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