Apartment Evolution Series: Katie's Room

This was Katie's room when she first moved in.   I was able to get a temporary bed up for her and she got a lovely air mattress from K-Marche.  

It didn't take too long for her to get a suitable bed and I "carpentered" her a little raised frame with storage.  It is now level with her window and as you can see- lots of storage for her necessaries. 

Then of course came priming, the door frame, and a shelf and desk. 

Finally we were able to get her room painted this weekend.  She chose the color.  So- her room is pretty much done.  I have to engineer a pulley system clothing rack which I am still trying to learn, online, how to do.  I will attempt that this weekend.  Wish me luck. 

She also has her door.  Looking at the picture- I just remembered we have to get her window in as well.  We are going to paint the glass so that the light reflects into the living room.  

It's coming together! 

Apartment Evolution Series: Kitchen

Hopefully you aren't bored with the apartment updates.  I am going to show the process over the last month and a half room by room.  I am starting with the kitchen.  As you see on day one, we had a make shift table and that was it.  

Not too much time went by when we were able to put together a bar using scrap wood left down on the street.  Now this brings me full circle to the green aspect of coming from Seattle.  Recycling is obviously a big deal in Seattle but so is the street treasure hunt.  Living in Ballard for a time, I was able to find all sorts of old desks, chairs, etc., that needed a little work but turned out to be great finds.  Brooklyn is becoming very similar to the Ballard and Fremont finds.  It doesn't look like much here but keep reading.    

We added some stability over time and started using it on a daily basis.  

I convinced Raef and Katie to let me tile the top and Eddie brought over the goods.  Katie and I are coming up with a plan for painting something on the time, possibly a city skyline.  

Here is Eddie and I getting the tiles  down, well mostly.  We forgot about needing a tile cutter.   

Raef was able to get some stools which just happen to be the perfect height and width for the already made bar. I added some shelving where we will store recyclables (theme comes full circle) on one side and storage on the other.  We will make a couple other adjustments but this has been an invaluable piece of the kitchen.  

Chelsea Hotel and Neighbor

When I got my moving van I walked by the Chelsea Hotel, something I had been meaning to set aside for a trip.  Many of the most famous artists flocked to this hotel to paint, write, sing, etc. after it opened in the 50's.  It gave me a little jump in my step to think of the creativity that flowed out of this building.  

Imagine my surprise when Eddie called me up one day asking if I could help him on a job directly next door to the same inspiring hotel.  Eddie has been working on this building for over 10 years now.  And as winter takes its toll, it's not a pretty job, but the building gets a little makeover.   

Unfortunately the foundation isn't exactly flat.  There is a pretty decent slant the roof that is collecting water in a pool.  Eddie and I discusses some ways we might remedy this in the summer and chatted about some of the people he has seen coming out of the hotel over the years. 

We did a rough patch job and decided we needed to have a Guyanese roof party this summer.

  

So the building houses a modeling agency and I got this photo on the way out.  Make your own judgments.  

Williamsburg Sunset and The former Rocket Factory

A couple of weeks ago, we experienced a perfect evening for a sunset from the roof.  Although some questioned whether there were sunsets on the east coast, here is living proof of the event.  All three of us rushed up to see a remarkable view.  

This is our apartment lobby.  I found out recently the building used to be a rocket factory at one point.  It's a concrete building that has been renovated for open lofts.  Our neighbors are a very eclectic crew.  We have a group of Russian models on the other end of the hall that basically speak NO English.  My immediate neighbor is a cinematographer who met his now wife two stops down on the J Train in Brooklyn at a filming a few years back.  They have a little girl who is simply hilarious.  

One day I walked up to my door and started to unlock it when I felt the sensation someone was watching me.  I turned around and saw the little girl hiding behind the concrete cylinder a few feet away.  Instantly, the many horror film scenes involving evil little girls flashed through my mind but I quickly realized this is not the movies.  So she motions to me, shhhhh.  Following my compliance, she asked me, "where is he?"  Assuming she meant her father, I informed her he was getting the mail and would be up shortly.  I asked her if she was going to scare him and gave her a few pointers.  Nodding, she then smiled and brushed me away.  She is all sass and has wandered into our apartment to investigate on work days.   

Finally, there is apparently a graffiti artist in our apartment.  I really want to graf my bedroom door when it is up so I am hoping to track the artist down.  I plan to try and get a little garden up there and we are most certainly looking forward to spring time bbq's.  All in all, no complaints against the apartment.  

W does Photos

Here are a few photos W snapped of me while here.  Quite the photo eye I say.  Aye!  

This is in front of the enormous Monet at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).

Also at MOMA- in front of Frida.

OOF also at MOMA.

Really crazy mural on the upper east side right before dinner.

W got this shot at Simple Cafe near our house the morning he was leaving.  It's a really cool accident where the bottle of water was reflecting the Apple logo.  Maybe Steve Jobs should think about a winery?  

W drags us across the Brooklyn Bridge

So this is something I have wanted to do for some time, walk the Brooklyn Bridge.  It is on the top of every tourist must do list so of course, I hadn't done it.  But Wenarto promised his mom he would snap a shot of the Statue of Liberty and I had read you could see it from the bridge.  So bright and early Friday morning, we gathered the troops and went across to lower Manhattan.  

Me, Elly (Raef's friend from Seattle), W and Katie posing from about the mid-way point in front of the lower Manhattan skyline. 

And the promised pic of Lady Liberty from the bridge. 

Here is W preparing for his Youtube from the bridge.  MOST of the people passing by were nice.  But there were a few out-of-towners who didn't know what to make of it. 

Finally- striking a pose at the end of the bridge.  It takes about 30 minutes to walk and about 45 if you add a youtube and photoshoot session.  

I have to say- although I don't consider myself a tourist anymore, it was a ton of fun.  I definitely recommend it for anyone who lives here and hasn't done it or for first timers.  I think it would be better to start from the Manhattan side and then plan a few hours in the up and coming neighborhood across the bridge, DUMBO.  Lots of little cafes', shops, etc.  

Oye oye!

Wenarto: redux

So one blog post just wasn't enough.  Can you blame me?  Check out these immortal W pictures.  Brooklyn bridge to follow and then W photography featuring yours truly.  

W at a church near 5th and Park Ave.

This is lunch at the Plaza Hotel (where W got a free bottle of wine and Proseca!)  Look Carefully and find Waldo a.k.a. Geraldo Rivera (between me and Katie). 

The Plaza is just insane.

I wasn't lying.  We really did see the Jonas Brothers.  Funny thing is, this is the SECOND time I have accidentally run into the teen icons.  New York hearts the JB. 

And W HAD to check out the opera collection at one of the largest Virgin records stores in the country.  This is near Union Square.  

Biggest Snow Storm of the Season

THE BIGGEST SNOWSTORM OF THE SEASON!!!!!!

Finally- I asked and I received.  So much snow I actually got a snow day!  

My building is on the left and this is a shot of the street about an hour after they SALTED it.  That's right Seattle- salt.  

This is from my roof which was about a layer of ice and about 12 inches of snow.  

And of course the view of downtown Manhattan where it was still snowing.  The snow stuck around for a few days and was a nice little scene of NY Winter.  

Moving on up...

Taking an empty space, framing the walls, and setting up the rooms is hard work.  But- it's a lot of fun and wide-open for creativity: Brooklyn living.  

Setting up Raef's raised bed using the existing bed frame.  He is putting a closet and storage underneath.  

Katie has a modified raised bed- not as high as Raef's.  We will get some shelves in there as well.    

And here is stage 2 in Katie's room:

And stage two for Raef:

W in the City That Never Sleeps- sleeping ;)

This is poor Wenarto on the cab ride back from his first day of New York City.  Let me preface this blog post by saying ONE post does not do justice to the amount of things we did in the short 3 days W was here.  I have never met anyone, including children, who have as much energy as this guy.  But I think these pictures summarize the highlights.  

Here is Wenarto with the KING of Opera critics (his blog is at parterre.com where W is a frequent visitor) and the Queen of Opera Divas (Dorothy Bishop).  Wenarto "met" these two through youtube.  No joke.  They came across his 500 plus tubes and were delighted to find his passion for opera for the common man.  They refer to him as the "bad boy of internet opera" a nickname he didn't let me forget the entire weekend.  

And here is Wenarto at Sacks getting a facial to "rejuvinate" his skin.  She said he was magically 10 years younger.  W told her he was 30 of course.  

And W in front of his inspiration Monet at MOMA's Free Fridays.  

Finally- W fulfilled his mission of making an insane number of Youtubes, including this one with a subway performer where he inpromtu put together a Edith PIAF piece.    http:www.youtube.com/wenarto.  Go to page 3 to see this and all of W's NY youtubes including the ones with yours truly.  

Wenarto got us up bright and early and we made a youtube, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, saw the Jonas Brothers, had lunch at the Plaza across from Geraldo and his latest wife, went shopping on 5th Avenue, went to MOMA, went to the Metropolitan Opera and Museum of Art, explored Williamsburg, had dinner on the upper East Side and my favorite Italian restaurant in the Village, bought out the little wine shop, brought me Seattle coffee, and if I forgot something, I apologize.  

To sum it all up, Wenarto left his Iphone in a cab one night so I gave him mine.  Every person we met in NY said to forget the phone because it was long gone.  3 days after he returned to Seattle, a lovely young woman from NY had found his phone, got his address, and the phone was on its way.  W is now convinced that although he told everyone he was from a small fishing village in the northwest, New Yorkers are the nicest in America!  Thank You New York for taking such good care of Seattle's Best.  

Three's Company, Two's American

Moving into a new apartment means NEW ROOMIES.  (RIP Yael).  Let me begin by giving homage to Marni, the last of the good New York rommates.  Marni is busy writing the next blockbuster and we WILL have her to the new pad, hopefully for a short film shoot from our roof and for, cross your fingers, the release of the short she and I did for Spike Lee's Director class- come on Marni- get the editing done!

Now back to the newbies.  First, featured below, we have a duo shot of the new ideal roomies sharing in Katie's first PBR moment (hey it won first prize).  

Katie is fresh from the down under call her Aussie, don't dare call her a Kiwi (they are from New Zealand- consult Carmen San Diego).  Katie is studying drama at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.  She is an absolute darling, a little messy, and what better way of introducing her then by sharing the email she sent to us begging us to let her be the 3rd in our apartment to be? 

"Hey Guys, I'm a 19 yr old girl who has just moved here from Australia to start studying at drama school.  (but I'm not really intense or anything I promise).  I had a place set up, but I think its fallen through, so I'm a bit stuck.  But never mind that, the place looks amazing! I'd be happy to help you on weekends with setting up the place more if you'd like.  I'd love to check the place out and meet you both, so if you'd like give me a call on xxx-867-5309 (creative editing on author's part for confidentiality purposes).  Cheers!  Katie" 

Now for the sake of disclosure Raef and I had an executive meeting and were hesitant to allow a 19 year old into the fold but we decided to give her a chance.  When she rang from the subway and I recalled what it was like to wander the streets of Florence not knowing the street names I went out in search for her near the apartment.  After playing phone marco polo, I saw a "fatty" standing on the street corner and remembered Raef's number one rule: no fatties.  Ok so actually that was my politically incorrect joke of a rule but believe me, it crossed my mind.  Luckily that was just a hooker.  And after she let me wander around Brooklyn trying to find my apartment and heeding my number one rule: don't let me lead because I find things by brail, I was sold.  Raef was later sold on her "spunk."  But it was a close call.  We went through over 10 applicants and Raef was leaning towards Nana mainly because he wanted to work in a Nana jingle on  a daily basis and ride her scooter but we caved in and took the girl who comes from the land down under because collectively, we had never met an Aussie we didn't like.  We did of course make her sign a document we like to call "An International Cooperation Agreement and otherwise Rules Aussies must Live by to become American."   It's on the fridge- no joke.    

So here's Katie at the Metropolitan Opera gift shop, posing patiently for Wenarto.  

And here we are in her Youtube debut with Wenarto (post to come) with yours truly as Marlon Brano cameraman/ director extraordinaire on our rooftop. 

 

Then there's Raef.  Ah Raef.  His actual name is Matthew Harrison but in an effort to bring his German heritage back from the dead, he legally changed his name to something a little more Nazi.  Ok- so his middle name is Raef but just go with me on this one.  I can tell his "day in the sun" is right around the corner just like Kaiser Willhelm (please consult Encyclopedia Britannica).  

Here is Raef posing in his room (just after a genius engineered it) and also on Katie's new mattress.  Well actually he is posing vertically and I just learned how to be an editing wizard with I-photo ;-)  

Raef is from Seattle.  He graduated from the University of Washington just like me so I know he is good peeps.  His parents just started a little winery out in Yakima (FREE VINO!!!), where he was raised, and he is studying publishing at NYU graduate school.  He and I decided one night at the neighborhood bar that we are going to start an online magazine, the Gentleman, his senior project next year.  No Mom, it's not porn...although?    

So the loft is quickly becoming the bohemian, creative outlet I so desperately needed since leaving the Casa Pauradiso and Wenarto's wonder emporium in Seattle.  It's a good mix and despite the fact that Katie is a vegetarian, she is actually a good cook.  I have promised to Katie's mum and Raef's parents that I will take good care of them and I think we take good care of each other.  

Stay tuned for the launch of Three's Company, Two's American adventures, surely a weekly update of our crazy antics in the spirit of the late John Ritter (aka Jack Tripper):

Jack: Is something burning?

Chrissy: Oh I left my underwear in the oven!

Janet: Too bad hotpants aren't in style.