Back from Vacay...

I'm back! Back from a week of relaxation in the mountains of Arizona, where my biggest concern was how I wanted my eggs prepared each morning and whether I would prefer to ride bikes, go sightseeing, do something "sporty" or just lounge on the patio reading my new Kindle all day. It was a lot a different than life in the big city so for that reason, it was truly a vacation.

That being said, I realized the beauty of vacations - they are an escape from your normal everyday life and are meant to be temporary. When I lived in Newport, RI people used to tell me my life was like a permanent vacation (which was kinda true) but that got me thinking...what's so wrong with that??

I think you can determine where your truly meant to live by where you'd vacation if money were no object. My vacation destination preference always, always, always would be a beach. It could be argued that if I lived by a beach I might chose to explore big metropolis's or jungles or deserts on my vacations - not true. When I lived ON a beach, I still vacationed to other beaches. To me, beaches are like snowflakes in that no two are exactly alike. I dream about experiencing new beaches and beach towns and comparing them all one-day in some giant interactive info-graphic... (the nerd in me speaks)

Sure I want to see other cities (London, Paris, Sydney and Rio De Janiero top my international list), sure I love escaping to some fresh country or mountain air and there are definitely a few non-beach places on my list of must-go's (Alaska and Central America's rain forest region to name a few) but my ultimate win vacation destination is beach.

I understand why living at the beach may not be the most practical. I get why people flock to big cities. I obviously appreciate how "lucky" I am to live and work here. I just think that people who do live here aren't always outwardly honest about how it really is (unless their rich, then yeah, their life probably rocks). If you're like me and don't have a trust fund, a rent-controlled apartment or a driver, then you probably do that thing NY'ers do where you convince yourself

that your life is really awesome and it's totally normal to spend $2000 plus a month to live in a glorified closet because yeah, you can tell all your friends that you live in "the city" (because to NY'ers there is only one!). <-- *Editor's note - I sometimes do this too...

I know how after a glorious NYC filled weekend of brunching and central parking and frolicking or even an excitement-filled weeknight adventure (complete with bar-hopping and bomb scares on a Tuesday night) you start to feel that "I love it here and could never live anywhere else" feeling. Despite all my whining on this blog, I've felt it often - I promise! My one difference is when I leave the city I am not filled with that "omg I miss it and need to go back" feeling that I hear others are (or claim to be). I am more often than not thinking how I could be happy in X-place and how if I lived in X-place I'd probably be able to have all the things I dream about but can't afford in NY (little things like...say...a closet, or outdoor space, or somewhere to store my beach chair...)

So what do you think folks, is life meant to be a beach or should I stick it out in NYC just a little bit longer? Comments please!

PS - Please enjoy a few pics from my trip. It was truly beautiful there!

Last post before 30...

The next post you read I will be 30! I'm sure you're all pretty sick of hearing about it by now so you are off the hook for a while...until 40 approaches :)

Tomorrow I head to AZ to visit an old friend, spend time with my family & the boyfriend and do a little relaxing and soul searching in between. I plan on spending my 30th at the Grand Canyon! Coincidentally, it will probably be cooler there than it is currently is NYC (it's close to midnight here but the temp is still triple digits!). They'll be lots of pictures and reflection to come - but you'll have to wait a whole week since I am digitally detoxing and will likely not touch a computer for the next 8 days. *GASP*

Disclosure - I WILL still have my iPhone so I won't be totally out of touch. Stay well NYC - see ya in a week!

Something different...

Warning! You MAY be seeing a few long forgotten "I love NY" type posts popping up in the next week or so depsite my recent anti-NYC rants...shocking, I know!

As I plan my birthday party for this weekend and get ready for some friends to visit and to enjoy a good old-fashioned "out til 4am, dancing, laughing, singing in the cab, bacon egg and cheese and a vitamin water the next morning" type of nights it is conceivable that I might be pro-NYC again, if only for a weekend.

You've been warned... :)

I'm back!

Ok, I took a longer break than expected because I literally couldn't bring myself to leave my mini-paradise island in Rhode Island!

Had a great weekend in Newport, where I slept peacefully to the sound of birds chirping and a gentle fan breeze, consumed mass quantities of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, potato chips and coronas and almost forgot I didn't still live there!

After stepping off the Amtrak in a crowded, humid and smelly Penn Station I pretty much decided that me and NYC were officially seeing other people. NYC, it's not you, it's me, but I really think it's time we ended our tumultuous love affair....at least until I've had some time to clear my head and figure out what I really want...

Tomorrow I'll be back to my regularly scheduled blogging countdown to the big 3-0 but tonight I'll leave you with the attached few images that will surely help frame my next few posts. Stay tuned!

The Great Debate...

Since I've moved to NYC, there are a lot of things I have grown to accept. Coming from growing up in the 'burbs and then spending most of my adult life living in quaint little beach towns, I've definitely had to make a few "adjustments." I get my groceries (and laundry, and breakfast, and occasionally beer) delivered, I pay $12 for a drink and think it's normal (or I pay $7 for a drink and think it's a steal) and I've even gotten use to the whole subway and cabbing it everywhere thing. One thing that I am still holding onto however is my belief that people shouldn't wear bathing suits where there is nowhere to actually bathe. For example, Central Park. Or a Yankee Game. Or a blacktop roof. You get the idea...

Thing is, NY'ers seem to think this is totally normally, and actually where bathing suits were meant to be worn. Have they never seen the ocean? Do they not know that glorious beaches exist a mere train ride away?

I'm not shy at all about wearing a bathing suit in public, it's just that the reason I wear

a bathing suit is because at some point while wearing it, I plan to get wet! As much as I love Central Park, there is just no chance of this happening unless you buy a bottle of water from the sketchy men selling it out of their backpacks and shopping bags and proceed to dump it over your head...

Today however, as I enjoyed an absolutely gorgeous day at the park (donning jean shorts and a black tank top) I felt for the first time like maybe I was the crazy one. As I entered the gates of Sheep's Meadow, I instantly felt overdressed as I saw a sea of shirtless men playing Frisbee and ladies bearing all in their skimpy bikinis, oiled up and everything. Could it be that I'm wrong?

I just can't decide so I need your help!

Please let me know in the comments if you sunbathe in your swimsuit in the park (or really any public place that ISN'T a beach or pool!). If the majority says it's totally cool, I promise to make (and document!) a bikini-clad trip there very soon!

Just another day...

Some days nothing out of the ordinary happens...other days you have a totally random only-in-NYC-and-at-Likeable kinda day. Today was one of those.

The day included:

...My buzz builders (what we call our interns) making a remix of the Fresh Prince of Belaire rap and making me sport a fluorescent NKOTB hat while they filmed me

...People randomly laying face down in different odd spots around our office - or what I later learned was "planking" -Never heard of it? Neither did I! Read about it here - You're welcome :)

...A good old-fashioned hot dog eating contest with an added Likeable twist - contestants had to wear our now -famous orange foam thumb while competing

...A late lunch break at Bryant Park where I got all weepy missing my boyfriend and remembering when he used to meet me there for lunch breaks back in the day

...An awesome run along the Hudson river followed by a frozen yogurt delight on a park bench

All in a pretty solid day dontcha think? Oh - and happy #socialmedia day to those who celebrate...(I say that because I'm often reminded by my non-SM friends that they don't know what I'm talking about half the time.) Just today, I got questioned when I wrote on a friend's Facebook wall "FTW." Jen/Erin if you're reading this, it means "For The Win!

Keeping it up...

Bet you didn't think I'd really do it did ya? Here I am! :) Let's see, what significant happened today...

Well the planning for the 30th is fully underway. I realized that everyone has their own idea of the perfect party. It's funny because usually the best nights I've had have been completely random, unplanned and not at all what I would have described as a perfect evening. On the other hand most of the times I've carefully orchestrated a "perfect evening" it's gone horribly wrong.

When I thought of my ideal 30th - it obviously included my best friends and my man (who probably won't be there...sadface). Beyond that though, my "demands" were: trendy neighborhood (althought I'm not sure why because I never actually hang in trendy neighbors now...), juke box (this is big one for me but may have to deal), a comfy seating area while also having an ample "dancing area", oh, and free private room, and of course, cheap and delicious drinks. That's not too much to ask is it??

Anyway, stay tuned because I think we may have found the "perfect place!"

Everything Happens for a Reason...

This title is courtesy of my Sigma Kappa days which are now almost 10 years in the past. It was one of the cliche phrases repeated to us over and over again during pledging. Even though it's pretty cheesy I've always kinda thought it was true (and hey, I'm kinda cheesy myself) and have said it to myself hundreds of times when dealing with bumps in the road.

Lately I've been having my annual (OK, monthly) "where am I going? what am I doing? am I living the life I'm supposed to be?" freakout and I'm sure a few people around me (sorry FF) noticed. I'm sure it's the approaching 3-0, or maybe just the Newport nostalgia I feel ever spring when the weather turns nice and I can no longer go for a walk on the Cliff Walk or for a Astro Bomb at Johnny's. (For those of you who don't know about Johnny's Atlantic Beach Club - read my one of my favorite old columns here!)

Anyway...this week I was lucky enough to attend the 140 conference hosted by Jeff Pulver. The conference was a 2-day event that focused on the power of now. What the heck is that you ask? Well as it turns out, it was exactly the inspiration and reminder I needed that:

1) I can do anything at anytime, it's never too late

2) I love what I do now

3) I can always do more, do something different, go somewhere else, nothing is impossible!

There were many amazing speakers, some you've obviously heard of like Ann Curry (swoon!), Mayor Corey Booker, Dennis Crowley (co-founder of Foursquare for all my non-social media friends) and then there were some you definitely haven't heard of, which is what I thought was so cool. Some were completely and utterly random and even a little eccentric but they were all inspiring and shared a common trait of passion and drive. Most wanted to accomplish something and did, in most instances more than they ever dreamed. All of them used social media in some way to achieve their big things and it was pretty rad to feel their energy and hear their stories. A few sound bytes from the day really struck a cord with me, which brings me to my title, "everything happens for a reason." I think I was meant to be there and here those things and be re-inspired and reminded that I can still do it all, make my mark and conquer the world. Perhaps most importantly, I was reminded of something that is extremely easy to lose sight of, especially living in Manhattan.

Money can't buy happiness....

We've all heard this a million times but I will be the first to admit, I don't "buy it" for a minute. I can almost guarantee I'd be happier if I had more money. If I had more money I could travel the world which I KNOW would bring me happiness. If I had more money, I would help family members and loved one do the things they can't afford to do, and if I had more more money, I'd hire a personal trainer, buy a boat and buy my first pair of Christian Loubotins (OK these are the totally superficial and selfish ones, but still...I would!)

After hearing a lot of people tell their stories of how they chased their dreams and never once did it for the money, it reminded me of something my small-town heart already knew deep down, but that I may have temporarily lost sight of. That thing is: people in this city often put too much weight into the pursuit of material wealth. How can you not in the most expensive city in the world I guess? It's often all about where you live, what you wear, even where you eat and drink but it's rarely about what you've done and what you believe and who you are. It's good to be reminded of the things that matter and also to be reassured that yes, it is possible to be successful and happy and NOT rich...although often times if you stick to what you know and love, you just might get rich doing it...someday.

OK enough preaching - goodnight NYC - I still love you, I just have to be reminded every once in a while that the size of my apartment doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things!

Sunday night somethings...

The big 3-0 is getting closer and my mind is racing! So many things to start doing and stop doing and focus on and not worry about and places to see and people to meet - oh my!

Some random summer focuses...

1) Run, run, run - and get new running shoes from The Super Runners Shop where they let you run around for them and then they tell you the best shoes for your stride - however awkward and "Phoebe-like" it may be (Friends reference number 4,864...)

2) Take advantage of the coveted rooftop deck of my apartment building - anyone want to join me for sunset cocktails? (weather permitting!)

3) Beef up my international travel fund (so I can stop spending so much time loitering in the Travel section of Barnes and Noble living vicariously through Frommers and Lonely Planet...)

4) Decide where I should live for the rest of my life (or at least for the "early thirties - no kids" chapter of my life...)

Oh, and in honor of the Tony Awards that I am watching LIVE while writing this (from the Beacon Theatre a few blocks away) I'll add "see more Broadway Shows!" to this list too... :)

Pondering life from 30,000 feet...

Currently en route back to NYC from Lala land... Had a great few days in LA with coworkers and a great meeting with a new client. Sitting at an outdoor cafe a few hours before boarding my flight back to the concrete jungle I had yet another epiphany about life. NYC is NOT the place for me. This time I mean it! I am beach person - always have been, always will be. I instantly feel better just knowing that the ocean is nearby...and when I can SEE it and SMELL it and FEEL it - I feel 100% at home. I guess techincally NYC is an island and the ocean is nearby, but dirt doesn't count as sand and for some reason there is no "ocean breeze" to be found...

When I think back on my years living by the beach in Narragansett, RI, Newport, RI and then again in Long Beach, NY - I realize I was A LOT more relaxed and "chill" and "easy-going"...

These words used to describe me but now I am just another nervous-nellie (as Carrie Kerpen my lovely boss calls me), high-strung, uptight, stressed out, negative-Nancy NY'er. Not cool :(

Yes, I moved to NYC to focus on my career, dream big, live the NYC life and expeience it all while I was young and uninhibited. But now I'm not so young, not so unihibited and fully aware that I can HAVE an amazing job and DO an amazing job from anywhere (well maybe not anywhere, but definitely from somewhere other than NYC...like say a beach town in Cali, New England or elsewhere...)

Will I feel this way tomorrow? Who knows... When I wake up tomorrow morning to the bustling scene of a NYC spring morning on the Upper West side and go get my morning coffee and bagel from Zabar's will I still feel like I need to immediately move to a beach town and chill down my lifestyle? Not sure... But for today - I have decided, in the words of the great Ray LaMontagne - "Gotta get out of New York City...New York City's killing me..."

life on the bus...

More and more of my blog posts lately are either A) about riding the bus or B) mentally written while ON the bus. What can I say, riding the bus brings a whole new element to my life!

Tonight I worked late and took the cross town bus home at 10pm. I started walking but then saw the glorious lights of the bus coming my way and couldn't resist its appeal after a long day at the office, two slices of peperoni pizza and a big gulp sized Coors Light (thank you for existing Pronto Pizza). Anywhere else in the world, 10pm on a Monday is probably a pretty quiet time, but not in NYC! Sometimes you really lose all sense of time and "normal" business hours living here...the bus was full of people in office attire or with shopping bags and if it wasn't dark out, you'd think it was 5pm by the energy and buzz in the air. It *almost" makes working until 10pm bearable when you realize that everyone else in this city is working too much, sleeping too little and generally living a lifestyle that by any other standards would be considered "nuts." (For example, Buffalo, where the bf lives, and the land of a 5pm dinner time and a 9pm bedtime!)

One final fun bus story. A few nights ago after yet another sprint to catch a pulling away bus, I did that awkward "running in heels with my oversized purse" things that girls do and that generally looks ridiculous and probably doesn't actually get you there faster than walking...anyway, long story short, I made the bus and just as I was swiping my card and the doors were closing, a guy popped his head into the bus nearly getting decapitated by the door to say "hey great run, that was impressive doll." You just can't make this stuff up folks!

Life: The unedited version...

Why haven't I written for literally months? Why do perfectly blog-worthy experiences come and go without a word typed? What's my excuse? What's my deal?

Well a) I'm busy b) I have been deferring to my "private" blog AKA my little notebook of thoughts that I use to express the things I don't quite feel comfortable dumping here c) busy again d) lazy (yeah...it's true)

I'm back with a vengeance though and probably a very lengthy ramble of thoughts, observations and general rant to the blogosphere...

How come some days I feel really proud of my life accomplishments and where I am (location-wise and "metaphorically") and other days I find myself lying awake in a panic thinking I've gotten it all wrong. Like wrong career, wrong city, wrong everything! How come I am constantly in a love/hate/really hate/really love relationship with this gosh darned city!

Exhibit A: Today at approximately 6:44 pm I was nearly killed. No really, I escaped death by a really narrow margin and somehow brushed it off until writing this post. I was crossing 34th street at Herald square, AKA, the busiest intersection in NYC, if not the world, in the pouring rain with a giant umbrella, a mob of other people with their giant umbrellas AND a giant bus obstructing my view of the crosswalk light when I stupidly followed the crowd in front of me and began to cross. ALL OF THE SUDDEN I was literally thisclose to be mowed down by not one, but TWO cross-town buses only to make it past those and literally have to stop a car WITH MY HAND illegally turning INTO ME! Sorry for all the ridiculous punctuation but for real! So anyway, I lived to tell the tale AND I made the M-16 bus as a result of my ridiculous "misjudgment" of the traffic. (Mom, I know if you're reading this you are probably freaking out by my carelessness but don't worry - lesson learned!) Once I got on the bus BTW, it was SO packed with angry, wet, crazy, oversized-umbrella-yielding New Yorkers that I just had to laugh. Why are NY'ers SO uptight?? And why am I becoming uptight after 25 plus years of being the most carefree person ever. Yikes!

Exhibit B: Spent this past weekend in Newport, RI, my "happy place" and was quickly telaported back to a time when life was easy all the time. It's weird because when I lived there I WAS happy but I was also searching for something else, something more, something I was SURE was in NYC...now, I'm not so sure...

Exhibit C: After getting my tooth-pulled a few days ago I was craving one thing and one thing only - A Wendy's Frosty! After a long day at work, I decided to reward myself with a quick late-afternoon trip to Wendy's (the one across from the Empire State Building and riddled with tourists, homeless people and other assorted characters...). Well, there I am waiting patiently on line A when the register in front of me opens up and I place my order of "One Medium FROS--"YO MISS, WHAT THE {EXPLETIVE DELETED}! I'M NEXT!" I am then pushed aside and crazy man from Line B starts rattling off his long and random order to the shocked clerk with the facial piercings. The best part was how I looked back at the line for moral support and no one even looked at me. Long story short, I held back my tears, got my frosty and got the heck out of there!

OK, I realize my three exhibits didn't exactly exhibit much other than my randomness and slight craziness but my point was that living in NYC on a day-to-day basis can be amazing, inspiring, career-changing, etc. but it can also be scary, overwhelming and stifling. So I ask myself, do I want the ocean, the no-worries, the simple life or do I want the lights, the sirens, the ladder climbing, the "dream?" It really depends which day you ask me!

Being a grown-up...

Lately I've really started to feel like a "grown-up"...I guess at 29, it's about time!

Things that make me feel mature (note I said "mature" and NOT old!):

• Being okay with spending a Friday night in (or actually preferring to do so!)

• Thinking about a financial plan for the future, ie. saving to buy a house, get married (gasp!), putting money away for retirement (whoa...)

• Actually being able to picture myself settled down in a real house with a kitchen table and welcome mat and ideally even a backyard (all those things you don't get as a renter/nomad! Since college I think I've lived in approximately 9 different apartments..I may be ready for a permanant address...)

• Being in a book club (personally, I don't think this makes me old but some of my co-workers disagree!)

I'm sure there are a lot more to add to this list because recently I've really started feeling like I'm finally "acting my age." This is definitely not a bad thing and I keep reminding myself that 29 is still totally young and I have a long and fun life ahead. I think because up until recently, I was a few years behind maturity-wise, and now I suddenly feel like I aged about 10 years in a few months (Those that knew me from about 18-26ish can attest to my slightly sub-par maturity level)! When I look back at the carefree life I used to lead, I often feel a tinge of nostalgia, but then I look at how far I've come and the life I've made for myself and realize that I've really "come into my own" and "found myself" and all those other cliche things. Of course, somedays I wouldn't mind going back to my Newport days where my only concern was making sure I had clean black pants for my waitressing shift that night, and what bar I'd be sipping cocktails at after my shift...BUT...I can say with about 98% certainty that taking a leap of faith and coming back to NY was the right choice...AND...that I will be successful (ahem, rich) and happy (cough, rich) and healthy (and rich) if I continue to take chances, work hard and stay true to myself. And, if things don't work out, I have a backup plan--three words, EAT, PRAY, LOVE :)

"These Streets Will Make You Feel Brand New"

Tonight I went to see Sex and the City 2. Me and about a million other fabulous ladies of NYC! I went to the Ziegfeld Theater, which is this amazing old-fashioned theater that still has ushers and a "stage" where the movie screen is--AND the theater was actually IN the movie...which was pretty cool! In prime SATC fashion there was even a faux red carpet where decked out ladies (and I mean DECKED OUT like gold sequined pants DECKED OUT...) posed for pictures and sipped on cosmos.

I think every modern-day single gal these days has thought of themselves as a "Carrie" at one time or another--especially if they ever wanted to be a writer, live in NYC or find true love. I myself have always thought that I truly *am* like Carrie, having been perpetually single for most of my twenties and writing my own column for a while for the local paper. Plus, I actually AM sitting in my bed right now with a view of the Empire State Building out my window furiously typing on my Macbook Pro (for the record, Carrie never had the view, but still!).

Sadly though, this is where the similarities end. The older I get, and the more I actually live and work in "real life NYC" the more I realize that SATC is just an amazing fantasy that most women are easily sucked into due the crafty writing and universal themes of love, friendship and happiness (oh and the clothes and shoes).

Before I actually lived in NYC, I definitely had a *slightly* skewed view of what life would really be like. NYC is without a doubt the most amazing city in the world, the place where anything seems possible and the energy is palpable, but trust me it's not all cosmos and Manolos (especially without a trust fund or what I like to call a "corner office" job). And dating? While I'm not single right now, I have never seen a man that even resembles Mr. Big-or Aidan for that matter! I like to think of them as mythical men made up of a compilation of every woman in the world's "dream man." Every woman wants either an Aidan or a Big. The thing is, most of the great men I know (including my boyfriend!) have a little of both in them...

That being said, I give the new movie two enthusiastic thumbs up as a great way to spend a couple hours with your girlfriends laughing, crying and remembering that anything is possible...

...queue "Empire State of Mind"...and yes, this song IS in the movie! :)

Back to Happy Allie...

So, seeing as my last post was kinda a downer (and also labeled "melodramatic" by certain family members) I will now (attempt) to return to previously scheduled programming, AKA funny, witty, snarky Allie posts about pop culture, ditsy PR girls and bizarre "only in NYC" observations...

For today, I will observe that NYers "jump the gun" a little when it comes to summer. Yes, today was gorgeous out (hallelujah!) but was it really short shorts weather? I mean was it really teeny-tiny flowered dress weather ladies? Especially when pasty shoulders and unpainted toenails are involved, you may want to at least wait until May to make your summer outfit debut!

I also get a good chuckle out of all the restaurants that suddenly offer "outdoor" seating when the weather turns warm. Sidewalks have never been in such high demand! I have to laugh when there are like 3 tables crammed on the sidewalk and everyone is fighting for the "patio seating."

Also related--I can't do my gosh darn laundry tonight in my building because everyone apparently had the same idea--there is still a line for a washer at nearly 10pm. Oh NY, why must you love me, hate me, and then love me again...