it's a helluva town
Sat down with the intention of continuing my overhaul of the Steve/Bucky fic, wound up spending four hours working on Yuletide instead. Which was unexpected, but certainly not a bad thing! It is about time to start thinking about that one, anyway. So now I have a solid outline, about 600 words written, and some...other stuff. I'm a little worried that I'm not gonna be delivering precisely what my recipient wanted, but at least I'm enjoying myself. (I offered to write any characters in the [very small] fandom; predictably, the request detail was slash between two characters I don't ship. So I'm sticking to heavy subtext and hoping that will satisfy. But mimicking the style of the canon is a LOT of fun.)
Meanwhile, time to start working on the December meme backlog.
azewewish asked: Talk to me about New York - your favorite neighborhoods, your favorite bodegas, your favorite little out of the way places and what makes it so special to you.
Oh, NYC, what is it about you? It's difficult for me to be objective about this place because it's my hometown. Despite the fact that I left for almost ten years with absolutely no intention of moving back, but we know how that story ended, so here I am again.
I grew up in Greenwich Village, and that will likely always be my favorite neighborhood. It's just a bit funky and weird, and the streets totally stop making sense (that's the part of lower Manhattan where the grid kind of throws up its hands in defeat), but it's all brownstones and narrow tree-lined streets that become cobblestoned as you get further west, and little indie shops and restaurants and gay bars, and it makes me really happy. If you like showtunes, check out Marie's Crisis, the very queer Broadway-themed piano bar where everybody sings along (and everyone knows all the damn words to La Vie Boheme and One Day More and Suddenly Seymour); it's more fun on weeknights, when it's less packed. I also have a fondness for Stonewall, partly because of the history and partly because it's one of the genuinely inclusive LGBTQ bars (as opposed to most NYC gay bars, which are like 95% gay men and bachelorette parties, and very few lesbians). And, yeah, whatever, I still love the cupcakes at the original Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street the best.
But I also think everyone should really explore the city, because it's so big and diverse and has something for everyone, if you look. So many tourists only ever see Times Square/Midtown/maybe the Statue of Liberty and then complain about how crowded and dirty and ugly the city is; yes, because THOSE ARE THE CROWDED AND DIRTY AND UGLY PARTS that all resident New Yorkers avoid like the plague. Do take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry; it's totally free and gives you great views of the harbor and Statue of Liberty; there's also a ferry to Governor's Island, which is a great picnic spot in the summer. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, it's very pedestrian friendly and there are fun neighborhoods on both ends; plus a great little park under the bridge on the Brooklyn side. Manhattan's Chinatown is okay, but there are way better Chinatowns out in Brooklyn (around Sunset Park/Bay Ridge; cheapest and most delicious dim sum) and Queens (Flushing, where there are ALL THE DUMPLINGS). Right now I live up in Washington Heights, near the George Washington Bridge; visit the little red lighthouse under the bridge, it's adorable, or wander around Fort Tryon Park and check out the Cloisters for gorgeous medieval art. Astoria, the most easily accessible neighborhood in Queens, is a great place to live and hang out if you're in your twenties or thirties -- tons of restaurants and bars. On the touristy end of the spectrum, yes, I genuinely love Central Park, especially the boat pond and Belvedere Castle and the Ramble; while you never quite forget you're in the middle of a city, you can definitely ignore it for a while. Also, the one tourist trap I will willingly shell out cash for is the Circle Line boat tour, which does a full circuit of Manhattan island and delves into some fascinating history.
My favorite little spot is the South Cove down in Battery Park, which is lit only by blue lanterns at night. I like sitting by the water there late at night when there's almost no one else around -- it's very pretty and peaceful.
I know NYC isn't for everyone -- it's very fast-paced and busy and yes, the cost of living is appalling -- but I thrive on that constant thrum of energy. I love that it's the city that never sleeps, that the subway runs 24/7, that there's always a bodega open somewhere nearby. I love that you don't need (and certainly don't WANT) a car to get around. I love that it's big and diverse enough that whoever you are, whatever you're looking for, you can find your niche here and thrive in it (if you're willing to put a little effort into looking). And it's home.
This entry was originally posted on Dreamwidth. Comment wherever you'd like.
Meanwhile, time to start working on the December meme backlog.
azewewish asked: Talk to me about New York - your favorite neighborhoods, your favorite bodegas, your favorite little out of the way places and what makes it so special to you.
Oh, NYC, what is it about you? It's difficult for me to be objective about this place because it's my hometown. Despite the fact that I left for almost ten years with absolutely no intention of moving back, but we know how that story ended, so here I am again.
I grew up in Greenwich Village, and that will likely always be my favorite neighborhood. It's just a bit funky and weird, and the streets totally stop making sense (that's the part of lower Manhattan where the grid kind of throws up its hands in defeat), but it's all brownstones and narrow tree-lined streets that become cobblestoned as you get further west, and little indie shops and restaurants and gay bars, and it makes me really happy. If you like showtunes, check out Marie's Crisis, the very queer Broadway-themed piano bar where everybody sings along (and everyone knows all the damn words to La Vie Boheme and One Day More and Suddenly Seymour); it's more fun on weeknights, when it's less packed. I also have a fondness for Stonewall, partly because of the history and partly because it's one of the genuinely inclusive LGBTQ bars (as opposed to most NYC gay bars, which are like 95% gay men and bachelorette parties, and very few lesbians). And, yeah, whatever, I still love the cupcakes at the original Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street the best.
But I also think everyone should really explore the city, because it's so big and diverse and has something for everyone, if you look. So many tourists only ever see Times Square/Midtown/maybe the Statue of Liberty and then complain about how crowded and dirty and ugly the city is; yes, because THOSE ARE THE CROWDED AND DIRTY AND UGLY PARTS that all resident New Yorkers avoid like the plague. Do take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry; it's totally free and gives you great views of the harbor and Statue of Liberty; there's also a ferry to Governor's Island, which is a great picnic spot in the summer. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, it's very pedestrian friendly and there are fun neighborhoods on both ends; plus a great little park under the bridge on the Brooklyn side. Manhattan's Chinatown is okay, but there are way better Chinatowns out in Brooklyn (around Sunset Park/Bay Ridge; cheapest and most delicious dim sum) and Queens (Flushing, where there are ALL THE DUMPLINGS). Right now I live up in Washington Heights, near the George Washington Bridge; visit the little red lighthouse under the bridge, it's adorable, or wander around Fort Tryon Park and check out the Cloisters for gorgeous medieval art. Astoria, the most easily accessible neighborhood in Queens, is a great place to live and hang out if you're in your twenties or thirties -- tons of restaurants and bars. On the touristy end of the spectrum, yes, I genuinely love Central Park, especially the boat pond and Belvedere Castle and the Ramble; while you never quite forget you're in the middle of a city, you can definitely ignore it for a while. Also, the one tourist trap I will willingly shell out cash for is the Circle Line boat tour, which does a full circuit of Manhattan island and delves into some fascinating history.
My favorite little spot is the South Cove down in Battery Park, which is lit only by blue lanterns at night. I like sitting by the water there late at night when there's almost no one else around -- it's very pretty and peaceful.
I know NYC isn't for everyone -- it's very fast-paced and busy and yes, the cost of living is appalling -- but I thrive on that constant thrum of energy. I love that it's the city that never sleeps, that the subway runs 24/7, that there's always a bodega open somewhere nearby. I love that you don't need (and certainly don't WANT) a car to get around. I love that it's big and diverse enough that whoever you are, whatever you're looking for, you can find your niche here and thrive in it (if you're willing to put a little effort into looking). And it's home.
This entry was originally posted on Dreamwidth. Comment wherever you'd like.