Was it worth it? StoryCorps

17 10 2009

Continuing in this vein of adventures in and around and occasionally having nothing to do with NYC, here goes … StoryCorps.

NPR’s StoryCorps oral history  project (what they say | what the other guys say)
Foley Square, NYC … and other locations fixed and mobile

ReyesReport Overall Rating: Two Reyi thumbs up (we’d add toes if the rating allowed!)

Time

  • Book your appointment in advance with their Web site. We found this incredibly easy to do (+2) … down side was you had to book in ADVANCE – we booked over a month in advance (-1)
  • We got there on time, recording started on time, recording ended on time. +2 for accuracy and good expectations!
  • Net: +3

Cost

  • There is no charge for the interview session.
  • Two recorded copies are burned to a CD — one for you, one for the Library of Congress. That’s free too.
  • They do ask if you’d like to make a donation – they suggest $25. We happily agreed with that. Donations are 100% tax deductible.
  • +2 (who doesn’t love free. no pressure for a tax-deductible deduction for a service you think is super cool is good too.)

Quality

  • The recording equipment and sound booth were top-notch.
  • My dad felt like a celebrity on a radio show… which in a way, he was … the star of the talk show about my life and those who influenced it.
  • The free recording they send you off with was great too — mom enjoyed the listen, and I’m sure more will be subject to at least part of the 40-minute adventure.
  • +2, no doubts.

Experience

  • You know where this is going. I walked out of there thinking who else to set up time with and wishing grandpa Osmon was still alive. When you want to go back for more, right away, it’s a good thing.
  • Dad was on top of the world — having contributed a living memorium to the Library of Congress. Not to be morbid, but I think that’s way cooler than an obelisk in a graveyard. This is a moment and a breath of life that will live on — both with my family (e.g. future kids, yes moms, we do hope) and with anyone else who wants to hear stories from a real American who was drafted for Vietnam, made sweeping changes to the public school system, publicly fought the influences of religious fundamentalists on public school policy, or about the life of a deep-sea charter captain.
  • Dad was also a little nervous about what I’d ask … I didn’t give him any zingers, but I didn’t let him off the hook until the interview was over either. Yeah, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy watching him squirm just a little bit ;-) Next time I’ll ask him about his torrid affair with my mother or … maybe some of the other unmentionables we don’t discuss in our WASPy little family >:-) <wink>
  • +5 … can I do that?

Overall

  • Reba: I don’t know why everyone hasn’t done this. Other than planning ahead, there are no down sides. The experience was excellent. If you live in NYC, book a time slot now. You can figure out who to interview when the date gets closer. Or hell, ask someone to interview you. We all have a story to tell. If you’re not in NY, no worries, there is a mobile booth that’s making its way around the country — stalk it. Or just come to NYC and make it part of your visit!
  • Rad:If nothing else, this offers people a forum to sit down with someone you want to talk with, ask them questions you want to know the answers to, and preserve those answers for future generations. Of course, there is also the doubt or challenge to now figure out how to make what is probably thousands of hours of interviews usable for those who want to dig into the hundreds of interviews and topics discussed.
  • Score: Perfect 10 (actually, it got a 12, but we gotta stay true to the system and have some kind of ceiling.)

Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : Was it worth it?, family, livin like a tourist, new york

Livin’ like a local – Autumn in NYC

6 10 2008

Andy: I have to stay in Canada for another week!

Reyes: Why don’t you spend the weekend in NYC then – silly to go all the way back to London?

Andy: Ok!

And he did. Our friend Andy flew in for a random weekend that turned in to a culinary adventure around NYC. Memorable … and tastey!

Friday night – Taste of Korea in k-town (32nd street) … where restaurants put on a sample menu for a fixed price. I’ve never had Korean bar-b-que and I didn’t know it was sweet — but now I have and it is! :-) The boys stopped for a “cask ale” on the way home. I didn’t know what that is either — and that’s one thing from the evening I wouldn’t recommend, unless warm beer is your thing. Ugh.

Saturday we ventured down to a little tiny spot in the West Village called Daddy-O‘s that my cousin introduced us to. Better than their infamous, spicy bloody marys are their tator tots and BLTs. From there, we walked around as the mid-day sunlight filtered through the air the way only it can when autumn is in the air. The walk brought us east and north to 14th Street / Union Square where a hundred or so vendors pile the sidewalks on Saturdays and tempt tourists and citygoers alike with locally grown colorful everything … from flowers to pig to heirloom tomatoes of every color and bulbous variety. We had some apple cider and a donut while I picked up the makings for a Sunday batch of butternut squash soup.

Andy wants to see our new apartment. We’ve been reticent to mention it on the blog as the deal is not yet done. But .. we are planning to buy a little piece of the rock up in Harlem. So we wandered home to drop off my gigantic $2 bundle of kale (what AM I going to do with it all!!?) and then took the bus on a scenic ride from the jewish bialy stop of 86th street up to the hairbraiding mecca of w 122nd street. We couldn’t go inside, but we showed him the facade of our soon-to-be-new-home as well as the neighboring park. We found respite and much needed caffeine and fuel for the day in Settepani, a near-by coffee shop. I just happened to throw a game in my purse while we were at home, so coffee and a game brought us new friends and conversation over java. Then it was back down to the homebase while we made dinner plans. In lieu of lodging, Andy’s company will take us to dinner. We will not abuse nor squandor this opportunity … so steak house it was. But we were pretty tired from a long day of exploring, so we stayed local and made our way to Roth’s Steakhouse.

Turns out, on Saturday night, Roth’s has a live jazz band. Turns out, the singer was this old guy I wish I could have photographed. His smile invited you to ask him about the million and one stories that seemed to be lying in wait behind is playful eyes. He had to be about 80, and he ambled up to the stool to join the stage with guys in their 30s .. maybe 40s .. and he outdressed them all in his three-piece black velvet suit, complete with purple baseball cap (no logo). As I was digging into my petit fillet and side of sauteed-in-just-the-right-amount-of-butter onions and mushrooms, he was diging into a little number he co-wrote, a piece he thought, we might, just maybe recognize. And then little Jimmy Norman showed those white kids on stage just how to sing jazz as he crooned “Time is on my side.” After we got up off the floor, Conrad promptly bought the man’s CD … and I escorted the boys out of the restaurant before they could interrogate poor Jimmy about the days gone by …. as surely this lyricist legend had a few storeis to share … but we let the idea marinade in our memories like the butter and fat from the tasty steaks lingered on our tongues.

Sunday was a bit more low paced with a casual breakfast around the corner at Le Pain Quotidien where opening a soft boiled egg in an egg cup is still something will we strive towards perfecting. After breakfast we headed to the local UWS sunday green market in hopes of finding an Obama t-shirt for Andy to take to London, alas, the only one who bought a t-shirt was me … along with a fat purple heirloom carrot and some fresh flowers. Andy departed just after noon for London, and Conrad and I promptly collapsed on the couch with the Sunday Times and smells of our butternut squash dinner bubbling on the stove.

Great weekend. We love when friends come to down and give us an excuse to eat our way through Manhattan :-)


Comments : 7 Comments »
Tags: , ,
Categories : food, friends, new york

Closing parentation gaps – conference attending

18 09 2008

My parents went to an educators conference every year. When I was of a certain age, I was invited to join them. I still remember what it was called: ASCD .. and it lives on. They considered it a valuable way to learn outside of their usual social / geographical circles of influence.

Point being, we don’t usually share a lot of work experiences in common. My line of work is drastically different – from anything that was productive employment in their generation. This week though, I’m attending a conference: the Web 2.0 Expo.

Part of me thinks of this through that lense, part of me is observing how the world of conferences has changed (especially this one – who’s topic is about new webby stuff, so it better be using the stuff), and also what has NOT changed. (Someone here said, “Offline is the new online” — and I thought, “hmm, not really new, but welcome back.”)

So yeah, it’s a pretty good experience so far. Oh, and people at work helped me get a free ticket – including a fancy lunch discussion soiree, got to love that.

Next week: sharing 10 things I learned with the team who couldn’t come … need to let it percolate a bit to see what we can actually do differently based on all the different things we’re hearing here. Mostly lots of people talking about a lot of different stuff – but no 1 plan has emerged as a blueprint we can copy & reapply directly to our world.

I am twittering now, so that’s new.

Sidenote: Watch for Tim Washer’s new hilarious TV show pitch for a mockumentary on trade shows – man is there material all around us!


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: ,
Categories : family, new york, work scenes

Living like a tourist and riding on the topless tour

17 09 2008

It was a birthday present from the husband, and it’s been on the ‘to do while we live in nyc’ list for a while: taking the topless bus. After all, they parade those tourists right by our apartment window every week.

So on Saturday, we hopped on. And off. I like the hopping. In fact, we went into the office to collect our boarding tickets and negotiated some free extras along the way (2 sunset cruise tix, valued at $51 each. Nice.). Then walked the heck out of Times Square and the weaving bus line down towards Penn Station & the 34th street Macy’s instead. Good decision on our part, only took 3 stops to make our way to the top of the bus.

We hopped off at South Street Seaport and hopped on the bus to Brooklyn – a place we haven’t explored too much yet. There we hopped off at Prospect Park, designed by the same guys that did Central Park and a project they supposedly consider to be more successful. It was beautiful. We felt like we were out in the country somewhere… not in New York City. We walked a bit and ate a bit and found a cocktail and went in to some creative stores and all kinds of good stuff.

Fast forward … night bus tour. Next day, the Upper West Side loop that goes by our apartment, and into Harlem, and … we didn’t know this, down the same street where we’re going to move to (but not by the apartment – yay for less bus traffic by future windows). We rode that bus twice. Two different tour guides each with their own slant on the things we passed by. We even hopped off in Harlem and explored Dinosaur bar-b-que … awesome … and Fairway grocery (way better than we expected – deserves its own post) … and then walked home (from 125th to 86th) down Riverside Park which was lovely as the sun was just nearly setting and the river and park were awesome.

So … a great weekend, a lovely extended birthday-excuse to do something from the list, rich memories to savor.


Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: ,
Categories : new york, travel

Philharmonic in the park

17 07 2008

At least 100,000 people knew where the action was in Manhattan on Tuesday night: central park. This was the last free concert of the season on the great lawn of central park – and the NYC Philharmonic brought down the house & brought in the crowds.

Credits to Really Short - thanks for the pic!

Nice shot Smack!

Unlike the free concert over the weekend where 60,000 Bon Jovi fans clutched tickets & waited in forever lines to go through security body scans, shed backpacks and recycle water bottles before gaining their limited entrance to the park, this event was free and wide open for public enjoyment. And locals don’t mess around. Picnic blankets, lawn chairs, picnic basket backpacks are dug out of storage rooms and joined with brie, wine, champagne, grapes, sushi, deli delectables and the likes. Last year we learned the trick to find your friends on the great lawn: balloons. So we learned our lesson – C picked up an Elmo & a yellow smilie on his way home from work — and though the cell towers were crowded, Kelly + Dave + their long-lost friend, Marty + Natasha + their stranded friend managed to find their ways to our blanket where much merriment and listening enjoyment was made.

And what goes better after a philharmonic concert in central park then Fireworks!

YAY for NYC living. This is one benefit C & I will never forget — just being to walk outside our apartment, take a right & walk about a half-block into central park. In fact, at the aforementioned Bon Jovi concert, C & I realized we when we returned to our apartment that we could just open the windows and listen to the live serenade (which the city mixed with sounds of buses, passerby’s, and other rich city sounds).

Oops … almost forgot, anyone want a candy red grand piano?


Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: , ,
Categories : friends, new york

Jackhammers and navy ships

21 05 2008

That’s what Conrad is experiencing today.

The apartment building next store is being gutted. Of course, as it dates back to pre-WW II, this means they will keep the facade and rip out everything else. Last week we lived with the interior demo. We were happy on Friday when the truck finally drove away. Silly us, we thought they were through. Conrad is working from home today. He told me the truck is back (complete with backup sounds and the melodic crunching of concrete in the belly of the iron beast). What’s more, they’re using a jackhammer to break up the stoop (providing the food for said beast). So, that’s not a conducive work environment.

And then the buzzer rings. Why? Well, they’re not selling our building. They promise. But the appraiser was coming by with a real estate agent just to look around. Probably for insurance reasons. Wink wink. Nod nod. Right — tell that to the Craig’s List posting we saw. Anyway, they were about to barge in, unannounced, to our apartment. Good thing Conrad was there, and good thing he was up & dressed for work! So, that’s really not a conducive work environment.

But tally ho! The ships are in town! That’s right kids, it’s Fleet Week. The historic week proceeding memorial day when myriad military ships flood the harbors, unleashing troves of fine military men upon the city. Ahem. Oh wait, those were the days of yore. Today, NYC’s ban on nuclear vessels means the # of ships allowed to dock on Manhattan piers are numbered. But it is the biggest turn out for a few years, and the docks are even expecting a return of the international display with a single ship from Canada. Yay to our brother up north! So … Conrad ducked down the street to a park bench, fired up the wireless, and worked from the shoreline, watching the (slow, painful trickle) of ships parading up the Hudson. Until it started to rain.

So much for a conducive work day, Conrad! (Maybe this remote working thing isn’t so easy in NYC after all.)


Comments : 6 Comments »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : new york, work scenes

Living like a local – stoop views

19 05 2008

Monday morning finds Conrad and I recovering from a great weekend at home. We were plan-less on Friday night, so in our “we live in NYC, there must be something free/cheep we want to do” movement, we caught a late show at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade … a comedy club where entrance costs < $10 each.

Saturday was a day for spring cleaning. Our apartment has been dirty … with real dirt. Open windows on a ground-floor apartment of a pretty major NYC road mean lots of street grime may there way onto and through our window screens. Blech. So now that the trees are mostly done spitting out clouds of pollen, it was time for the semi-annual deep clean. It was actually fun because we could see the progress we made. Saturday night, even better, we met up with Kelly, Factor, Marty & Natasha (“Natty Bo Bo” I believe she may soon be nicknamed???) for a little outdoor movie fest. In Raleigh, this would mean about an hour in a parking lot, a 10 minute walk from car to random field laden with camp chairs, and a night under starry skies. In NYC, the rules were simple: “Food allowed; chairs provided.” Nice. You see, in small NYC apartments, there really isn’t room for most people to stock pile those lovely camp chairs. So we took the train to trader joe’s, picked up some snack foods, and walked on down to an empty parking lot where folding chairs were set up facing a painted brick wall … y voila, projectors be envious. The sprinkle of rain showers did not keep us away; I’m sure from the back it was quite the scene with couples nestled together under small umbrellas, determined to watch the movie and have a good time.

Sunday, even better, Amerstdam Ave held it’s 24th annual UWS street festival. This meant from about 75th to 90th, Amsterdam Ave was closed to cars and open to vendors selling grilled corn, giros, hamburgers, hot dogs, Thai food, Indian food, socks, sheets, mops, jewelry … just about anything you may (or may not) need. We wandered up to our Sunday farmer’s market just as the rain really started coming down… so the trip was pretty fast. Sunday ended as Sunday’s should … curled on the couch watching reruns of bad movies (Indiana Jones, the trilogy … I considered it research).

Oh, and I nearly forgot our big event. Whilst cleaning I held up the dusty DVD player Conrad has been “saving” for an unnamed friend. “It’s going,” I said. “But it works!” said he, “fine, we’ll drop it at Salvation Army later today.” But wait. We live in NYC. We stuck a note on it: “Works. Free” and set it on the stoop, the thing was gone in less than 5 minutes … and we saved ourselves a trip to the donation store AND a dust-catcher. Now that’s how the locals roll.


Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: , ,
Categories : new york

Spring in the 212!

30 04 2008

April is great in New York City, and before it comes to an end, I need to recognize that. When we lived in North Carolina, we had the luxury of a temperate climate — seasons yes, but the worst one was summer. Compared to my upbringing in climate-grouchy Massachusetts, NC was a cake-walk. And while NC has what I call the “purple-tree season” where the roadsides and countrysides look more like a child’s coloring than reality, it tends to leap with all its energy into spring, both feet flying, without looking back, no regrets. Just WHAM, one day, it’s spring. Then out comes the pollen, people with hay fever swear like truck drivers. And then in about 3 days, it’s summer. And we call our friends in the north and invite them down for an April visit to enjoy the 80 degree days. Nah nah na nah nah.

NYC doesn’t roll that way. It makes you work for spring. It makes people think twice, nay, three times about winter. Your on the edge of your seat … remembering summer days, sitting outside on patios, strolling in parks. It’s almost here, almost. A warm morning will tempt you to leave your coat at home, and the afternoon will beat you back, reminding your overhasty self that it’s only April. A spring-fevered weatherman will tell you the afternoon may reach 70, and you boldly walk out of your overheated apartment in the morning to find a 40 degree morning awaits you as you haul brazenly to the subway, teeth-chattering, “I’m not cold.” Yes, NYC teases its inhabitants with spring, carries you along like a mouse timidly following a cheese trail, only to round the bend into a ginormous winter snow-storm trap.

This morning is one of these days. The sky is a pale blue. The cherry trees are in full bloom, the blossoms dusting the bare circles under their trees leaving delicate pink circular carpets in the parks. New Yorkers have abandoned their coats at home and are bracing the chilling 45 degree walk to work in hope of the promise for a 65 degree afternoon. I guarantee you lunch spots will put out tables and locals will pack the outdoor seats wrapped up in scarves, pulling lapels tight, pretending they’re actually warm and enjoying as much of the “fresh” air as possible. Spring in NYC — it’s filled with hope. It’s a promise of what’s to come. It’s a rebirth from the cold of winter into the warmth of what’s yet to come. It’s filled with foggy mornings where you can just barely make out the top of the skyscrapper you know is there, but you can’t yet see. It’s a fantastic metaphore for life .. inspiring and exciting. And so worthy of praise and recognition before it slips into summer (and we complain about the heat).

I hope to add some pictures of spring in NYC. It’s really breathtaking to see nature spring up in the midst of one of the world’s most advanced, cement cities.


Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: , ,
Categories : new york

Living like a local

29 04 2008

Wow, what a great NYC weekend was had… fitting that it was also Conrad’s birthday! Have I mentioned he’s older than me? Much … much .. older :-)

We started with a little Broadway, and ended with a little baseball. Mmmm … I can still smell the smells.

Though C’s not a huge musical fan, I am. So it was a perfect meet in the middle when the Osmon’s surprised him with tickets to see Spamalot. If you’re a fan of men in tights, Monty Python, spam, know the phrase, “I will fart in your general direction”, or like Clay Aiken, then you would like it too.  Before the show, Conrad opened his presents and said sheepishly, “How about instead of dinner we head to ‘Piece of Chicken’.” I was outraged. Piece of chicken sells fried chicken for $1 a piece out of sketchy window on a side street on the border of Hells Kitchen and the Theatre district. It is NOT where you go when you live in NYC and have a birthday — there are tons of great, famous restaurants with great, famous chefs to choose from. And it is exactly where I had planned to surprise Conrad with for dinner that night. Freaky.

On Saturday, we had a bagel schmorgasboard and then met up with friends Marty, Natasha, Kelly and Factor to watch the Mets from what were some of the farthest-away seats in the stadium (go all the way up the ramp and all the way to the last aisle … then all the way to the top). It was fantastic. $5 seats to drink $8 beers. And the Mets won!! After the game, 1.3 million Mets fans and us crushed to the subway … which was actuallly not crowded and was a lot of fun. We rode about 3 stops to where we heard Queens has a little India. They do. Conrad loves Indian food and when someone recommended a diner there for great Indian, we had to stop. Food was good and everyone left full and happy. The rest of the night was spent laughing with friends — thanks to K & F for a great round of Pictionary and a farewell to David Lam whom we met up with for a night cap and a dance.

Conrad spent Sunday playing with his new toy – our new wireless digital frame. Now you can e-mail us your favorite pics directly to our frame. If I like you, I’ll tell you the address, so go ahead and ask  :-)

Ah weekends in the city can be so fun.


Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : food, friends, new york

Livin’ like tourists

6 04 2008

Last weekend we continued our foray of NYC exploration. And YES, Kelly, we have some photos.

We made Bryant Park our scenic stop but were really headed for the New York Public Library (the one with the stone lions). It is a beautiful building outside (even though it is currently under construction) and an AMAZING building inside. We spent a few hours in the reading room (which is about 1.5 football fields long with tower 3-story-high ceilings) and hopefully soaked up the smarts of people around us.

On our way there, we heard the faint sound of music and saw a closed-off road. What was going on? I asked a police officer. Why, of course. It was the Persia-Day Parade! (Duh) Neat. Not the Iran-Day parade either … Persia. Like the carpets :)

Anyway, we’re playing with a new photo tool. I think we’ll go back to flickr, but until I can figure out how to export them, a few photos from our trip are available on our Photoshop Express Gallery.

Spitting fountain

Admiring the view

NY Public Library


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : livin like a tourist, new york

« Previous Entries