A few of my (new) favorite things.


1. The Times: The Times. The Times. If I only had 3 dollars and 50 cents left in the entire world, I would spend it on the Sunday Times. That and a grande chai latte make for the perfect Sunday brunch date. (Sadly my front runner for 2006 anyway!)

2. The Laundry Service: Moving into an apartment building with no laundry, and not convenient to any DIY laundromats I discovered a most marvelous thing; there are women in this city, in tiny shops, who will wash your clothes for 60 cents a pound!! Drop off in the morning, pick up in the evening. Washed, dried, folded. Works out to about 8 dollars a fortnight. Brilliant - once middle class guilt at having someone wash your clothes subsides... happened quicker than I expected.

3. The Gay Boyfriend: Certainly not a phenomenon exclusive to New York, but on the advice of a friend I have acquired two (just in case). Perfect for seeing movies, plays, listening to diatribes about the sorry state of dating in this city, and cooking meals utilizing actual stoves and ovens. Something I'm yet to experiment with.

4. The Bartender: Specifically, Brian, the bartender at my local 'gin joint'. They have half price happy hour all night Sunday through Tuesday, and until Karaoke begins on Wednesday. (That's right, you heard me!). Half price happy hour means five dollar martinis... which makes aforementioned Karoke far more appealing and likely.

Stay tuned... in this city the list is set to expand by the minute!