Wednesday
Aug152007
New York Life - Day 1 - Homeless, but on TV!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007 at 18:04
Last September, I decided that, after 12 years (including college), it was time to move to New York City. I wanted to jump into the comedic and publishing big leagues, and part of me feels that you're not really living unless you spend every day under threat of a dirty bomb explosion. I'll be blogging regularly about my life as an NYC resident starting... now.
Day 1.
I woke up in Somerville, Mass. with a parting gift from the city which perfectly matched the occasion of my departure for Manhattan: a $50 parking ticket for parking on the wrong side of the street. You got me, Somerville. That's a good one! Now say goodbye to my excise taxes.
Although I have movers scheduled for a Monday delivery, my plan for this day was to drive down with a car full of essential or fragile items, sign the lease, do a shoot for a new Comedy Central show some friends are making and chill. Packed in my rarely-used 1991 Isuzu Trooper (I know it's an Earth-destroying menace, but it was a family gift, gets less than 5,000 miles of use per year and is good at hauling crap including other cars) was my Tivo, television, toilet paper and other valuables.
I stopped at Carberry's for an egg croissant and hit the road. Ten minutes before arriving at my NYC apartment, I got the following text from my agent: "bad news. they haven't finished the floors. I'm outside. going to call the landlord."
Indeed the floors were not finished. No appliances either. And I had a car full of valuable crap I could not leave on the street. I put my car in a garage, made some calls to friends for emergency housing and skipped down to the Lower East Side to play a small part in my friend's show (Dean Obeidallah & Negin Farsad) on Comedy Central called The Watchlist. That changed my whole mood. I played "Hip Hop Guy" and had one short but very funny line. I was even directed by Jim Biederman (Kids in the Hall, Whitest Kids U Know, and others)
I spent most of the afternoon at Cake Shop, a record store/coffee shop/high bandwidth, free wifi joint on the Lower East Side, then had dinner up in the new hood in Inwood. La Nueva Espana. Good food, slooooooow service. Whoever says everything is snappy in NYC is a filthy liar.
I checked on my car and told the garage to hold it for a few days, dug out some underwear and headed for my friend's place. There you have it. Day 1. Slightly homeless, but I'm gonna be on TV. I think I'm gonna like this place.
Day 1.
I woke up in Somerville, Mass. with a parting gift from the city which perfectly matched the occasion of my departure for Manhattan: a $50 parking ticket for parking on the wrong side of the street. You got me, Somerville. That's a good one! Now say goodbye to my excise taxes.
Although I have movers scheduled for a Monday delivery, my plan for this day was to drive down with a car full of essential or fragile items, sign the lease, do a shoot for a new Comedy Central show some friends are making and chill. Packed in my rarely-used 1991 Isuzu Trooper (I know it's an Earth-destroying menace, but it was a family gift, gets less than 5,000 miles of use per year and is good at hauling crap including other cars) was my Tivo, television, toilet paper and other valuables.
I stopped at Carberry's for an egg croissant and hit the road. Ten minutes before arriving at my NYC apartment, I got the following text from my agent: "bad news. they haven't finished the floors. I'm outside. going to call the landlord."
Indeed the floors were not finished. No appliances either. And I had a car full of valuable crap I could not leave on the street. I put my car in a garage, made some calls to friends for emergency housing and skipped down to the Lower East Side to play a small part in my friend's show (Dean Obeidallah & Negin Farsad) on Comedy Central called The Watchlist. That changed my whole mood. I played "Hip Hop Guy" and had one short but very funny line. I was even directed by Jim Biederman (Kids in the Hall, Whitest Kids U Know, and others)
I spent most of the afternoon at Cake Shop, a record store/coffee shop/high bandwidth, free wifi joint on the Lower East Side, then had dinner up in the new hood in Inwood. La Nueva Espana. Good food, slooooooow service. Whoever says everything is snappy in NYC is a filthy liar.
I checked on my car and told the garage to hold it for a few days, dug out some underwear and headed for my friend's place. There you have it. Day 1. Slightly homeless, but I'm gonna be on TV. I think I'm gonna like this place.
Reader Comments (3)
Taking chances. Making big changes.
It seems to be a running theme right now for a lot of people. While this makes for a good story and will be laughed about years from now right now I'm sure it sucks. I look forward to the happier times.
Welcome to New York!
What the f@ck are you lookin' at?
Whilst I have never heard of you and only stumbled across your blog after googling 'New York life' ( i am facinated by New York but have never been, one day I will take my wife for a romantic trip ....anyway, I digress)I gather you are a comedian and actor? My point is that I find your move to New York very interesting and will be keeping an eye on your progress. Good luck