A Fun (and Cheap) Guide to NYC

I spent an entire summer living in NYC. I hated it at the time, but looking back on it, you really do have the world at your finger tips. There's so much to do; so many sights to see.

My favorite place to go (by far) was Central Park. There's always a ton of people there and it really is a nice break-away from reality.  [http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/index.jsp?page=1 | Conservatory Water, Alice, Balto, Bethesda Fountain/Terrace, Cedar Hill, Great Lawn, East Meadow]

Being a boater, my 2nd favorite thing to do in NYC was ride the Staten Island Ferry - it's actually a free ride too (or at least it was when I was there -- I looked it up for you, and yes, it is still free). I literally would ride the Ferry back & forth just simply to get on the water and feel the cool breeze (it also didn't hurt that you get pretty close to the Statue of Liberty, so you get to check that out when most of those "Tours" to do the same thing are ungodly overpriced and horrendous long hour waits.

Another "free" thing to do is to go to NYC Metropolitan Museum of Art. Perhaps the best kept secret is that the Met is actually "free." Yes, free. They advertise ridiculous admission prices, but if you look closely, they are entirely recommended prices. Because the Met is funded by the state, you can technically pay whatever you want to get in. So... technically you can "donate" $5 and receive admission as opposed to spending the recommended $25 admission fee.

It's not "free," but I do recommend going to the top of the Empire State Building. Why? Because you really do get a great view (especially on a clear day) of the entire NYC skyline. Don't fall for those guys advertising that you can "skip the long line" and "take a helicopter ride." You don't want to do that. Bide your time and you will be up to the top in no time. Besides... once you get up there, you want to take your time and take in all the sights. You do not want to be rushed or scooted out of there because it's time for the helicopter to grab a new set of tours, right?  (NOTE:  At the time I was in NYC, the World Trade Center Memorial was in it's infancy.  There was really nothing to see.  The fences 15 ft high and you really couldn't see anything (at least worth-while).  By now, things have likely changed, so it might be worth-while to swing by over there and check out what the Memorial has to offer.)

I know this one is going to sound stupid / cheesy, but... seriously... ride the NYC subway. It smells and it's dirty, and you'll see some interesting characters, but really... it builds character. I promise you will come away with a deep appreciation for just how spectacular the NYC subway system truly is, and how impressive the whole "underground" (under the city and all it's buildings) truly is. (It's also a great way -- perhaps even the best, in terms of cheapest -- way to get around the city. Sure cabs are faster, but you will end up paying MUCH more if you rely on cabs, as opposed to learning & getting around the subways.

If you have even the SLIGHTEST sweet tooth, you MUST go to Magnolia Bakery. I PROMISE you they will have the best tasting cupcakes you have ever had in the world (or at least that I've had). They are a little pricey (I wanna say $4 per cupcake or so; but that's because they are THAT good and it is a famous bakery), but the frosting is simply to die for. You might ride a sugar buzz the rest of the day, but I promise you it will be worth every penny for those 5 minutes of indulging in it.

One of my favorite restaurants that we went to (granted it has sentimental value) was La Caverna. It's a little pricey, but it has a really great ambiance and some pretty tasty good food.

A nice "snack" and something that is definitely cheap & affordable, yet EXTREMELY delicious is Pommes Frites' fries & sauces. I kid you not, you are going to think, "What can be so special about fries?" but trust me... go there and you will see. They literally have EVERY kind of sauce you can imagine and it's a nice "break" / snack to stop and eat some delicious fries with amazing sauces. It's right in the middle of Hippy Town/Village, so it would be a great excuse to see some of the culture NYC has to provide. DEFINITELY recommend this place.

I know it's going to sound cheesy, but seriously... take one night and go see Times Square. It kinda is impressive and just a fun / touristy thing to do. Again... it won't cost you any money other than the transportation to get there. I would recommend doing this at night so you can see all of the bright lights. It truly is breathtaking (at least for me it was).

Finally, I never saw a Broadway show (and like I said, I spent an entire summer living in NYC), but I really wish I would have. This is definitely one thing I truly regret. I wish I would have just forked out the money and gone-and-seen one. Not quite sure what's playing out there now, but I definitely wish I would have caught the Lion King (or even Phantom of the Opera, again) out there.

Other "cool" things to check out...

• Grand Central Terminal (touristy / people)
• Madison & Fifth Avenue (shopping)
• FAO Schwarz
• Prada
• Giorgio Armani
• Niketown
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Tiffany & Co.
• Museum of Sex (vogue / interesting)
• Brooklyn Bridge (touristy)
• SHARK Speedboat Thrill Ride (tour)
• Chinatown (NYC) (funny / edgy)

Hope this helps.

Virtual Vacations

If you haven't seen this, you must check this out. It's a pretty cool 360 degree view of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower. I heard this a couple years back and I really think it will end up holding true... with the way technology is evolving & growing, people will go on fewer vacations. Why? Because people will be able to see the sights from technology like Google Earth or this wonderful website.

Eiffel Tower - Paris, France
http://www.gillesvidal.com/blogpano/paris.htm

Here's another one that I know has been shared before, but for kicks...

Sistine Chapel - Vatican City
http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

Memorial Weekend

Hey guys,

Just thought I would provide an update on my weekend. On Saturday, I caught dinner with Dad and then continued onto Lakeside & had a wonderful weekend with Molly. We did some wine tasting at Hermes (in Catawba) on Sunday (boy do I love Gewürztraminer; it's by far my favorite wine), went to Toft's Ice Cream Parlor in Sandusky (I had a peanut-butter cup flurry, but should have ordered one of their homemade flavors), and then Molly & I walked down to the Lakeside-Marblehead pier (it's kinda of our thing) and caught the sunset. It was quite nice. The wind was a perfect breeze and the ripples in the water were small enough to provide a tranquil lapping sound.

For some reason, I thought I was going to have to work on Memorial Day, but I just found out that our company will actually have it off. I believe Kim flies back into the States on Friday, and I think Dad is planning on putting Pogo in the water on Saturday. I told him I would help him with the boat since I wasn't able to help him last weekend. [Hopefully we can go for a nice boat-ride after she's in ]. So I'll probably catch Dad and Kim Saturday (likely meet up with Molly Saturday night) and perhaps for a bit of Sunday as well.

Then, I'd like to travel home to Toledo sometime Sunday and look to catch dinner at MiMi's. Mom... I'm assuming you have Monday off too, right? I'll have to be back to work Tuesday, obviously.

Finally Here, Ya'll

Well, in case you haven't heard, I have *OFFICIALLY* relocated to Irvine, CA. My last day in Ohio was April 16th. I landed in Cali the next day and have been living out of a hotel ("temporary housing") for roughly 2 weeks. I just moved into my new apartment on Monday (5/7) -- even tho I've been paying rent since April 16th :-\ -- and there's nothing but boxes, and boxes, and boxes stacked upon each other everywhere!




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I wasn't that crazy about the move, but with the current job market (or lack there of), and seeing some of my friends struggling to find decent jobs, I knew I wasn't in a position to pass this opportunity up. For some reason, my company really wanted me out here in Irvine -- supposedly they want to plug me into more projects out here (not quite sure why I can't do that in Solon, but whatever) and there's swirling speculation that our Solon facility might be closing over the next 5 years, etc. -- so, perhaps, those are the reasons? As for the actual relocation itself, I imagine it had to have been fairly expensive (with the temporary housing, relocating my belongings -- including my car -- and everything else). Hopefully this proves that the company is investing in me (it always feels good to be wanted, right?).



Nevertheless, it was extremely hard to make this decision. I was terribly sad to leave my friends and family behind, but one of the "enlightening" moments was when I came to the realization that I wasn't "leaving my friends and family behind" -- the lasting friendships and bonds that I've made throughout my life are now even stronger. My "ex"-roommates (and even some really close friends, family, & co-workers) have already reached out to me on several occasions to check in with me and see how things are going. I cannot even begin to express how much it all means to me. I was worried that I would be "leaving it all behind" and "missing out on the action," but thanks to some key friends checking in on me and sharing the moments with me, it's really made the transition all the more smooth.



The biggest differences so far have to be the weather (it's literally 70-something degrees out here every day and sunny) and the cost of living. Gas right now is $4.25/gal (I've seen it as high as $4.55/gal), dining out for 1 is roughly $25-35 (including tip), rent is easily 3x more, The Avengers movie ran me $15.50 (granted it was 3D, so that was probably an extra $3), and worst of all... there are only FOUR $5 footlongs at Subway! So far, the only "cheaper" thing I've come across are avacados. In Ohio, I remember paying $2 for one; here, they're $0.50 for one. I think I made the right deal, eh?



So for those of you already saying, "Well I'm sure you got a nice raise to offset the cost of living difference," let me just tell you definitely that NO, I didn't. I received a $2k FOR THE YEAR raise to "offset the cost of living difference." Personally, I think that is laughable that HR could even look me straight in the face and tell me that, but... it is what it is, I suppose. Hopefully now that I am out here, the company will do what's right and revisit this situation -- because I can tell you one thing... if they don't, my tale is going to be back on it's way to Ohio after 2 yrs if the company doesn't start ponying up. I don't see how anyone in their right mind can live out here (with the expenses the way they are) and earn what I am making. You can't At least certainly not the same standard of living. So I guess what I'm saying, is, don't expect any Christmas cards from me ;-)



To help offset some of the expenses, I decided to settle on an apartment that is 2 miles away from work >> http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=2400+Barranca+Pkwy,+Irvine,+CA&daddr=2555+Main+St,+Irvine,+CA&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=55.849851,135.263672&geocode=FfMqAgId-gv6-ClxiEsEINzcgDHRfoqUjM1Muw%3BFTL0AQIdTdv5-CnNSfT0j97cgDEKiea4isyYNw&oq=255&mra=ls&t=m&z=15. I figured I would pay the premium to live in Irvine, to be (1) closer to work, (2) in a safe area, and (3) save on variable expenses (i.e., gas). With gas being as high as it is, I decided I would ride my bike to work (thanks Dad and Uncle Kevin). I took some footage of my ride to work the first day >> http://vimeo.com/9970489.



Just kidding. My ride to work isn't that bad. I did time it, however, and I can do it in just under 13 minutes (and that's at a nice leisurely pace, of course). It's actually quite pleasant seeing as how the weather is nice and provides me with a nice opportunity to ride my bike. My only complaint so far is that usually I get to work and immediately start sweating a bit (curse you genetics). Other than that, it's actually quite refreshing; especially since my drive to work back in Cleveland was probably close to a 20 min drive -- I have no idea how people drive hours to work (and then hours back home). That has to be the worst.



I also rode my bike to the local grocery store (Ralph's) the other night. It's not very far either -- about 3 miles. I did my grocery shopping and then just placed the grocery bags on my handle-bars and rode home. My only concern is that I become too "centralized" and don't branch off enough to explore new (hopefully cheaper) areas.



What else can I share... Hmmm...



I'm currently working on upgrading our existing telephony system for our company. Right now, our Solon facility's call center is in need of an upgrade, Irvine's is dying (literally), and Houston doesn't have one. Our new call center will be able to read the inbound ANI (basically the telephone #) and execute a SOAP request to our company's CRMoD site (actually a replicated instance, but same difference) where all of our customer data is stored, and basically *POP* that callers' customer information so that our CSC agents are able to look professional when they communicate with our customers. This new phone system will also allow our users (throughout our various locations -- Solon, OH; Houston, TX; Irvine, CA; Manila, Philippines) to contact each other via the dial of a simple extension (we can't do that today), transfer calls seamlessly to one another (again, today we can't do that -- we have to have the customer hang up the phone and dial the other location), route calls to the appropriate workgroups (e.g., technical support or order entry), and provide statistical analysis of the # of calls received in various categories. My job has been to ensure that this project moves according to schedule, develop the requirements for the design, test the design, and implement the Go-Live of the new contact center (including installation of new phone units throughout the geographic locations). It's been a challenging project as I've been working on this now since probably November (i.e., roughly 7-8 months), but it's definitely had it's ups (and unfortunately downs, as well).



The good news is... our project schedule calls for a Solon Go-Live first, so that means I will actually be back in town Wed, May 16 - Sun, Jun 03 and then again Thu, Jun 07 - Fri, Jun 15. I'm going to be very busy with getting things prepped for Go-Live, but certainly I hope to see some friends whenever I can.



Well... this has turned into another long email, but I just wanted to update you all on my whereabouts and let you know what's going on. I miss you all very much, but I look forward to staying in touch with all of you.



Best regards,

Super moon

Last night was supposedly the super moon. The west coast was supposed to have the clearest view of it. I figured I would go to Newport Beach, catch a bite to eat, and then walk around a bit and stare at the moon. Well, $36 later (dinner and tip) at at place called the Rusty Pelican (which was not rusty at all I might add) that overlooked the Newport Bay, I decided to walk out at 8:30 (the recommended time was 8:34 supposedly) to check out the moon. It was nice (don't get me wrong), but I really thought it was overblown. I mean it was a little bit noticeably bigger, and a little bit noticeably brighter, but I really didn't think it was worth all the hype. I mean, it wasn't even that clear!

The best part of the night was meeting the waitress at the Rusty Pelican, Shea. She was a total fox and actually nice (this might be the Hooter's theory, however, where the act genuinely nice and that they care, all for you just to find out later that it was just them trying to "earn" a higher tip; can't tell you how many times my boys and I have been hoodwinked by that). Since I don't know anyone out here, I left her my Facebook (thought that would be a little less creepy than a phone #; we'll see). So far she hasn't friended me, and I doubt she ever will. How am I going to make friends out here?!?!?