Tutor Time

This past Tuesday was my last day of tutoring and I am surprised at how much I am going to miss those kids. I will miss being their sounding board when they want to complain about how unfair their teacher is and how overbooked they are and how hard it is to be a privileged teenager living in the capital of the world.

These kids were so ridiculous about 95% of the time. Every week that I would come for their lesson they always acted like it was such a shock that I was there. Every lesson, I would ask what we were going to work on and they would mumble "English essay, or whatever..." and then I would have to sit there for about seven minutes while they searched all over for their backpack. What a waste of time. Everyone should be as organized as I am; which I guess is why I am paid to organize these students.

One of my students was just accepted to a college in the Capital Region and I am so excited for me. I have this dream that we will get together up there and become real life friends; they will seek me out for advice as they go through the urban to suburban adjustments I have and I will mentor them during their first year at college. However, many friends have told me (and I do honestly know) that this is definitely not going to happen. Who wants to hang out with their tutor? It is awkward and weird. I’m still going to dream.

I think the reason I am so excited about this student moving to the Capital Region is because I will know a person who is going through the same thing that I am in roughly the same time period. They are going to get annoyed that there is a lack of real Chinese food like I will, they will learn that farming is no longer a distant concept, but a real industry that is only a few miles away and they will adjust to driving to see their friends rather than hopping on the Q train. We will have these common experiences and it is comforting to know that I will not be going through this “alone.”

Unrelated, but I was thinking about how excited I am to start my life as a dog lady. I plan on devoting a significant portion of my time to loving Evrill unconditionally. It will be a good life.

Also, I decided that it was a good idea to sign up for a triathlon this July. That will be hilarious. What was I thinking? This experience will be a comedy of errors. I faked running 3.5 miles last year but I definitely cannot fake a sprint triathlon; it’s about to get REAL.

Alone Time

I have this theory that New York is filled with people who were teased in school for being different and then all congregated on in New York to finally be a part of the in crowd and judge the rest of the world. We are a city of misfits. In the interest of full disclosure, I definitely include myself in this category as well. Like everyone else in this city, I take immense pleasure in criticizing everything; food, TV, movies, cities, various train lines, and many more things that no one cares about. I am starting to realize that other people do not act this way. Let’s hope I can make some new friends despite my snobby nature.

I have taken to walking everywhere these days. I miss my unlimited MetroCard and the ability to go anywhere as often as I liked for $104 per month. I never had to be that person fumbling at the MetroCard kiosk trying to refill my pay-per-ride card. Now without my golden transit ticket, I have been walking, trying to save $2.25 any time I can. Truthfully, it has been nice spending quality time with the city that I love; tracing her contours with my steps, getting a good look at what I have been living among for these past five years; the juxtaposition (thanks, Brunnemer) of architecture old and new, the conglomeration of foods, stores and people all on a tiny strip of bedrock.

I love the concentration of stores, schools, restaurants, bars and corporations all on top of one another here. One of my best friends from college said in our freshman year that he used to walk home from work listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Only Living Boy in New York” and felt like he was the only one in the whole city. We still tease him about it, but there is something to be said about wandering through the city with nothing but your thoughts to keep you company. Walking across the blocks and seeing all the different people and places of the world really gives you time to think and be alone by yourself. It’s kind of incredible that even though we are an island of 1.6 million people and a city of 8.2 million, you can feel so peacefully alone.

All of this walking has made me really think about what it means to live in an urban area. I have traveled a fair bit and I have never seen a city like New York. There is something here for everyone, all within walking distance, which is pretty incredible if you think about it. As you make your way from East 86th street to East 9th Street you are able to see how neighborhoods gradually change but all the while keeping that unique New York quality about them. The streets become a bit more narrow, the views change, the demographics change (well, these days it’s older rich white people to slightly less rich white people), and cultural nuances change. I will have the same thing in Troy, but in a different fashion. The city is more spread out and people tend to drive rather than walk. Man, that will be scary. I will miss my independence from driving.

Vagabond Lifestyle

I am halfway through my couch surfing odyssey and honestly cannot wait for it to be over. Why am I crashing on my friends’ couches for the month of December? What I tell other people is that I did not want to leave my students hanging before winter break without a tutor. The real truth is that I was too scared to commit to actually moving, and wanted to continue my New York City life for as long as I possibly could. So here I am, sleeping on my friends’ floors because I am a big baby.

I need to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the friends that have let me crash on their floors, chairs and beds these past weeks. I am eternally indebted to you and your kindness. I do have a confession though: I have used your toiletries and for the most part, not told you. I just can’t help myself; when I see a new shampoo, I have to try it. So, sorry for the unauthorized use of your goods! But how else can I try new products without financially committing to a new product I might hate?

This whole NYC apartment tour has taught me an important fact: my apartment was a total hole. I’m saying that in the nicest way possible. Every apartment I have seen has been better than mine in every possible way. Each apartment has had a bathroom that you can turn around in; fridges that keep food cold instead of ones that leak, stoves where all of the burners work instead of just two, kitchen sinks that do not leak, and counters that do not have peeling particle board that is covered in mold.

I always thought that all apartments were like mine. I thought I was a baller on a budget. I was dead wrong. And you know, my friends never told me. They never said, “Holley your apartment is disgusting, you might want to consider upping your living standards.” So now, I am moving to an apartment that is approximately three times the size of my old apartment where nothing is broken or moldy or disgusting. And I have a yard now. Suck it, NYC.

I do have to say though; for all its faults, I loved that apartment. That apartment is where I finished college, where I got my first serious boyfriend (who I’m now leaving New York for), where I lived next door to a man who claimed to be 104 years old and would call me “beauty, beauty” when we passed on the stairs. It was the apartment I rode out Hurricane Sandy and the resulting black out, where my fellow East Villagers lived like residents of Panem’s District 12. There’s a lot of history in that musty old clap trap and I will miss it.

An ironic end to my apartment saga is that the girl who took on the lease of the place was just informed by the management company that she has to move out by February 1; the management company wants to renovate the apartment and jack up the rent for a new tenant. What is horrible is that they never told her this when she was taking over the lease. What jerks! I will say though, that apartment really needs a serious facelift.

Moral of that story: I would have had to leave my apartment no matter if I moved to Troy or not. At least I left on my own terms. 

Amtrak Hacks

Next Friday will be the end of my weekly NYC to Albany Amtrak commute, and for this I am thankful. As much fun as it sounds, I am pretty tired of losing 2.5 hours of my life every Friday and Sunday to travel. Long distance is hard (and expensive), yo.

I know that my travel hacks are not going to waste, but I want to get them down so you can see what an Amtrak baller I am. Because that is how I roll:

Purchasing tickets:

• Join Amtrak Guest Rewards. You won't be racking up points like crazy since Acela trains do not run on this line, but eventually you will earn a free something just for entering in some extra numbers when purchasing your tickets. I’m cheap, so I’m also all about frequent anything.
• Pro tip: Guest Rewards seems to always be hosting some sort of  promotion, which give you an extra hundred points here and there. All you need to do is sign into your rewards account and click the applicable promotion, then Amtrak does the rest of the rewarding for you. Easy peasy.
• The earlier you buy your tickets the more you save. Almost all tickets are fully refundable so it doesn’t matter if you cancel your ticket later on, as going to get all your money refunded back to your card. If you happen to not cancel your ticket and miss the train, Amtrak sends you a voucher for future travel to be booked with an agent. It is slightly inconvenient, but at least you are not losing money.

Picking up tickets:

• If you have a smart phone you can do one of two things:
• Get the Amtrak app, which will display your ticket for e-collection. With the app, you are also able to check a train's status to see if it is running late which is always handy; why schlep to the train station when you don't have to?
• Pull up your ticket from your confirmation email. This option is useful if you don’t use Amtrak that often and don't want to commit to getting a free app. 

Penn Station:

• Nine times out of ten, the train to Albany will leave from track 5 or 6 E, next to the Dunkin' Donuts. Side story, there is also a Hudson News next to the track and one time I saw a woman pick up a candy bar and there was a mouse hiding behind it! She screamed and ran away and then everyone waiting for the train screamed at her for freaking out. Incredible.
• If you are taking a cab to Penn and want to avoid the LIRR / NJ Transit traffic, ask your cab driver to bring you to the Amtrak entrance on 31^st Street and 8^th Avenue. Boom, time saver.
• If you are taking the NQR to Penn, try to get on the car closest to the 32^nd Street exit, which will drop you off one avenue away from Penn. Stand at the front of the train for the downtown line and at the back of the train if you are taking the uptown line. You’ll probably save 2 minutes maximum, 2 minutes makes all the difference when you're running late.
• You can find more Penn Station hacks here, lots of which are super helpful!

Albany-Rensselaer:

• If you are running late for the train, get dropped off in front of the post office doors (even thought they look like they are locked, they are not!) and save yourself 45 seconds to catch your train on time.

On the train:

• Getting a seat to yourself is pure luck. I like to sit in the 2^nd quarter of the train car and hope that other passengers will walk past me looking for an open seat and give up at the 2/3rds mark of the train so I can keep my own seat. Again, this is not guaranteed, so find your own lucky algorithm for getting your own seat.
• If you are coming from New York and want to sit on the Hudson River side of the train, sit on the left side of the train (if you are facing the front of the train). If you are coming from Albany, sit on the right side of the train.

Good luck and come visit me!

Goodbye Preparations

Every time I tell someone I am moving, I am inevitably confronted with “You’re moving to Troy? WHY?!” Last week I actually met someone that was from Troy, who upon hearing about my move told me I was making the biggest mistake of my life. Thanks for the support, ya jerk.

My life right now is a sad montage of “lasts”. Last dinner at Xi’an Famous Foods, last walk down East 9^th Street, last visit to Sew Good Cleaners (who are fabulous by the way), last chai from Mud, last everything. Every time I perform one of these “lasts”, sad music plays in my head and I get a bit misty eyed thinking about the life I am leaving behind. Dramatic? Maybe.

Saying goodbye to life in New York City has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. All the things I used to hate about New York are now tinted by rose-colored glasses and soaked in nostalgia. Instead of the panic and terror that I used to feel when encountering a cockroach, I am now only able to recall the good times and my Raid-aided triumphs of cockroach decimation.  

It is important to note that if you had talked to me three months ago, all I could do was talk about how excited I was to move out of this city. Now as the end of my New York City life is rapidly approaching, I am scared of moving on.

Someone told me that making a list of the things that I will not miss about New York would make me feel better about moving. I need this reality check, so here goes:

What I won’t miss about New York City:

• The smell. The smell that is a combination of rotting garbage, animal waste, human waste, and stale beer which linger and ferment even after the streets have been cleaned. I will not miss that daily assault on my olfactory senses as I walk outside.
• Working in Time Square. I have had the misfortune of working in this metropolitan wasteland for the past year; the dearth of decent lunch options and the shuffling crowds of tourists are enough to make you go crazy. Worst of all are the off-brand Sesame Street characters who litter the streets coercing random passersby for paid photos. I should not see three different raggedy Elmos each time I get a cup of coffee from Starbucks.
• People who do not accommodate others on crowded trains. I get it; you want to stand by the door for an easy exit/a place to lean. But guess what, it is rush hour and you’re not the only person on the train. Sorry buddy, but you’re going to have to suck it up and move towards the center of the car so everyone else can get to work on time. Blocking the door and getting upset when I bump into you doesn’t help the situation and is pretty selfish. If you don’t like other people touching you, take a cab.

Actually that does make me feel a lot better. New York, I love you, but you need to get it together. 

Food Baby: Ali Baba

Ali Baba might be is my favorite restaurant in Troy. The place is no frills and may not be the best place to go for a first date (unless you're trying to tout your cultured palate) but this kitchen churns out the best Turkish food in the Capital Region. 

The walls are bare except for a few Turkish tchotchkes that try to spruce up the space (but fail); linoleum tables and plastic, cushioned chairs litter the small 40 seat space and the open kitchen with a legitimate stone oven serve as the restaurant's focal point. This is a family restaurant staffed by waiters who never seem to talk to one another. On busy nights, your order will be taken by at least three different people who are unaware that someone has already come by. Your food will come out when it is ready, not when the table's order is completed. 

However, the price and quality of the food more than make up for the haphazard service. Those unfamiliar with Turkish food (i.e. pretty much everyone who is not Turkish) are saved by the pictures that accompany every dish so you at least have a vague idea of what you are ordering, and it is hard to make a wrong choice. Another plus, most of the entree plates come with delicious pickled red cabbage, pickled onions, and rice (which is cooked in butter and is incredibly delicious on its own). 

Also, let's take a moment to discuss Ali Baba's baklava. This is the best baklava I have ever had in my life, hands down. The top is delicate and crisp, the middle is a pistachio nutty goodness and the bottom of the pastry is pure syrupy goodness. Another plus? It's not overly sweet, a big problem with most baklava.One order has four squares which is good for two people, but you'll likely want your own order because it is just that good.

Suggested Orders:

• Lavash Bread (comes with a banging yogurt dill sauce that you'll want to swim in)
• Baklava
• Chicken Shish
• Beyti Sarma (although this dish is a bit of a gamble as it sometimes it can be a bit dry)
• Chicken Shish
• Chicken Iskander
• Turkish Coffee
• Guvec 

Beyti Sarma

You'd be a fool if you do not order the lavash and baklava, do you understand?? Although it should be noted that some of the dishes come with lavash. You could double check before you order, or you could have two orders of lavash. Whichever!

Ali Baba Information:

• Website
• Online Menu
• 2243 15th St Troy, NY
• Hours: Monday - Thursday, 10 - 10; Friday - Saturday, 10 - 11; Sunday, Closed
• Price Point: Dinner for two: ~$40