4 Reasons Why I Don't Miss My Car

One of the biggest headaches about visiting my hometown of Anaheim is that I have to drive everywhere. Literally, everywhere. Nothing is in walking distance, there's no subway, and taking Ubers all the time gets really expensive. To tell you the truth, I was never a big fan of driving in the first place, because as you may recall from my first post, I am not a very good driver. But even people I've talked to from California, who love to drive, admit that they don't miss their cars when they're here in the city. Here are a few reasons why:

1. You don't need to worry about a designated driver.

I'll never forget the weekend I turned 21 in New York. Well, actually I've forgotten quite a bit of it, but the parts I remember were super fun. My parents came to visit me, and they took me out on the town for dinner and a show (while getting me good and hammered in the process). The next day I woke up with a terrible hangover, and that night I went bar hopping with some friends from school. The day after that I hid from the sun under my covers all day. So you know, a pretty typical 21st birthday stuff.While I walked back to my apartment with my friends at 5:00 in the morning, after closing down our favorite bar and getting Halal food from our favorite cart, I found another reason to love this city: I didn't have to worry about driving home. Actually, I didn't have to worry about a car at all, and it actually felt really good. Worrying about being sober enough to drive, or finding a ride home, after a night out is incredibly stressful, and the risk of trying to get yourself home with your own car is horribly irresponsible and dangerous. The knowledge that you can just hop on the subway or take a cab home when you're out makes the night more enjoyable, and also safer.

2. You don't have to worry about parking.

I can't begin to recall the amount of time I've wasted looking for parking (or how much I've paid for it, for that matter ), and knowing that is not an issue when going to the most crowded parts of the city here is a huge relief. When all you have to worry about is getting yourself to your destination in tact, as opposed to you and a 2-ton machine, you find that you have much more freedom in traveling from place to place. Now to be fair, public transportation in New York is not without its fair share of problems. But in my experience, the occasional inefficiency is worth it.

3. You noticeably lose weight.

Everyone warned me when I started college that I would succumb to the dreaded "Freshmen 15," the phenomenon where you gain 15 pounds in your first semester not living at home. This is usually linked to getting fast food all the time or having a meal plan, but having to drive everywhere certainly doesn't help you keep the weight off. Yet during my first semester at King's, I lost about 10 pounds, along with pretty much everyone else I know. Stress probably played a decent role in this, but having a daily commute that involved a significant amount of walking made a significant difference in staying fit. I didn't even notice how used to walking I got until my sister came to visit and her pedometer app clocked us at walking 8 miles in one day.

4. Subways and Cab / Uber-fare are less expensive than Gas and Insurance.

While everything might seem to get more expensive here in the city, traveling is one thing that actually gets cheaper. After a few months in the city, the amount I saved by not filling up my gas tank every week was really remarkable. As long as you don't use cabs everyday, the difference in spending becomes greater overtime, so that you can actually afford all the expensive things here in the city. 

Is there anything I forgot to include? Do you still prefer driving over public transportation? Let me know in the comment section below!

Not Your Parent's New York

                   One of the reasons I was so keen to move to New York was because of my parents, and how they would talk about how much fun they had in the city when they were in college. They’d tell me about all the crazy things and people they saw, and it all sounded amazing from their perspective. Of course, this was when I was a little kid, and it was only when I started watching Martin Scorsese movies when I was a slightly older little kid did I begin to conceptualize how dangerous New York used to be in the 70’s and 80’s. Aside from my parents, most of what I knew about the city came from those movies: all the violence, drugs, poverty, prostitution, corruption on Wall Street, and regiments from the Union Army fighting Irish gangs in the 5-Points (although technically that was more of an 1860’s problem, but hey, Gangs of New York is my favorite Scorsese film, so I’m including it here).

                  I also grew up with sitcoms like Seinfeld, Friends, and How I Met Your Mother, but those just didn’t seem real to me, not like Scorsese film or my parent’s stories did. They all seemed too happy and carefree on those shows, nothing like the New York I heard about. Yet after all those movies I still wanted to go and live there one day, and looking back on it now I can’t help but think that it was due to my parents, who despite witnessing all of New York at it’s worst, managed to still have a great time here.

                  When I finally did move, I geared up for whatever the city danger the city was going to throw at me. But after a month or so of living in New York did I make a shocking discovery: New York wasn’t that scary at all. There were no porno-theatres in Time Square, or taxi drivers with mohawks shooting at pimps (that’s from Taxi Drive by the way). In fact, most of what I saw of New York was quite pleasant, and I feel very living here. This feeling really set in when my parents came to visit for the first time, and they pointed out all the spots where porno-theatres, drug-filled discos, and dangerous slums had been replaced by trendy stores like Trader Joe’s. (Apparently the area around 23^rd and 6^th used to be really dangerous. Imagine that.)

                  New York has changed a lot since our parents were here. It’s not without its fair share of problems, but the landscape is far different from anything I expected growing up in Orange County. But just like our parents, New York is still a blast, depending on you choose to spend your time and who you spend it with. It’s not our parent’s New York anymore, but the only way to know for sure is to come and experience it yourselves, and in the process you make it your own.

3 Wardrobe Essentials for the New-New Yorker

Snow-pocolypse 2015. Look how terrified we are. 

One of the many things I loved about California was the weather, and how infrequently it changed. Sure there were occasional days when it rained, and some parts of the year are hotter / colder than others, but for the most part it's sunny year around. Because of this, I didn't put a whole lot of thought into the utility of my wardrobe, because everything I had could be worn at pretty much any time of the year. Besides, I mainly just wore Hawaiian shirts all the time, because they are comfy and they look awesome.

But here in New York, seasons are actually a thing, like leaves falling from trees in the fall and flowers growing in the spring. You know, all the things you read about in books or saw on T.V. Because of this odd phenomenon, one must put more consideration toward what one wears at given times of the year, especially when the weather turns cold. I for one really don't like clothes shopping for things I need, so during my first Fall here in the city I tried to put off shopping for these items for as long as I could. But I paid for my procrastination, as I wound up miserable on several occasions due to my insufficient clothing and accessorizing, a fate I would not wish to fall on you.

So here are a few things you need to buy as soon as possible if you choose to stay in New York long term. Since we Californians have hot weather pretty much figured out, I'm going to be focusing specifically on cold weather items. I recommend getting them early on in warmer weather because they will most likely be much cheaper then.

1. An Umbrella: A damn good one.

It doesn't rain a whole lot in SoCal, but when it does it was never so bad that a simple button-press mini umbrella couldn't fix. This was the mentality I had going into the Fall of my first year in New York, because it's just rain after all, right? Wrong. A cheap umbrella might do for the occasional little drizzle, but storms can quickly escalate to a point where that little umbrella is rendered a useless pile of canvas. Don't skimp out on investing in a quality umbrella as soon as you can, one that won't fail you when the rain or snow is decimating the city.

2. Gloves: Don't try to tough it out.

If you own a pair of gloves in SoCal, they're probably buried in a drawer somewhere for when you go up to Big Bear in the winter for snowboarding. I was never good at snowboarding, so they just stayed buried in my drawer. But don't underestimate the cold here in New York: it will cut through to the bone. It's not worth trying to go the winter without gloves, because you need your hands to do things, and the amount of time you can spend outside in cold weather will be significantly reduced. As for those snowboarding gloves at home, they're not gonna cut it. Yeah they're thick, but they're useless when trying to use a subway turn-style, or pulling out your wallet, or doing anything that requires fine-motor skills. Spring for a pair of leather gloves that you can move your hands around in. They may be pricy, but they'll pay for themselves in no time.

3. Pea Coat: Style and function in one convenient coat.

Like those puffy gloves you don't use, your puffy coat at home simply won't do for navigating the city. Being a marshmallow person is fine in the great outdoors, but becomes very burdensome during your morning commute, or any other time you're out and about. Pea coats are great because they're extremely warm while also being slim enough to make city navigation a breeze. They're large enough to wear a suit under, and they also just look really damn good. One problem with this is that new pea coat are very expensive, and would require much more saving than leather gloves. I highly recommend getting a used one, preferably from a thrift store, because they'll be significantly cheaper and work just as well.

Is there anything you think I forgot to mention? Feel free to comment with what clothing / accessory everyone should get immediately when moving here.

Life's a Beach

Crystal Cove State Park, CA.

When you've been away from home long enough, you become very aware of things missing from your life to which you never really gave enough credit. For myself and others from sunnier parts of the country, it has been consistent access to the beach that we often miss the most. In Orange County, I was 20 minutes from the beach, and you bet I took advantage of that every chance I got. My first job was actually at a Boy Scout camp located in Newport Harbor, so sun and sea water were big parts of my 9 to 5.

When I got to New York, people assured me that Coney Island and Far Rockaway would be worthy substitutes, so you can imagine my disappointment when they weren't. I don't know if it was the massive crowds, the lack of decent waves, or almost stepping on needles several times, but my hopes of enjoying days at the beach similar to those at home were quickly dashed. Most days of the year it's too cold to even go, and when the weather is nice enough to go, everyone and their mother gets the same bright idea. To be honest, the problem is most likely with me: I've been spoiled rotten with beaches back home, so my standards are probably way too high. (Then again, I think it's only fair that a beach to be free of needles. That's all I ask).

But it's not just the beach that I miss; I miss nature in general. Yes, technically Manhattan is an island, but aside from the parks, nature is hard to come by out here. The buildings seem to go on forever sometimes, and whatever trees and bushes there are along the streets just look sort of sad. That was one of the first things I noticed about New York and how different it was from Orange County: nature is not very well integrated here. The parks feel almost quarantined off from the rest of the city, and it's hard to find peace in the tranquility of nature when the buildings are imposing behind the trees.
If there's one thing I've learned from my own experiences and from others coming from the same area, its that we Californians need our fix of nature. Otherwise, the feeling of not experiencing genuine outdoors will start to gnaw at you if it goes unsatisfied for too long.

So my advice to the reader: you need to make an effort to schedule time out of your week to be surrounded by nature. In the short term, time in your favorite park will suffice (I go to Battery Park because it's close to my building and the sound of the ocean is very soothing. The Cloisters are also amazing for little get-aways). You should also make an effort to get out of the city completely to somewhere more secluded, such as upstate New York, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey. It really doesn't matter, as long as you properly soak in the splendor before you return to city life. As for the beaches, well, you just have to make peace with them, unless you want to go all the way out to the Hamptons.

On top of your already busy lives, scheduling time to be outdoors seems like a big hassle. But just like any other necessity, you'll make room for it. Like any other good thing in our lives, you won't realize how much you miss it until it's no longer there.

7 Thoughts I Had My First Weekend in the City

My first day in New York, on the roof
of my building.  I'm shouting for joy
internally.

I don't think I can recall the exact moment when I decided I wanted to move to New York City. For as long as I can remember, and as far as my friends and family are concerned, it was something that I always wanted to do. New York just always felt like a really good fit for me: I love big cities, I love being around people, I enjoy the weather, and after multiple failed attempts at passing my drivers test, my fondness for public transportation grew. However, such a lofty dream felt impossible for me (I suppose I was always a bit of a realist), so I categorized living in New York under my long list of "Things that would be nice but will never happen in a million years." However, when the opportunity arose to finish my college education at The King's College here in Manhattan, I latched onto it and didn't let go. The next two years of community college felt like a blur, because all I could think about was how awesome New York was going to be, (I also partied a lot, so that might have contributed to my memory loss). But even after living here for one-and-a-half years, I can still recall every single detail of the weekend I moved in.

Here are some of my immediate thoughts from that weekend, from the time I left for the airport to the moment I settled into my new apartment:





1. ...I hate LAX

It's the worst. It's impossible to find anything, parking is terrible, and there's even traffic on the freeway at 4:00 AM. I mean, John Wayne and Long Beach Airport are so much better, so why don't any flights to JFK leave from there?

2. L.A is really pretty when the smog cloud isn't there.

I have a very complicated love/hate relationship with L.A. It holds many great memories for me (midnight runs to Pink's, going to tapings of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, and seeing my favorite bands play at the Greek Theatre), but also some very terrible ones (getting stuck in traffic, people being bad at giving directions, the terrible pollution, and that one time I got into a car accident on the way to see the Book of Mormon). Yet when people here in New York bash L.A, I stick up for it, because for all the grief it's caused me over the years I really do miss that place.

3. I'M FINALLY HERE!!! ...now what?

Landing at the airport and seeing the skyline on the way in was a truly remarkable feeling, which in turn was followed by crippling anxiety after I realized I had no clue how to get there. Trying to figure out the best way to get to the city from JFK while you carry around all your stuff really isn't very fun, especially when you don't have the subway quite figured out. To be honest, I didn't really believe I'd make it this far.

4. Oh man, what if my roommates are weird?

Because I moved to New York for school, I had an apartment with other fellow students on 34th street. The thought that we wouldn't get along or that they could possibly murder me in my sleep didn't occur to me until I was on may way to Manhattan. It seems silly to think about now considering that these two are some of my closest friends (I'm even going to be a groomsman in one of their weddings), but being suddenly struck with terror at the thought of living with potentially crazy strangers is a feeling I soon won't forget.

5. Ugh Mom, you're so embarrassing! (please don't leave me)

Having my parents there to move me in was both annoying and very much appreciated. I didn't really feel homesick for Orange County when I initially left, but the thought of being away from home started to hit me when my parents were getting ready to fly back. Yeah they were a little embarrassing, but that's just what parents do, and I was sad to see them go. It just goes to show you that home isn't just a place, but the people you love. After all, they are part of the reason I have such fond memories of California in the first place.

6. Ok I got this. Nothing can stop us froOH MY GOD THAT'S A HUGE COCKROACH!!!

First night in the new place and we saw a cockroach in the apartment. It was a monster. We threw books at it until it died, tossed it in the trash, and then took the trash outside. We then found several more under the sink. It was a bloodbath. There were no survivors.

7. This is my life now.

Once my parents had gone, my stuff was somewhat unpacked, and my roommates and I had slain the monster cockroach and her demon hoard, I went for a little walk around Herald Square. It was the first time I had a moment to breath in a while, and it was all starting to hit me. I live here now. Everything I grew up with in my own backyard, the beaches, the rolling hills, Disneyland, and all my friends, were now were 3000 miles away. In this calm before the storm (before starting classes, unpacking, and learning how to live on my own), I thought fondly about the home I had left, while being filled with excitement about the home I was about to build here.