Religion, East Village style
I got a haircut on Friday, unusually late in the evening. As I walked to the salon on East 11th Street, I couldn’t help noticing the gleaming pink cross jutting out from the building opposite. I thought it must be a nightclub, making an ironic comment on religiosity and sin, but no – it was … Read more
New York’s second storm
It was my neighbour who warned me about the storm this time, a young mother from the Dominican Republic. “I’m just back from the supermarket,” she said, as the taxi driver carried in bags. “The lines were an hour-and-a-half long. People are panicking.” The next day (Friday) when I took a subway into town, the … Read more
New York, losing its cool
A few years ago (or maybe more) when scientific reports about global warming filtered into the mainstream, I recall feeling immensely anxious. The predictions were apocalyptic, and it was hard not to worry about what lay in the future for the human race. Luckily, climate change ceased to be new or “news” and the reports … Read more
Occupy Wall Street, Weds eve after midnight
On Wednesday sometime very early in the morning police evicted the Occupy Wall Street group from Zuccotti Park. At around 10.30pm that evening I happened to be in the area and stopped by. The tents were gone but lots of people were there and the atmosphere was charged. I went home to get my camera, … Read more
Coming back and maybe coming home
Since I’ve returned to New York, I haven’t had time to post. This surprised me, but let me tell you why: New York is hard. I had thought that I’d return from my protracted stay in Dublin all relaxed and refreshed — which I did. But I had forgotten that New York likes to flay … Read more
Summer in Ireland
It’s been a long, slow summer, so long and slow that I feel as though I’ve slipped from view (from a digital perspective, my inactivity means that I have). Earlier this year I debated intensely with myself whether to stay in New York or not, and I reached a compromise: I would stay one year … Read more
#8, #9 & #10: New York
Okay okay — I’ve been remiss. Writing this from Ireland now, I have my last three “best things” about New York: 8. We all know that the US is a crazy place and New York is no exception. On the one hand you have police reprimanding a woman for sporting a short skirt while cycling, … Read more
#7: The sun, the sun!
This may seem obvious, but the sun, and the gorgeously warm summers, are one of the best things about NYC — and, of course, other parts of the US. Basically, in the summer it is hot, and this makes New York utterly different from the country in which I grew up. Ireland is famous for … Read more
#6: Astoria — it’s all Greek …
I was 17 when someone first used this phrase on me, sitting in the gym of our school along with four other girls, about to start the ancient Greek Leaving Certificate exam. The grey-haired moustachioed man who was supervising our endeavours sauntered up and made the joke — “It’s all Greek to me! Hahahaha.” But … Read more
#5: There’s always somebody more paranoid than you
I crib this slightly from the Village Voice, but it’s true. As I write, we are eight hours and sixteen minutes into the Rapture — an international event (occurring at different times across the time zones) but one that has been heavily advertised in New York. Indeed, when I made my way out this evening, … Read more
