see everyone and catch up so I guess I'll have to see how I adjust to the New York winter; that might be a good time to come back for another short visit to the islands!

Three generations of Wada dudes

At Seed with Jessica, Carrie, & Jnl

Speaking of islands, today, my parents and I head to the island of Hokkaido, Japan's largest and northernmost prefecture.  My friend Shoko, who was born and raised in Tokyo, tells me that Hokkaido is known for its beers, like Sapporo and Asahi, and regional delicacies.

I'm not sure what my Internet access will be in Japan, but if possible I might post from there, unless Eduardo finds some inspiration to post from New York!

Parks & Recreation

view from the tram

I've wanted to ride the Roosevelt Island Tram, ever since seeing a photo years ago of Conan O'Brien on it with a big, goofy grin, but it was always a little farther down on my list of things to do during short visits to New York and I never got to it.  Eduardo came up with the plan for our lazy Sunday, so we packed a picnic, leashed Nori, and headed crosstown to the tram station.  

Nori hoping to spy a duck or two

It was a quick ride - only a few minutes - with picturesque views over the East River and Manhattan skyline.  We strolled along the waterfront to the southern end of the island, stopping to soak in views of the Chrysler building peeking out behind the United Nations and the occasional gleaming yacht or sailboat floating down the East River.  We weren't able to bring Nori with us into the FDR Four Freedoms monument, so we took turns climbing the steps to a tree-lined strip of lawn, down to a bust of FDR and the tip of the island.  Then we settled onto a big patch of shaded grass for a late lunch.  It was a peaceful way to end the weekend.

One tired human and one happy dog

Central Park

Central Park

Nori in particular has delighted in New York's parks.  As soon as she sees us getting ready to head out with our sneakers on, she trots to the door and looks at us asking telepathically, "So where are we going today?"

While I worry how she'll adjust to the NY winter, for now she prances alongside us, occasionally showcasing her faux bravado upon catching sight of the fluffy brown tail of a squirrel or the rusty red breast of a robin.  She'll squeeze herself under the rails to peer into the water, hoping to see some ducks.  For some reason, she goes wild for the horses in Central Park, and I'll never know why because I'm certain the horses are not wild for dogs and we try not to let her get too close to them.  For such a small dog, she has an astonishing energy store - with more energy than her two humans, regularly straining at her leash even after walking almost 100 street blocks, from our apartment up to the Columbia U. campus and back again!

Riverside Park, along the Hudson River

As for me, I'm ready to call it a night.  Until the next post...

Sample Sale Shopping & Other Sports

Shortly after I arrived in NY, Lena asked if I would be interested in going to see a Rangers game with her.  I texted back, "Are you talking about baseball?" before I thought to look it up.  "Oh - ice hockey. Ok! When, where, and how do we get tickets?"  I had to backtrack and decline once I found out that it would be a Stanley Cup final game, at Madison Square Garden, for about $400 a pop.  We did meet up at Bryant Park one evening after work, to watch it with Rangers fans on a big screen.  The energy there was great and I felt no disloyalty to any San Franciscan teams when I rooted for the Rangers (who lost the cup to the L.A. Kings). 

Eduardo, on the other hand, bought a Yankees cap as soon as his plane touched down at JFK, even though the SF Giants reportedly have more Venezuelans playing this year than any other MLB team.  I am excited to see the Yankees and the Mets play in their home stadiums this year, and I'm hoping the food is on par with the Crazy Crabz sammie, my favorite, at AT&T Park.

I can't write about sports in this post without mentioning the World Cup, although I've been watching many of the games this past week, flat on my back, in great discomfort and pain after I threw out my low back.  It might be my body's way of saying either, "Slow down. You're trying to do too much", or as my mom so bluntly put it, "You're not that young anymore!"  In any case, I love watching Messi work his magic and can't get over the image of Luis Suarez holding his teeth.  Least favorite moment: Neymar getting kneed in the back.

Amena and I had signed up to do the "Color Run" on Saturday.  Still recovering from my back issues, we agreed to take it easy by walking it and stopping if necessary (not that I had planned to run it anyway).  We met up in Flatbush, boarded yellow school buses, and arrived at the site.  It says a lot that while the first wave of runners were hitting the starting blocks, Amena and I were perusing the food samples, getting packets of chia seeds, mango fro-yo bars, and honest-tea samples.  While it was a new experience having colored powder thrown all over me, I was most happy to catch up with Amena about life, love, family, and other important topics, over the 5 km walk.  Later, we went for Jamaican food take-out and sat near the lake in Prospect Park.

So how is sample sale shopping a sport, you might ask.  After texting about a Diane von Furstenberg sample sale with Amena, a long-time New Yorker, it occurred to me that sample sale shopping here is surely a sport.  I've been to a few sample sales in California, including a particularly frenzied one for athletic wear with Heather as well as a handbag sale with Emily, who was shocked at the ferocity and fervor of women holding 10 handbags and grabbing for their 11th.  But, as Amena texted me, "the DVF sample sale is not for beginners."  Well, it has been almost 2 months since I moved, and I've tested my sample sale mettle at J. Crew, Ralph Lauren (not really a sale IMO when a plain tank top is marked down 70% and still costs $200), and Yumi Kim.  The simple guidelines I learned from Amena and through my own trials and tribulations: (1) Go tag-team with a friend; (2) Wear a leotard or something like it so you can strip down and try on clothes without having to wait in the long dressing room line (if there is a dressing room); (3) If there are no mirrors anywhere in sight, carry your phone (but you'll have to check in your bag) to substitute as a mirror; (4) Don't get carried away by the blaring dance/house music and end up buying something hideous that you'll never wear; (5) If you do buy something hideous, there's always consignment.