From the Boat

Here are a few more photos from our Manhattan boat tour {more to come soon}! Hope you're all enjoying your day off, and for those non-American readers, the first Monday of every September is Labor Day... the holiday for "workers". The very first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City in 1882, planned by the Central Labor Union.  The official line from the U.S. Department of Labor about the national holiday is this: "It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership-- the American worker".

Have a Sunny Weekend!

Yesterday's boat ride was salty, hot, and informational! I've never been all the way around the North tip of Manhattan & had no idea what was up there {parks donated by the Rockefellers, new housing developments, etc}. I'll post more photos of the views on Monday... off now to shop for floor lamps, have lunch with old friends, and all kinds of other fun weekend stuff. I would say Happy Labor Day.... but I don't think it's a particularly happy one with the unemployment rate for  August up 9.6%.

Of Note this Thursday...

A few things of note on this hectic Thursday:

- from my building this morning: Dear Residents, The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch for our area. This means hurricane conditions may present themselves within the next 36 hours... for safety purposes we recommend that each resident keep the following items on hand in the event of an emergency: one gallon of water per person per day, battery-powered radio, flashlights, extra batteries, cash, canned or non-perishable food, manual can opener, prescription meds, first aid kit.... {ummm I don't even have floor lamps and furniture....}

The National

Listening to The National a lot lately. It's soooooothing.

Hear "Bloodbuzz Ohio" after the jump...

Seven Manhattan Likes

I know some people think big cities are dirty, rodent infested, polluted and overpopulated places where you spend 3x's the money for rent on apartments 5x's smaller than they are anywhere else.... yea true, but there are also plenty of reasons to love them! Here are seven things I like about living in Manhattan {so far}...

IR and Millennials

From the amount of comments, I’m led to believe that either a variety of people actually care what twenty-somethings think about themselves and their futures, or that adults and their adult-like sympathizers never tire of lecturing young people about what they should and should not be doing with their lives. I’m not sure that my points from the previous articles were actually understood, but for right now I’m going to steer the conversation away from the general topic and toward this question: how do twenty-somethings think about international relations? This foreign policy blog raised the question first, and since people of my generation will be deciding foreign policy for years to come, I think it’s an interesting question.

First New York Weekend

After a long truck ride, an overnight stay in a very random town in Pennsylvania, some city parking difficulties, and a couple hours of supervising movers up and down 15 floors in a freight elevator, me and all my boxes are finally in the new flat! I'm more than excited to be back in the city, and as you can see from the photo above, "in the city" means in the heart of the city this time around. When I lived in Queens, that far away borough where I got all the parking tickets and acquired an intolerance to broccoli {long story}, I used to make a Sunday habit of taking the bus to the subway to the Long Island Railroad to the subway... just to walk up and down Fifth Avenue and visit Rockefeller Center. Now I can see Radio City Music Hall from my living room & I'm really quite happy about that.

Midwest to Midtown West

Heading out east in my little truck today!
I'll probably be tweeting, so you can follow me there
ciao xo

By: Jessica Wright | Photo ad from Kate Spade New York

More on Being Young

After I wrote this article about being an 'emerging adult', I was a bit surprised to receive comments and messages that amounted to: "stop being a lazy kid and face the realities of life". It's kind of insulting to hear  that as a 'kid' who's been working like mad for scholarships and college admittances and fellowships for ages, not to mention the summer jobs and part-time jobs and full-time jobs and unpaid internships. But there are plenty of people who find Dr. Arnett's work interesting and helpful, and after this long introduction, a blogger and new contributor will share her perspective on being "young". Contrary to popular opinion, young adults of my generation aren't asking anyone for anything. Rather, many things are being asked of us.

Owls on the Walls

I think this is fantastic wallpaper! Might have to find a place for it in my new apt...

Extremist Makeover

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Extremist Makeover - Homeland Edition
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

I'm pretty furious about the 'mosque controversy' {my twitter followers are aware of this, I'm sure}. When I wrote my opinion in an article at the beginning of August I thought I was coming a little late to the discussion, but the 'debate' rages on with an inordinate number of people willing to voice their disgusting prejudices in the guise of sympathy for the victims, etc. Jon Stewart does a good job of pointing out some of the idiocy in this clip.

Please spare me your comments if you're inclined to think that the Corodoba Center is a mosque,  that Imam  Rauf is in cahoots with Al Qaeda, that lower Manhattan is sacred ground, that Obama is a Muslim, that people who support the center don't respect the victims of 9-11, that we should be more sensitive.... and other ridiculous claims along those lines. Thanks.

By: Jessica Wright

B Time

B for ballet and babies. I had a very nice weekend enjoying both. It was a pleasure to watch a spirited performance by Melissa's new dance company, and so nice to finally meet Linda's daughter Evelyn. I can't believe my friends are having babies and founding dance companies... congrats girls!

Have a Romantic Weekend

Some romantic things happened this week. For example, J.Crew shot this cute photo series featuring the actors and actresses from the upcoming movie, The Romantics, and there was apparently an epic sunset in New York on Wednesday that started with a rainbow! Wish I could have seen it... thankfully the Gothamist documented the entire event with photos from around the city and a time-lapse video {see below}.

Emerging Adulthood

I'm not particularly fond of being a twenty something at the moment. It was fun when I was finishing university, running around as P and VP of this and that club, racking up college credits like a professional sport, and doing all those other things college students do. It was also fun as a graduate student in London with its pubs and clubs, and the interesting work of completing a masters at a progressive school with awesome people. Now, still a twenty something, but standing on the other side of the acceptable amount of higher education {not too much, not too little}, and on the other side of 25, everyone expects instant transformation. To what exactly I'm not sure, but I've heard it has to do with picking a career and/or marrying someone. And it's not only a mild expectation, it's serious pressure.  I'd like to take a little break and think... and by think I don't mean mope around in silent angst, lest you be confused.

Glorious Old Delhi

The India Stories
Chapter Eight: Glorious Old Delhi
Introduction
Chapter One: A Mass of Humanity
Chapter Two: A Long Day in Mumbai
Chapter Three: The Rickshaw
Chapter Four: A Night Train To Delhi
Chapter Five: Welcome To French India
Chapter Six: Into The Light
Chapter Seven: Light Through A Filigree Lattice

As time passed and Delhi life became comfortable with its Khan Market lunches, Greater Kailash dinners, and the French house, I decided it was time for some exploration outside my usual motor rickshaw circuit. One particularly hot Thursday, Max took the day off and we ventured out of the confines of New Delhi and into the old.