Astoria Life: New York Minutes

Musings from the Queen of Queens, or My 6 years of living in Queens and greater NYC, where I moved to work for the water department and ended up, among other things, traveling the world and appearing on a billboard on Times Square.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Hip hop hooray!

Tonight, I went to the first dance class ever in my life, and I chose "Fundamentals of Hip Hop" at the world-renowned Steps on Broadway center (www.stepsonbroadway.com)

They have over 50 classes a day and are open 7 days a week.

At first, I felt a little "Napoleon Dynamite" as I learned the routine (and not the part where he kicks ass on stage -- more like when he is practicing in his room with a circa 1991 video), but I got the hang of it eventually.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Improv away!

JDM and I attended an open call for an improv troupe today. We went to their theatre (as did about 100 other people) and just had to improv with whatever they told us.

They would put 4 seats on the stage, representing a car, and they would set up a scene about going to Appleby's. Then each one of the hundred posed as a new hitchiker (one person would leave the car each time) and whatever the new hitchiker did, the whole car had to take on those characteristics. I was the hitchiker really overexcited to go to Appleby's, then the next person was someone who smoked weed, then someone who started shaving in the rearview mirror, then an overexcited Latino guy who needed to escape the cops.

Some people really were very good, and they got calbacks. I am sure of this, because I did not get one 24 hours later. But as the improv director said, wouldn't that be a terrible phone call to get? "Oh yeah, we don't want you." ha ha

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Boot camp in the park

I attended and taught a segment of a boot camp (that started at 6 am) on the West Side of Central Park. I like boot camps because they require very little equipment (I am sure a lot more people would drop out if they had to haul a bunch of weights to Central Park at 6am, although it would be an awesome workout in itself.)

Boot camps use exercises that employ body weight, like squats, lunges, push-ups, mixed in with plenty of cardio. You have to be creative and keep everyone moving so they get maximum benefit. It was a really good group of people working hard.

Check out www.bootcamprepublic.com

Sunday, October 15, 2006

CBGB closed tonight

and I never even got to go!!!

but I think I will go if and when they set it up in Las Vegas, which is what the owner plans to do.

www.cbgb.com

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Carmen!

My fabulous friend HB and her equally awesome friend H came down from New Haven so we could attend a performance of Bizet's "Carmen" at the New York opera! It rocked, and Carmen rules!

Opera is an Italian art form. Carmen is set in Spain, but sung in French. So this is the true original European Union.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Best post on craigslist today

middle aged nude woman for horror film (manhattan)

Friday, October 06, 2006

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

I very much want to see this movie. It is a memoir about one guy's adolescence in Astoria.

Monday, October 02, 2006

the best idea ever!

I was working in the gym of a certain chi-chi hotel, and one of our guests had room service bring her some espresso to drink in the gym right before she worked out. That was awesome! (It was charged to her room, not the gym.)

As our massage therapist said, "If I was staying here, I would have room service bring me food while I was walking down the hall!"

We did all draw the line at being served while in the bathroom.