Jerome's Pizza, Bronx, NYC

I really need to dedicate a whole post to Jerome's Pizza. I've become quite the regular at this place by now since it is only two blocks from my house (and cooking for one is so boring), not to mention the fact that they have delicious pizza! I go here at least once a week for a cheese slice (although their white pizza is also very tasty) - to which I add Parmesan, crushed peppers, and oregano - with one garlic knot (also amazingly delicious) on top. In California I used to eat Mexican all the time, but since good Mexican food has been a very rare find, I think pizza has taken its place.

This really is how all pizza should be made - thin crust, with just a little sauce, and not too oily. Also, one slice is just perfect - it fills me up but doesn't leave me stuffed, so I leave still feeling light.

Jerome's Pizza, The Bronx, NY

The fellas that work there are also really great. I think they must really enjoy their job - they are always smiling and in a damn good mood. I must also give this place kudos for doing delivery by bicycle. Hopefully I'll be able to find a comparable substitute when I move out of my place in the Bronx on August 6th - but I doubt I will find anything with the personality and deliciousness of Jerome's.

Hallelujah - it is not a bed bug!

Today as I was talking with Russell on Skype I saw a little bug crawling across my bed. I flicked it away thinking that it was a tiny spider then realized that it may have been a bed bug!! Gross! I have been a bit paranoid lately about bed bugs because two Abercrombie stores were shut down in New York recently and since that made news more and more stories about New York's bed bug problem have been coming to light. I went shopping yesterday and when I saw the bug today I thought that I may have brought home a bed bug with me.

Luckily, I didn't actually flick the bug away like I had attempted (I searched the floor for five minutes for that thing!) but rather just grazed it then put my roasting computer on top of it, which I think may have been what killed it. So I have the little bug in tact, he was not squished. First thing I did was think, "Yes this is a spider!" - a phrase that I never imagined myself thinking. The I counted the legs: Arachnida - 8 legs, Insecta - 6 legs. Crap, this one has 6 legs...it is a bed bug. Panic sets in and I scour the bed for more, none. Lift the bed to look under, none. Check the wooden frame, none. So I get online to do some research and bed bugs are rare to spot - that is a plus for me since this little guy was out in the open. Then I see photos that match exactly what this one, now in a plastic container, look like. The photo is titled "bed bug." Damn.

Enter stage 2 freak-out.

But I couldn't find any other photos that matched the description of my specimen for confirmation, so I did more research. I started to calm down with the more information I found that did not match my situation. No bed bug droppings, no bites (of course if this were a bed bug that hitched in yesterday he may have just now made it from the other room where my clothes are to the room I sleep in).

Spider beetle - not a bed bug

Finally I came across a website that told me, with photos, what bugs are commonly misidentified as bed bugs - and there was my guy! And it was not a bed bug!!!!! What a relief. I confirmed this with a quick google search for "spider beetle." Here is a photo that I took of the beetle. ---->

What was crawling across my bed was a stray Spider Beetle. They do not bite, and do not feed on humans at all. What a relief! I've heard so many horror stories about dealing with bed bugs. I am still going to keep my eyes open, though, for any signs of the little creatures - mostly out of paranoia...

One good thing to come out of all of this: I now know how to check for a bed bug infestation - an excellent skill for someone who likes to travel as much as I do.

PS: Posts about my weekend outings to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and my walk across the Brooklyn Bridge are coming soon, hopefully tomorrow.

Goodbye Chelsea. Hello Bronx!

Today I packed my bags, left Chelsea - an area that I adore, by the way - and headed to The Bronx, where I'll be living until early August. Kathy (friend, classmate, and fellow CGI-er) was nice enough to accompany me on the subway ride there to drop off my stuff. After I officially moved in, we headed to Williamsburg so Kathy could deicide on a space for her, which didn't work out - thankfully, in my opinion.

Afterwards, we headed to a pizza parlor to eat and watch Spain vs. Honduras - how beautifully Spain plays! - then headed to Prospect Park. This time my goal was to make it to the lake, because the last time I was there I was dead tired and could barely lift my feet to make it to the metro stop. After waiting for over a half hour for the bus (we wanted to ride through this highly orthodox Jewish community, rather than go under it), but after two scheduled busses failed to show up, we cut our losses and hopped on the metro instead.

Erica & Kathy in Prospect Park

Once at lovely Prospect Park we took a nice walk to the southern end to find Prospect Park Lake and a gaggle of giant geese! People were relaxing on the grass in the shade, families were barbecuing, others were fishing (catch and release only). I laid out my sarong under some nice shade trees next to the lake so we could enjoy the breeze and cool off a little. Of course, I did a couple of sun salutations and a few minutes of meditation. Again, there is never any silence in New York City, although I am getting rather good at filtering out the sounds of the city and picking up the sounds of water, wind, and birds.

After relaxing for an hour or so it was time for the long ride home. That is the only problem with living in the Bronx - it is a little bit out of the way. Oh well, that just means that I will need to spend some time getting to know what this area has to offer. The map shows that I am surrounded by parks, the New York Botanical Gardens are only 6 blocks away, and I believe there is a zoo somewhere around here as well. Plus, I actually enjoy riding the subway. It is a nice time to observe the people of New York. It is a time for thinking and a time for clearing my mind of all thoughts. The subway is also where I plan to get a lot of reading done. I need to start thinking about my thesis, begin research, and make a dent in my reading list. Right now I am reading Joseph Stiglitz's book, Freefall, which I really enjoy (thanks Aashish!) - three more chapters to go, and I think these three will be the most interesting.

Tomorrow I start work. It should be fun, but if we don't have to stay the whole day I'd like to go to the Museum of Natural History so I can totally geek out! Oh, and tomorrow I'll be rooting for Mexico and Argentina!

Prospect Park Lake

I have arrived!

First NYC taxi ride

After leaving Sacramento on a red eye, I finally arrived at JFK at 6:30am (3:30am CA time) and took a cab to the studio I am staying in for three nights - in the heart of Manhattan - and crashed for an hour until I got phone call reminding me that I was supposed to be looking at a place to sublet. So, like a zombie, I headed to the metro for my first ride of many. I bought a 30 day unlimited ride pass (subway and bus) for $90 - which will save me in the long run considering I will have to make at least 2 trips per day at $2.75 each, plus I plan on knowing all of New York while I'm here. After grabbing a subway map I was off.

The metro here is really fun! There are a lot of interesting people who perform on the train and in the stations. There were two ladies who sang beautifully - next time I'll have to record them.

After seeing The Bronx sublet (very nice, and big for visitors!!), which includes cat-sitting in exchange for cheap rent, I headed back to Chelsea for some sleep - until I got a text reminding me that I was supposed to see another sublet, this time in Park Slope, Brooklyn. What a nice area Park Slope is! Shade trees lining every street and beautiful buildings right out of the movies. Another nice sublet, again reduced rent in exchange for cat-sitting.

Park Slope, Brooklyn

The sublet was only five blocks from Prospect Park, so I decided to talk a walk there since I've heard it is very beautiful (the designers of the park, who also designed Central Park, said that it was their best work ever), and it didn't let down. I found a quiet spot surrounded by trees and bushes to sit down and meditate, but after five minutes I nearly fell over from sleep so I decided to head "home" to sleep in a bed. After nodding off a few times on the subway I finally got home and slept - like a rock - from 5pm until 4am this morning.

Today I am heading to northern Manhattan to see another sublet, this time without a cat. While I'm up there I will probably take a walk through Inwood Hills Park along the Hudson River and maybe head to Central Park as well or the World Trade Center site since it is pretty close to where I am currently staying.

I'll be updating this blog regularly throughout my stay in New York and beyond. If you have gmail, twitter, etc, you can easily follow me to stay up to date.

Tchau, Erica