WTC and Jersey City

This month I spent a few weeks working at a customer out at Jersey City in New Jersey. If you remembered, I checked out an area called Weehawken in New Jersey at the start of last month when I was looking for a place to stay. Jersey City is on the water's edge and right across from downtown Manhattan.

To get there, I catch the E train (the subway) all the way to Chambers Street stop, which is also the site where the World Trade Centers used to be. From there I transfer over to the PATH (which is New Jersey's subway, connecting NJ to NY).

During morning rush hour it is quite a sight. There are these big long escalators, very much like those at Parliament Station in Melbourne and they are jammed packed with people who makes the commute from NJ to Manhattan daily. Everyone is rushing, running up not wanting to waste another minute.

The PATH used to be totally underground and on top of the station, my relatives told me that there once were floors of shops, eateries and offices above. When they saw the pictures I took above, they said that the escalators are actually the originals from before. It was certainly very surreal sitting in the PATH train as it makes its way down the big hole in the ground before heading into the subway tunnel.


The part of Jersey City that I was in was pretty much just full of office buildings and not much else. You do get a very good view of Manhattan across the Hudson River.

Shop up a storm!

Ok girlfriends, after a month or so of serious research, I would like to share a discovery on shopping in New York with you - the secret of designer bargain shopping. I have never "researched" into this area until my cousins (bless them!!) revealed their secrets to their success.

The trick is: Outlet malls!!

As with most things in the US, these malls are SERIOUSLY big. I am talking "walk until you have worn a holes in your soles" big. It is basically a day trip if you can handle it. You will also need a strategic plan before you start. There are so many shops at those places you really need to work out which ones are the "must sees" vs the "check out if time permits".

Some places are more organized than others - at least you should be able to find sizes according to displayed areas. There are others which reminded me of Dimmeys (sorry, no offense) but instead of the generics, the merchandises are your big American brands (you know which ones I mean - I don't want to advertise here, but think Collin Street shops and DJ end on upper level of Chaddy, Melbourne people).

You know you are in the right place when you see designer handbags piled high in a heap on a discount table and designer jeans jam-packed on cloth racks like K-mart displays

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with K-mart, I am just trying to say it is not like the designer boutique shops where you walk in and there are like 10 items on the wall hung like artwork - I often feel too intimidated to even touch anything in those. At these places, you can throw on all the fancy stuff but feel just like you are in your local shopping centres.

Needless to say - I ended up spending my money on my research trips, hee hee hee. Hey but everything was a bargain!! :)

Rejoice!! My SSN battle is finally over!

I am happy to report that my drawn-out "battle" with the SSA has finally come to a close. I received my SSN card in the mail yesterday. I reckon I should take a picture with that card as a keepsake.

On a second throught: probably not a good idea, since if the photo gets leaked out, people will know my SSN and can do all sort of things with it... hmmm

I have also found a place to call home (at least for now). It is located in a suburb called Forest Hills in Queens and it is about half an hour on the subway from midtown Manhattan. Not all bad considering it is close to the airport as well, which is what I need. Ok so no view overlooking Central Park in the Upper East side, I am still working towards that - will start buying lotto here.

So I am really truly getting settled into New York now! The next task for me is to find my way around the city to the FUN stuff (like food, theater, bars n' clubs... did I mention food?)

Signs of Spring

After weeks of miserable weather in New York, there are finally signs of spring here!

On the weekend, it was good enough weather to go outside wearing t-shirt and a thin hoodie (ie. a hooded top, I learned that from my cousin).

As the weather warmed up, the colour on the street also became more vibrant - this goes for plants as well as people. 2 weeks ago, all you would see in the subway was a sea of black - black coats, black pants, black shoes, black beanies and scarf and black gloves. It was like a train full of people attending a funeral. Now I am seeing petals, some green and pink and sometimes even eye catching orange and red.

5th avenue was lined with flowering Magnolias as well as varieties of cherry blossoms. Birds were chirping, kids and parents were out and about. Central Park was buzzing with activities - cyclist, rollerbladers, street buskers, tourists (as per usual), and everyone out enjoying a nice day out.

It happened to be Greek Independence Day on that Sunday as well so there were parade floats going down Lexington Ave all the way down to the METs on 5th Avenue and 82nd street.


But New York's weather is just about as predictable as Melbourne's.

Last Wednesday morning when I went to work, I debated with myself if I should bring my long coat as it was already very warm in my suit. At around mid morning, I happened to look out the window and it was snowing like there is no tomorrow outside! The flakes were about the size of cotton balls!

Seriously, it looked like a blizzard with the wind blowing against the building. Then just as sudden as it started, the sun was out again by the afternoon and when I finally left work for the day, you could not possibly know that it snowed in the morning. The snow has melted away and the ground was completely dry. Apparently this happens, even in April.