Showing posts with label home sweet home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home sweet home. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
I heart MTA
Yeah, I know I already wrote about how much I love the NYC subway system but wait... there's more! You know what else I love?
1) That it's SO easy to buy tickets (metrocard)- no hunting down a newsstand or tabaccheria, or inserting coinage into broken machines, no hoping there's a ticket machine on board. Just go into any of the numerous subway stations, swipe a credit card and voilà!
2) AND if you have a Bank of America credit card, for every $100 you spend on metrocards, Metro North or LIRR tickets, you get $10 back! Sure, it's a modest amount but let's not forget that in America most credit cards ARE free and to boot, they give you rewards for spending money. So it's still free money :)
3) The subways actually wait at stations when other trains are about to pull in so if anyone needs to switch trains, they can do it quickly and easily! Seems like basic logic but for some reason in Rome bus drivers seem to do the opposite. If the 8 tram drivers sees the 3 bus, he speeds away leaving everyone in the dust. I never understood it and always wondered why they couldn't wait 30 seconds more. I guess they like making passengers suffer.
1) That it's SO easy to buy tickets (metrocard)- no hunting down a newsstand or tabaccheria, or inserting coinage into broken machines, no hoping there's a ticket machine on board. Just go into any of the numerous subway stations, swipe a credit card and voilà!
2) AND if you have a Bank of America credit card, for every $100 you spend on metrocards, Metro North or LIRR tickets, you get $10 back! Sure, it's a modest amount but let's not forget that in America most credit cards ARE free and to boot, they give you rewards for spending money. So it's still free money :)
3) The subways actually wait at stations when other trains are about to pull in so if anyone needs to switch trains, they can do it quickly and easily! Seems like basic logic but for some reason in Rome bus drivers seem to do the opposite. If the 8 tram drivers sees the 3 bus, he speeds away leaving everyone in the dust. I never understood it and always wondered why they couldn't wait 30 seconds more. I guess they like making passengers suffer.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Likes and dislikes
I've gotten sucked into the rat race in NYC and have been neglecting my blog. Sorry! I've been here for a month and started compiling a list of likes and dislikes I noticed this time around:
LIKES
1) I love the NYC subway system. It takes me 20 minutes on average to go from Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan... Need I say more?
2) I love the fact that you can return/exchange things in USA without a fuss. I bought a coat online, it didn't fit so I just returned it to the store. I bought a sweater at a store, a few days later it was 50% off, so I got refunded the difference. Comfort & convenience!
3) I love how people randomly smile here. Not in a sleazy pick-up artist way, as one tends to see in Rome, I'm talking about harmless and genuine smiles. It's nice. And people say NYC is a cold city- HAH!
4) I love the banks here... Never mind the financial meltdown, I'm talking about how EASY it is to do any sort of transaction here. It's still a shock for me to see banks open on Saturday.
DISLIKES
1) Since when did they start carding people at Target? I got carded while trying to purchase cough syrup. What the fuck is up with that? They actually scanned my drivers license before allowing me to purchase. And to top it all off, some products (like my beloved Zyrtec D) are actually locked behind a case at the registers. So you have to ask for it and then they card you.
2) I hate tourists in NYC! They don't know how to city-walk: they stop in the middle of sidewalks, linger at subway entrances, stand on corners looking confused... they get in my way.
I'll keep observing and hopefully will post more soon.
LIKES
1) I love the NYC subway system. It takes me 20 minutes on average to go from Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan... Need I say more?
2) I love the fact that you can return/exchange things in USA without a fuss. I bought a coat online, it didn't fit so I just returned it to the store. I bought a sweater at a store, a few days later it was 50% off, so I got refunded the difference. Comfort & convenience!
3) I love how people randomly smile here. Not in a sleazy pick-up artist way, as one tends to see in Rome, I'm talking about harmless and genuine smiles. It's nice. And people say NYC is a cold city- HAH!
4) I love the banks here... Never mind the financial meltdown, I'm talking about how EASY it is to do any sort of transaction here. It's still a shock for me to see banks open on Saturday.
DISLIKES
1) Since when did they start carding people at Target? I got carded while trying to purchase cough syrup. What the fuck is up with that? They actually scanned my drivers license before allowing me to purchase. And to top it all off, some products (like my beloved Zyrtec D) are actually locked behind a case at the registers. So you have to ask for it and then they card you.
2) I hate tourists in NYC! They don't know how to city-walk: they stop in the middle of sidewalks, linger at subway entrances, stand on corners looking confused... they get in my way.
I'll keep observing and hopefully will post more soon.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Above and beyond the call of duty
I wonder if any companies in Italy will start doing what Comcast has done? Probably not... this post from "Blog from Italy" does a great job of explaining why Italy & the Internet are not really making strides.
I for one am very impressed that Comcast made such an effort to satisfy their customers- bravi! Fastweb could learn a thing or two (or two hundred) from them.
I for one am very impressed that Comcast made such an effort to satisfy their customers- bravi! Fastweb could learn a thing or two (or two hundred) from them.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Happy 4th
Today I was helping one of my Italian colleagues decipher and translate a documentary about New Orleans and there was one part of the film that shocked him even more than the post-Katrina footage: scenes of man from the lower ninth ward proudly talking about how his mother, a single parent who worked as a maid, managed to send both him & his sister to the best private (parochial) school in the city and put them through college AND bought two homes all by herself.
My Italian colleague found it incredibly difficult to believe that something of this sort could be possible, his reaction was a mixture of disbelief and amazement and he said "It blows my mind how much people can accomplish in the US with hard work".
Happy 4th of July.
My Italian colleague found it incredibly difficult to believe that something of this sort could be possible, his reaction was a mixture of disbelief and amazement and he said "It blows my mind how much people can accomplish in the US with hard work".
Happy 4th of July.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
My dream job
This NYT article talks about the pooper scooper law in Brooklyn and the people who are paid to enforce this law. I'd LOVE to be the pooper scooper enforcer in Rome- anybody have connections at the Comune??
Thursday, May 29, 2008
LOST junkie
I cannot wait for the big season finale of LOST!!!!
***UPDATE: Here are a few great links for fellow Lost junkies. Only click on them if you're up-to-date on the episodes, I wouldn't want to spoil the fun for you.
http://getlostpodcast.com
http://timelooptheory.com
http://www.thelostexperience.com
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
American beauty
I can't believe I waited 30+ years to visit some of America's most breathtaking spots. Two down, many more to go!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Saturday, December 29, 2007
The joys of efficiency
I'm working in NYC for a few months on a gig and the general efficiency in the workplace here has blown me away. For example: every Friday morning my paycheck is on my desk by the time I arrive at work. No ifs, ands, or buts involved...
But wait, there's more! The office was going to be closed from December 24th- January 1st for the holidays so instead of making us wait until January 4th for our paycheck from the week before, we got double checks on December 21st.
WOW. I'm liking this!
But wait, there's more! The office was going to be closed from December 24th- January 1st for the holidays so instead of making us wait until January 4th for our paycheck from the week before, we got double checks on December 21st.
WOW. I'm liking this!
Monday, November 12, 2007
I spy
YESSSS!
The GS supermarket in Trastevere (on Via Tavolacci #1) now sells Oreo cookies, or as they say in Italian: biscotti snack al cacao! They're even reasonably priced compared to Castroni. Now I know where to go when I get my Oreo cravings... yum!
Monday, September 24, 2007
"Mind the gap"
As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been truly enjoying my stay in USA for many reasons, but mainly because I'm not squandering my day (and my nervous system) due to disorganization, chaos, and whatnot like I do on a daily basis in Rome.
This morning after reading Shelley's and Michellanea's posts about the frustrations of living in Italy, I feel even more grateful to be in a country/city right now where life is easy & convenient, I also feel compelled to share this picture with you. I took it on September 18th while at the Dream Concert at Radio City Music Hall. I had an all-access pass, hence was in the perfect spot for taking pictures of the performers and guests (Stevie Wonder, Cuba Gooding Jr., etc.) who were arriving for this special event, yet the one thing that caught my eye was this:
It's not the best of pictures I admit, but if you look closely you'll see there's a crowd of people awaiting the arrival of the stars behind the barricades, but as my Italian-accustomed eye noticed, the barricades were missing in several spots (near the bike)... YET nobody even dared to step into the reserved area, people stood along the side of the road in an orderly and civil manner. I was so impressed and blown away by this, it made me so happy to see people who are respectful and law-abiding even when faced with a "hole in the fence".
I pointed it out to the people I was with and they were surprised that I was surprised, their reaction was: "Of course they wouldn't bum-rush the barricades, they know they're not supposed to, plus there are cops on every corner". Bless their souls, I know for a fact (I've worked on big events in Italy) that most Italians wouldn't be as respectful or fearful in a similar situation, in all likelihood they would try to be furbi by sneaking through this gap with no regard for order or the law.
I think I’m suffering from more than a seven-year itch, it has turned into a full-blown ten-year hive outbreak!!!
This morning after reading Shelley's and Michellanea's posts about the frustrations of living in Italy, I feel even more grateful to be in a country/city right now where life is easy & convenient, I also feel compelled to share this picture with you. I took it on September 18th while at the Dream Concert at Radio City Music Hall. I had an all-access pass, hence was in the perfect spot for taking pictures of the performers and guests (Stevie Wonder, Cuba Gooding Jr., etc.) who were arriving for this special event, yet the one thing that caught my eye was this:
It's not the best of pictures I admit, but if you look closely you'll see there's a crowd of people awaiting the arrival of the stars behind the barricades, but as my Italian-accustomed eye noticed, the barricades were missing in several spots (near the bike)... YET nobody even dared to step into the reserved area, people stood along the side of the road in an orderly and civil manner. I was so impressed and blown away by this, it made me so happy to see people who are respectful and law-abiding even when faced with a "hole in the fence".
I pointed it out to the people I was with and they were surprised that I was surprised, their reaction was: "Of course they wouldn't bum-rush the barricades, they know they're not supposed to, plus there are cops on every corner". Bless their souls, I know for a fact (I've worked on big events in Italy) that most Italians wouldn't be as respectful or fearful in a similar situation, in all likelihood they would try to be furbi by sneaking through this gap with no regard for order or the law.
I think I’m suffering from more than a seven-year itch, it has turned into a full-blown ten-year hive outbreak!!!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
My kind of book
I wasn't planning on writing any posts while in the land of convenience and comfort... BUT I came across a book at Barnes & Noble while drinking coffee and flipping through magazines/books for over an hour (it's GOOD to be back in America!) and I think it deserves to be mentioned. It's called The Dark Heart of Italy, I'm only on page 30, but so far so good!
Apart from that, it feels great to be back in a place where I don't have to spend (waste) 85% of my time battling against annoyances, lawlessness, inconveniences, illogicalities, rudeness, bureaucracy, incompetence, inefficiency, and uncivilized behavior.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
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