It's SNOWING!!!

I walked out my front door this morning, and it's snowing like crazy! GA hasn't gotten snow like this since the blizzard of '93!

This guy above is pushing one of those fertilizer spreaders, salting the sidewalk.

It's really gorgeous.
Ok, I'm at work, so I gotta get to it. Had to get excited about the snow though.

Little Old Ladies Jaywalk

SO.

It's time for updates.

First off, I've noticed that no one (except Dad) has checked out the website and sent me their comments. Come on people! I've got a presentation in front of the CEO early next week to deliver my ideas about the design of the website. It would be great to have some comments to back me up. Comments of any nature are welcome.

Now for the real updates.

I got housing! I went last Saturday to meet with some people that live at 6th Ave and 28th St. A guy and a girl, living on the third floor (with an elevator this time) in a cute little place that's just north of Chelsea and just south of Herald Square. It's a primo location in the city, right smack in the middle of everything, and, to top it off, I'll be able to walk to work!

6thAve/28thSt -> 5thAve/21stSt = 8 blocks.

7 Streets * 250 ft/St-block (200ft for the block, 50ft for the intersection)

+ 1 Ave * 850ft/Ave-block (800 for the block, 50ft for the intersection)

=1750ft + 850ft = 2600ft that I have to walk to get to work. So right at half a mile.

A nice brisk walking pace is 4 mi/hr, which I'm sure most of the people in NYC are doing, if not faster. At 4 mi/hr, it takes 15min to walk a mile. So I've got a 7 minute walk to work! As Peter Griffin would say: "Frickin' sweet."

The roomies seem cool too. Both are professionals. The guy is 28 and does visual marketing for a fashion co. Travels often. The girl is 29 and does fund-raising for a non-profit. Loves to cook, and is a Southerner (VA). It sounds like its going to be a pretty cool place to live. Walking distance to many different train lines, and even walking distance to some cool neighborhoods. What a dream! And it was right at my target price.

I also got a gym membership, but not to just any gym. It's a rock-climbing gym called Brooklyn Boulders. I figured I'd work out a lot more if I felt like I was going to the playground every time instead of feeling like I was going to run in place and lug weights up and down. And the place rocks (har). It's enormous, and out in Brooklyn because of its size, but the train goes there. They go everywhere! It's run by hardcore climbers, so they set up a lot of really cool routes to climb, change them frequently, and they draw a really cool crowd. I made friends almost immediately the first time I went. So I'm pretty excited about that. I went on Friday and Sunday last week, and then my hands were killing me, so I'm still waiting for them to recoop a bit before I go back.

And now, buckle up, keep your elbows in and your heads down -- we're going to India! Indian food at least. Anyone that comes to visit is coming to eat at this Indian place. It is one of the craziest experiences you've ever had. And inexpensive to boot! Check out the photos below:

It's decorated in a way that makes you think that Christmas, New Year's, a birthday party, and a Mexican festival all exploded in a really tiny space. And it is a really tiny space. You can see the two rows of tables in the first photo. That is the entire width of the restaurant. And all the hanging decorations means that the ceiling is roughly 5'7" off the floor. One Yelp.com reviewer that was stodgy (and probably boring) said this restaurant was for "short wallets, not tall people" (at least he was clever).  The music, though, really tops it off. It sounds like a mixtape entitled: The Best of Bollywood -- Remixed.

There are Christmas lights EVERYWHERE, and every single bulb is capped by one of those little plastic chili peppers. So there's glowing chili peppers, balloons, and paper ornaments all over the place. And it's BYOB, no corking fee, so you can just walk around the corner to the grocery and pick up a 6-pack! (Which some of you calmer people may need to get through this crazy dinner). It's really a blast. So if you're coming to visit, you'd best understand that we will be eating here at some point. Oh, and the food is good too.

And yes, it's true. Little old ladies really do jaywalk in NYC. I saw two of them, with their little rolly-carts full of stuff, shuffling right along against the walk sign. Didn't have to help them cross the street!

That's all for now folks. BTW, January is almost over! When did that happen?! I'm now in week 3 of my new life in NYC (and I've given directions -- correct directions -- 3 times in the past week), and everything is moving right along.

Hope you're all safe and healthy. Talk soon.
-K3

Do me a favor! (Please)

Hey guys-

I'm writing a usability analysis and critique of our website. It would be a huge help if you would take a few minutes (< 10 min is plenty) to go to the website and poke around a little and then write down your thoughts and send them to me. Your thoughts can focus around anything -- whatever comes to mind as you browse the website and look for cool products or read the design articles. Being entrenched as I am in web design and code and so forth it's great for me to hear the thoughts of others, as there are many things that I now overlook or take for granted!

Feel free to post your thoughts as a comment on this entry, or you can send them privately to my email if you prefer (kenstclair@gmail.com). I will probably be delivering this doc to the company next week, so the sooner the better! However if you don't get to it, your thoughts still count because I can always bring up new issues, but having them in a cohesive document would be my preference.

As a thank you for helping me out, I think I can get a small discount on product as an employee. So if you have to have something, let me know!

Much love and thanks,
K3

Address

My work address is

1stDibs
ATTN: Ken St. Clair
156 5th Ave
Suite 200
New York, NY, 10010

I can receive packages and mail here.

See & Be Seen

I feel like there's more of an element of "see and be seen" in NYC -- at least more than there was in ATL. When you go out, you get dressed in some definitive way, and then you enter into this big thing that's going on outside. Everyone on the street is dressed to impress. A variety of styles and types abound, and they're all together out on the streets. It's clear that people are choosing different audiences to "impress," or that they would prefer to be seen by, but no one really seems to just roll out of bed and walk outside.  It makes everything more visually stimulating, which pairs well with the architecture. It also lends a feeling of greater sophistication somehow.

Or maybe it isn't so much the aspect of impressing others as it is expressing yourself. Not sure which is more true, or even if you can uncouple the two.

Either way, its fun. Being out on the street amongst all those people has a very inclusive feeling to it, as opposed to an exclusive one or judgmental one. I somehow always feel like I'm a part of whatever is going on, an element in the theater of the street, instead of feeling drowned out or lost in the noise. It's a very strange juxtaposition, considering just how dense this place is, and just how many people there are here, and how easily it seems you could feel insignificant amongst so much... stuff. Glitz, glam, dirt, work, speed, mania, and chaos.

Maybe that's my favorite part. All the organized chaos. It's like ADD heaven! Clare was saying that she thinks new-comers get more tired more easily, partly because of the all the walking, but also just because your brain has to kick it up a few notches to keep up with everything. To choreograph your walk down the street your brain suddenly utilizes all your peripheral vision and calculates the speeds and future positions of all the people going in different directions around you, in the hopes that you can walk smoothly down the sidewalk and not run into anyone. And let me just say, it takes some getting used to. I still stutter-step a few times a day, just trying to get around on the sidewalk.

Ahhh. So I'm still enjoying myself here. Going to look at an room in an apartment this weekend. The current residents are basically holding auditions for their vacated room. 28 male, 29 female, both professionals. One does educational non-profit and the other does visual marketing. It's the right price, and the right location (walking distance to work and in a fun part of town!), so I'm hoping to impress them. That would be a great next step for me, having a solid place to live on the island.

Ok, well I'm out for now. Much love to all. Keep your hearts and bodies warm.

Until next time,
K3

Why you don't get a car in NYC

So with that 18% parking tax, you're paying $640/mo just to park your car.

"Your box is your bedroom; New York is your living room."

First things first: I got my first paycheck!!!


Oh yeah. Who's your daddy.

That was pretty cool.

So. Today was a pretty cool day. Clare took me out and about on the town, giving me quite the proper tour of NYC.

We started out by visiting the New York Public Library. Um, WOW. That library has got to be one of the most gorgeous in the world. I mean, the libraries at Alexandria must have been like this. Palatial, austere, grandiose, monumental -- it is easily a hall fit for kings. And built for the public. Way to go NYC. That is how you treat your citizens right. Unfortunately I had forgotten I had my camera on me at the time, so I don't have any visual documentation for you. :(
But you know what? I can always go back! :) And I really should. You can go there just to chill and read. What an amazing space the sit and read and expand your mind. Get a little gray cell exercise.

Next up was Bryant Park, which, as it was explained to me, is quite the active little venue throughout the year. Right now Citibank has created a free ice skating rink there called "Pond, NY". All the structures are temp structures, set up just for the rink. In the summer its just a grassy field, where they sometimes show movies and do fashions events, etc.

















Next stop: Grand Central.
For food oddly enough. But not before we stopped to talk to the swankiest chauffeur in town. If you look closely you'll see... yes, that's a 24" apple desktop computer set up for your convenience, complete with wifi internet and all the fixin's. And of course don't forget about the refrigerator (yes, I'm serious). $120/hr, minimum of 2 hours. "The best drivers in town" -- whatever that means in NYC. And more cars to come! Suburbans, etc, etc.

Grand Central Station is another of those amazing palatial structures. Apparently I just wasn't into taking pictures of those things today, cause I've got nothing for you from there either. But I did get some great clam chowder. There is so much going on there, its hard to believe its a train station.

Rockefeller Center also had an ice rink. Such gorgeous venues for recreation. Can you imagine ice skating at the foot of this building, and right in front of that fountain monument? What a trip.

Then a walk down the ritzy part of 5th Ave, where I was introduced to a glimpse of what its like to live the life of high society in NYC. Beauty, quality, and decadence extraordinaire. We took a little stroll through the Plaza Hotel, which is where princes and princesses stay when visiting the city. High tea and all the rest. Oversized doors, great marble columns, The Oak Room -- let's just say it was quite the sight.

An action packed day it has been, and I am exhausted to the max, so I'm off to an early bed time tonight. I hope everyone is in good health and spirits.

Much love,
K3

Food is expensive

Hey ya'll-

Work was great today. The last time I had a serious sit-down-all-day-and-write-code kinda job, I had to have my hand held for weeks before I got the hang of things. Granted, that was the first time I'd had a job like that. But today, 4 days into a brand new language, and I'm rolling with the punches and getting stuff done. It's been quite the opposite of hand-holding this week, and I've basically been on my own with a list of stuff to do. And I'm knocking it out. I feel like a big boy now. :)

 I even stayed until 8:30p today so I could finish up what I was working on. Plus I figure working a lot isn't the worst habit to be in. I'm sure there's lots of trouble to be had in this city, and the way I see it, I'm keeping myself out of it. Plus it'll give me a chance to get ahead and show off for the first month or so, become a valued member of the team. And I realized today, that if I walk home from work, it totally negates the fact that I've been sitting down for hours and hours and hours. I never got to learn that in Atlanta, cause I went from office chair to car seat to wooden dinner chair to couch cushion, etc, ad sedentarium. And when I walk home instead of taking the subway I get to see all the schtuff too. That appeal may wear off, I guess, but I'm good with it for now.

Ok -- food. I'm sure most of you know how much I like my food. And my appetite isn't quite what you'd call petite. Food is so not cheap here. I had a long sandwich and pasta salad and chips for lunch today, and it ran me $12. Sheesh. And barely filled me up. So on my walk home today, I figured I'd stop at a grocery and get some dinner. And that didn't help either! I spent $35, and that food *might* last me 3 days. My dinners out have been averaging around $10-12, which isn't bad for dinner, but the portions are just barely enough to fill you up! No chance at leftovers. So $2 for breakfast, $10 for lunch, and $12 for dinner, that's $24 a day on food. I could honestly eat in Atlanta for $5-10 a day.  So I'm still going to have to figure out how to work all of this out. I hear there's a Costco on the island somewhere, and (thanks Mom,) I have a card. That may be my saving grace.

So I realized today when I'm really going to feel like a New Yorker. It's going to be summer, most likely. I realized this after talking with Poppy today. He asked if there were many people out on the streets. There were a decent scattering, but nothing even close to crowded. That's when I realized -- I moved to NYC in January. Who in their right mind does that? And of course there's very few people visiting right now. When tourist season picks up, I'll have been here for a few months and gotten used to everything, and then its going to be crazy packed with tourists. And I can see it already; I'm going to be grumbling under my breath all the time about obnoxious tourists always being in the way and not knowing where they're going or what they're doing. That's when I'll feel like a New Yorker.

Ok, I'm out for now. Everyone keep warm and healthy, and thanks for all the comments and love. It's great to be able to keep up with people, even in such a tenuous way as fiber-optic cable and glowing screens.

Much love!
-K3

Fat 'n Happy

Current ambiente noise: Mariachi music (I know, right?).

Just got back from dinner. Clare, who came down to ATL a couple times to do some work on the startups with us, took me out to dinner at a little place called El Faro in the West Village. 'Twas el yum. Paella Valenciana, garlic sauce shrimps, and sangria. And cobblestone streets!

We got to catch up a bit and she gave me some tips on how to get around, and how to orient yourself when you come out of the subway and have no idea which way you're facing. Which I desperately needed, cause my one-block walk from the subway stop to my office this morning took me 5 blocks of walkings. Doh.

• East Evens: Remember how the Streets are all facing east/west, and Avenues north/south? Well it turns out that most (or maybe all?) of the even-numbered Streets are one way, and they travel east. Quick way to orient without having to walk a block. 
• Subways Act Like Cars: Subway entrances usually only go down to one side of the tracks. But it turns out, the entrances are positioned on the side of the street such that the train you are going down to is traveling in the direction that a car would be going on that side of the street. It's a quick and easy way to know which entrance you want to use, and its a good reference when you get out, cause you know which cardinal direction the train was going, and then you can orient that to the street when you get top-side. Bery bery iinteresting. 

Also it looks like I'll be meeting up with Clare again this weekend to go ice skating at The Pond in Bryant Park. How Normal Rockwell is that? After that, however, she is escaping the cold and traveling to warmer climes, aka L.A. and then Savannah. Smart cookie, that one.

Ok, so time for some WORK updates:

First day was kinda weird. Everybody seemed to be pretty busy, so I pretty much got stuck with busy work and was left to fend for myself. I critiqued the website (btw, its www.1stdibs.com).

Today, however, was much more action packed, as I got a walkthrough of some of the databases that we use, and some of the code for somethin-or-other. It was quite the brain-fry, especially since the code was in PHP, a language that I'm still trying to learn. I also got to deliver my yesterday-notes, and now my boss wants me to write up two cheat-sheet versions of them.

My plate feels full already. Which is fantastic. I can't wait to fill it up even more. My first paycheck comes Friday, and once I'm stable, I'm totally going to find some local/league sports team or another so I will be forced to workout, and make friends.

Emotionally, I'm doing pretty well. I was kinda homesick yesterday, but today when I put the key in the apartment building door, it started to feel like my door. WEIRD. I still don't feel like a New Yawka, but I'm beginning to feel a bit more capable, at least in the neighborhoods that I live and work in. This morning I thought I was getting more accustomed to the cold, but I think it was just cause I was standing in sunlight. I was still freezing when I walked home tonight. But I walked fast!

Ok, one thing I have NOT gotten used to, and don't know if I ever will (maybe hopefully not :)). You know when you walk by people and you hear snippets of their conversation? It's always fun, getting to hear only 6 words or so, totally out of context, and the guess or make up the rest. Well here, they're frequently accompanied by accents.

Strange accents.

Northern accents.

And I just cannot get used to it. Sorry ya'll northern folk; you talk funny.

Time to sign off for now. Much love to all. I'm contemplating taking after-work walks/adventures each day, just to see new parts of the city, so I could have some interesting posts in the future. Oh, and I promise to get some photos up here, and maybe some maps too, so we can keep track of my meanderings.

Love and love and love (it's all you need, aside from location),

K3

Observations:

1. Work is two stops up on the subway. Cool.
2. It's easy to get turned around when coming out of a subway stop, but just as easy to figure out when you're going the wrong way. Most streets are numbered, so after two blocks, if the numbers are going in the wrong direction, so are you.  
3. My Marta stop was one block away in Atlanta. My subway stop now is 6 blocks away, but I can still walk there in the same amount of time. That's how much smaller the blocks are in NYC. 
4. Coffee and a bagel with cream cheese from the street kiosks is only $2. That's cheaper than coffee and a bagel in Atlanta. Weird, but cool. 
5. In the time that it took me to walk to my grocery store in Atlanta (which we did frequently), I now pass 3-5 grocery stores. And a dozen restaurants. And a dozen bars. And shops. And ... you get the point. 
6. Anything you need is pretty much always accessible, and probably on the way to where you're going. Neat.
7. Free internet is in-free-quent. 
8. So far, no one has really been rude to me. The standards of politesse aren't quite what they are in the South, but everyone seems to respect each other. 
9. It's windy. Chapstick is a must.
10. At this point, I'm convinced that New Yorkers walk fast, not because they have somewhere important to be, but because walking slowly doesn't get your blood moving enough to keep you from freezing to death.

It's Cold.

Hello All!!!

I am safely in NYC, starting work tomorrow morning at 9am. And I couldn't be more excited. I finally have a job in my field, and somehow I ended up in one of the premiere cities in the world, doing what I'm good at.

And it looks like I'm going to enjoy the company too. For those that don't know the story, my friend from GaTech, Walt, gave me the referral for this job. He says that the company is fantastic to work for, and he loves it. I will be the 4th member of the development team, so there will probably be quite a bit of room for growth.

My flight went well, without a hitch, and finding my apartment was relatively easy (cause Walt walked me to it. :) ) I'm staying in the East Village, near NYU, on 4th st in between 2nd ave and 3rd ave. (Streets go east/west, ascending northward, and Avenues go north/south, ascending westward). It's a cute little place on the 6th floor (no elevator). I paced it out, and if my steps were right, its 45 ft long by 10 ft wide. 450 sq ft. A box, to be sure, but a cute and comfy box. It certainly feels bigger than it is.

Currently I am sitting on the floor in the corner of the 4th floor of Barnes and Noble, cause my apartment, though furnished, is not furnished with internet. As you might imagine, I tried to steal internet from one of the many people in surrounding boxes, but none of them were consistent or fast enough to really work with. So I came over to B&N to get some internet. But at 6pm, the cafe has no available tables at all, and there is a line of people waiting for someone to get up. There are also people scattered throughout the store on the floor in the corners, so I figured that was just the way to do it. So here I am.

And to top off this already strange evening, it appears that it is "no pants" evening in NYC. As I walked through Union Square, there was a large milling crowd of people -- all in their skivvies. I had the balls (no pun intended) to ask one of the pants-less wonders what in God's name people were doing running around bare-legged in 5 degree weather, and they responded that it is simply a demonstration of choice -- that people are allowed to run around without their trousers, so they feel that they should every once in a while. Then she told me to take my pants off and join the party. I decided to pass on pants-less-ness. Maybe on my way back to the apt I'll join in on the liberation of the pants.

It's all a bit of an overload still, but I think things will settle down pretty quickly. Work will certainly add some much-needed structure to my days. But it looks as though every day will be an adventure, which should be great.

Oh, and I still apparently have whatever air I carry that says to strangers that I know where I'm going. Maybe this happens to everyone, but I feel like I get asked for directions way more often than most people do. It happened all the time in Atlanta, it happened in Barcelona, and it has already happened here in New York. Last night when I went out foraging for food, I had some gent ask me where "Scratches" was. He sounded Scottish. After telling him no, I got a "Cheers" and he headed off. So there you go. One day in and people are already asking me for directions. I must be a New Yorker already. :)

Ok, well there is always much to tell, but I think it's time for me to head off. I hope all of you are keeping well and keeping warm.

Oh, and it was 0-10 degrees all weekend. It's cold here.

Much love,

K3