California or New York….um…California!
It’s been two days (when I originally wrote this) since my return from the big apple for my 24th birthday. I hadn’t been back to the city in ten years and wanted to see if my opinions had changed about the Yankee state. Hence, after much thought I have been reassured that California is still the best state. However, I have made a list of what makes each spot so great.
New York had:
Rothko
I was stunned, floored, when I saw the Rothko paintings at the MOMA. Call me pretentious all you want, but I love a good orange painting. My favorite color is quite unpopular, so I get jumpy to see it celebrated. After all the Marty Supreme fatigue and my anguish at their non-deserving use of orange, I was ecstatic to see it somewhere beautiful.
Central Park
Yes, we have our hiking trails in California that we are known to have; however, it’s so much nicer to have a nice park that spans so wide and has ponds, fountains, statues, and a mini castle on the inside. Central Park is such a hub of individuals hanging out. Either they are running, walking their dogs, gossipping, riding the enslaved horses pulling carriages, playing music, it’s such a great third place that is free! This last visit was so beautiful because it was blanketed in snow that turned deadly slippery.
Subways
Is the New York subway dirty? Of course. Are there people playing trumpets in the cars at 7 am? Definitely. Are there people screaming obscenities? Yeah! Despite the grime of the subways in New York, it is so much fun. I get a thrill out of realizing I’m on the wrong side of the tracks, detouring, being sandwiched between strangers. I love how the subway feels like it’s going to fly off the tracks, and someone always has a plant with them in their seat. Just give me my headphones and four stops downtown, and I’m set.
Walking!
I know sooooo typical to admire, especially as someone who is a native in the state that only drives, but walking in the city is so diva. It’s so serious. I’m clutching the high collar of my black buttoned winter coat as I walk 40 miles per hour on the busy sidewalk in Little Ukraine with wired headphones on….’scuse me???? One of my favorite moments was when I went on an emergency band-aid run to the local drug store after Noah took a tumble in the bathtub. Me at night, making my way past 30 Rock with a couple of items from the store as it snows? Vibe.
Now that I’m done glazing NY, here are the charms of California that have me in a forever chokehold:
Laguna Beach
My one true love. The beach. And not just any beach, the clearest, most blue and sea green beach full of kelp forests and fish, and plenty of tide pools to explore. I saw someone say their version of touching grass was watching the ocean sparkle, and I second that. Anytime there’s an inconvenience in my life, I’m at the Crystal Cove Shake Shack. Feeling down? Renting a board at Thalia Street. I mean, California’s entire left side is all beach, and I feel this interconnectedness across every shore along California, and maybe that is what fuels every Californian’s superiority complex–like the Avatar aliens connecting their braids to nature to see Eywa.
Sanamluang Cafe Hollywood (the best Thai restaurant ever)
I craved her so bad while in New York. I saw a lot of Thai spots in the city, and it made me think of Sanamluang. Their crispy ribs, creamy red curry, pad see ew, etc. I always go after a long day in LA, so my memories of the Cafe are lit by their warm neon lights. If my life were a movie, this would be where the midpoint scene would take place before everything came crashing down. I would take someone there I finally connected with and open up in ways I’ve never imagined, and then they’ll ruin everything. Like Silver Linings Playbook. Not that that has actually happened…yet.
OC/LA Matcha
I’m sorry, but New York matcha is not it. My matcha latte, yes, I got a cold matcha while it was snowing, was so bland and flat that I forced myself to finish it. Socal matcha is just supreme. Sorry, not sorry. It’s a better grade matcha powder, and all the drinks come out creamy with a thick blue undertone to the green, not watery and pastel. Taty’s, Airoma, and my personal favorite, MyCha, absolutely level any matcha in New York. What coffee is to New York, matcha is to California.
Bar Sinister on the Walk of Fame
One regrettable aspect of our New York trip was our lack of nightlife activities. We would wake up too early in the morning and walk all day, seeing and visiting way too many places to even have enough energy left for a nightclub. A mountain of money had already been spent during the day, and all that I wanted after dinner was to rush back to the hotel for a bath. It is a shame because I always long for the club. Hence, I thought of my baby girl, Bar Sinister. If I ever get an Oscar in this lifetime, I won’t go to the Vanity Fair after-party. No. I will walk down the street and make those goths open it on a Sunday, so I can enjoy 80’s New Wave in my favorite vampiric club.
