Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, and here's blogging to you in 2007!

Why haven't I ridden this thing before?

Apparently, there is a ride here in NYC as good as anything they have in Disneyland and it is only $2, which is paid for if you already have your Metrocard.

The Roosevelt Island tram lifts off from 59th Street and 2nd Avenue, rises over the traffic and runs alongside the Queensboro Bridge before landing on tiny Roosevelt Island. You see the most spectacular views of Manhattan, Queens, the East River and beyond as you ride.

It turns out I have seen this tram before in 1999 when I went to Orlando, Florida. According to the website: "It is currently featured in a popular attraction at Universal Studios Theme Park in Florida where King Kong "attacks" a tram filled with "passengers." "

I rode the tram back to Manhattan after taking some photos on Roosevelt Island. The same driver took me back.

As he started to drive the tram back to the island, rising over the traffic of 2nd Avenue, I could see him very clearly. So I waved to him.

He started smiling and waved back.

http://www.ny.com/transportation/ri_tramway.html

I am a hot chocolate girl

That was my job title, as I decided to spend Christmas morning at the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx, serving hot chocolate and apple cider at a bris for the Jewish comunity.

(Of course I saw someone from the 92nd Street Y there, and it would be an old lady I told off in the locker room a few weeks ago. But if she asks me later if I was in the Bronx on Christmas, I am going to say "no".)

There were 3 other hot chocolate girls among the 30+ staff. They were really nice. We had to dress in winter sweaters, dark pants, scarves and ear muffs for the "winter" theme. We then stood by the front door and offered hot drinks to the guests as they milled around before the massive brunch.

We then helped clean up and break down the tables and chairs, which I learned to do years ago when working for my sister and brother-in-law at the Facilities Department at The American University. So the whole thing went really fast.

And then we each got paid $140 in cash and given a ride into Manhattan by 1pm! Connections were made all over the place -- one hot chocolate girl is a professional photographer, and is going to take photos at the caterer's next event, and I got a waiter to hire me as his personal trainer. Merry Christmas to all!

The 7 train -- part of American history!

So you learn something every day.

I was all miserable on the 7 trains from Queens to Times Square today (as it was crowded and annoying.) Then I got to work and read the following:

from today's Seattle Times
"The 7 is such a symbol of the American immigrant experience that, in 2000, the White House designated it a National Millennium Trail — one of 16, including the Appalachian Trail and Boston's Freedom Trail, that reflect defining aspects of this country's history."

You look maaahvelous, daahling!

Every week, I train a really nice lady at NYC's Union Club on the Upper East Side. We both enter through the back entrance and go straight to the gym.

She told me that I really ought to see the rest of the club, but you had to be dressed properly to do so. She said if we each bought a change of shoes and put on our coats, we would look like we had on "real" outfits and could traipse about.

So, after our training appointment, I put on boots with faux fur on them and a camel-coat. She put on high heels and a faux fur jacket. We had on a lot of faux fur for 11 o'clock in the morning.

We then went around, looking at the 1933 Neo-Georgian club, with an exterior constructed completely of limestone. There were oil paintings of generals dating back to the Civil War and before, as the club was founded in 1836. In fact, the gym includes the oldest squash club in America. Between 5p and 8p, it goes back to being a "men only" club, and all women and children -- including female employees -- must leave the premises (in fact, my interview over a year ago had to be cut short because it was time for females to evacuate.)

The club was also beautifully decorated for Christmas. The oil paintings of Rubenesque semi-nude women in the front hall is what indicated it used to be a "gentlemen's club", my client said.

Then we waited for the woman by the front desk to retrieve a member's coat from the closet. That's when we made a successful break for the front door.

Can you believe my partner in crime is 69 years old?? :^)

Officially in the lexicon

At the corner of 33rd Street and 30th Avenue in Astoria, a vendor is selling Christmas trees. In addition to the standard tall and healthy trees, there are little twigs nailed to a wooden slat.

These trees are by a sign decreeing them as "Charlie Browns" and are selling for $2 each or 3 for $5.

Good grief!

Ooh la la!

At Buzina Pop restaurant at the corner of E 73rd Street and Lexington Avenue, they had the following sign painted onto their glass door:

"We are serving French food in bikinis".

This is especially weird because it is a Brazilian restaurant.

the coffee angel

A girl dressed in a Santa hat and angel wings was at the corner of 5th Ave and 14th Street, giving out coupons for free chai or coffee at the newly-opened East-West books on that corner.

I had just read about this place in "Time Out New York" and had been planning to check it out anyway. So now I did -- and got some great free coffee!

Thank you, earth angel!

The fembots!

I went to a promotional modeling job tonight. It was at the Rubins Museum of Art on W. 17th Street, where a private corporate party is being held.

Basically, the gift-giving portion of the party was held in the style of the game show "Deal or No Deal". In that show, 26 models hold 26 suitcases on stage. Each suitcase has a monetary figure in it, ranging from 1 cent to $1 million. The contestants just choose which suitcase they want, compared to a base amount that starts of the game (i.e. $25,000). Their chances of getting more than the base amount increases or decreases based on what the suitcases reveal. So it is basically gambling.

Our show was a lot less complicated than that. You got a prize no matter what. The company was giving away everything from Ipods to 9-inch portable DVD players (that was in my suitcase -- lucky #3!) Although the president of the company won a hand vaccuum.

My fellow models and I named ourselves "the fembots" after the girls in Austin Powers, because we just walked in wearing black pants and a T-shirt with the company logo "Company D". The host called us "the Company D girls". He said "Good evening, ladies" and we would put on big cheesy grins, say "Happy Holidays, Company D!" Then hold our suitcases up for thenext 40 minutes so the numbers were visible to the "contestants".

But it's all good because I got $200 for basically 40 minutes' work! and free coffee and chocolate and the "Company D" T-shirt. Yeah!