Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Thirteen Things I Remember About Living in NYC


1. Living in an apartment that was actually a room the size of a shoebox.
2. Feeling a little smug that I lived on Gramercy Park even though my apartment was actually a room the size of a shoebox.
3. Coming alive in acting school at The Neighborhood Playhouse.
4. My lunches at Tal Bagel, an authentic Israeli-run bagel store, where the employees spoke Hebrew to one another. My favorite meal was an everything bagel with lentil soup. Mmmm. Perfect on a cold winter's day.
5. Being in excellent shape from all of the walking I did, along with ballet and a modern dance/yoga combo class I was in.
6. Going dancing at LIFE and meeting a soap star who was on Another World. He was really nice in person!
7. Incredible friendships made with women from all over the world!
8. Standing atop the Empire State Building on the 4th of July as my Jewish friend, Jordan, told me what the true meaning of the Yiddish word "schmuck" was. There was a group of adolescent Orthodox Jewish boys standing around us snickering, thinking he was one funny guy. I also learned the words "schmendrick" and "shmeggege" that night--both having similar meanings.
9. Being told "You're very friendly...that frightens me" by a very grumpy woman in an elevator.
10. Admiring Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" at the MoMA.
11. Rollerblading in Central Park, in Union Square, and on the Hudson River Boardwalk.
12. Singing showtunes at the top of my lungs as subways would roll into the station. They were so loud that no one could hear me over their rumble. It was my way of having a personal moment in public. Kinda fun!
13. Being very aware that I was living my dreams and feeling grateful for it!

11 comments:

Natalie said...

These things all sound wonderfully fulfilling. It was a great list to read.

Beenzzz said...

Wow! You've done so much. What an excellent list!!!!

Cherry said...

You have some great memories of New York. It's clear that your time there was very meaningful to your life.

I recently had an authentic bagel. So much different from what we get up here in NorCal. Yummy!

Autumn's Mom said...

I love that you'd sing show tunes in the subway stations :D

Anonymous said...

I love the Tracy in New York years. I didn´t know you then, but the time yielded many good stories and catch phrases from those stories, which I have enjoyed stealing from you on a regular basis, like "superior eye wear and foot wear." And didn´t you say you had a beloved pair of chartreuse pants during that timeframe? I love it, love it, love it.

Tracy said...

Oh, yes! How could I not have added my polyester chartreuse bell bottoms to this list?!! I bought them at a street fair, and always felt very colorful on the subways in the winter donning those pants with my tourquoise car coat. Thanks for reminding me about that!

Sharon said...

Love the list!

Anonymous said...

I have similar memories of my apartment in Hell's Kitchen. The shower was actually in the kitchen. Female roommate. Awkward...

Magic Word: esoolry

ML said...

What an amazing list of things! I love the one about singing showtunes at the top of your lungs as subways came into the station. Very fun!

J said...

Great list. I wish I knew you there. :)

Buttercup said...

I love that list. I can totally relate to the conflicted feeling of slight smugness. It's New York, and it's awesome to be here... but we do live in shoeboxes. You made me smile. :)