Learning To Love NYC

In a month marks my two years of living in New York City, and I can finally say that I'm comfortable calling this crazy place home at least for the next few years of my life. I can navigate the local and express trains without using a map, I have seen my share of celebrities (bumped into Chuck Bass smoking a cigarette in the LES, NBD, and ate lunch next to a real housewife of New York, you know the one that lives in Brooklyn) and I can't imagine living somewhere that didn't have a beer garden in the neighborhood. Am I a New Yorker now?

It's easy for tourists to quickly fall under NYC's enchantment and sport their "I HEART NY" shirts with pride, but it took me about two years and a lot of beers to come to terms with the chaos (overworking job, hobos on the subway, $6 boxes of cereal). New York City is a place that can destroy and save you at the very same time--and in this process I have learned to love New York.

Below are some interwebs stuff that capture what makes this city so great:

Mindrelic - Manhattan in motion from Mindrelic on Vimeo

Tiffany & Co. - Love Is Everywhere Map (especially in NYC)

Dear NYC - An interesting collection of personal notes to NYC, you can make your own as well

Ottavia Bourdain (Anthony Bourdain's wife) served me ice cream from a truck called the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck--only in NYC!

The Key to Curing the Recession = Tiffany's

TIME magazine's 'The New Frugality' and 'Thrift Nation' talks about how Americans are altering their lifestyles to save money. I think this may not be the of best news.

Boutique owner Jackie Brander of Santa Monica, CA's Fred Segal Fun explains exactly what I am doing: "What I've noticed more than anything is that people are completely staying away. They're not even putting themselves in front of things to buy because they're just not buying, period."

Even with a sad bank account, I can't help but think the lack of shopping will hurt us more; however, today at 9:30 am while working out and flipping through the most recent Glamour magazine (Miley Cyrus on the cover)... I SAW A SOLUTION TO ALL THIS SADDNESS:

A double-page Tiffany & Co. ad introducing their new KEY necklaces. After seeing the glistening silver details of these beautiful key necklaces, a familiar urge to satisfy my love for pretty things HIT ME. It's been months, almost half a year, since I've bought something that's not food, alcohol or hockey tickets.

All I'm saying is that this ad is PROOF THAT ADVERTISING MUST GO ON DURING A RECESSION. Look at Tiffany's, they're introducing a new line of necklaces, one that will probably bring in a load of profit during graduation season when all little girls demand gifts for their hard work. But more importantly, Tiffany cleverly chose what trend to pursue.

This key necklace is nothing new... hipsters have been dangling their house keys around their necks for years, Marc Jacobs came out with a key necklace two Christmases ago. The key trend is quite old, but Tiffany & Co. is king in jewelry and it can make a passing trend TIMELESS.
So, note to brands: Up ad spending and revive your brand with some new products.
Note to (my) parents/blog readers: Graduation gift? *cough* I like the second to the left, silver one on an extra long chain *cough*