it's a magical world

Sat down with the intention of continuing my overhaul of the Steve/Bucky fic, wound up spending four hours working on Yuletide instead. Which was unexpected, but certainly not a bad thing! It is about time to start thinking about that one, anyway. So now I have a solid outline, about 600 words written, and some...other stuff. I'm a little worried that I'm not gonna be delivering precisely what my recipient wanted, but at least I'm enjoying myself. (I offered to write any characters in the [very small] fandom; predictably, the request detail was slash between two characters I don't ship. So I'm sticking to heavy subtext and hoping that will satisfy. But mimicking the style of the canon is a LOT of fun.)

Meanwhile, time to start working on the December meme backlog.

azewewish asked: Talk to me about New York - your favorite neighborhoods, your favorite bodegas, your favorite little out of the way places and what makes it so special to you.

Oh, NYC, what is it about you? It's difficult for me to be objective about this place because it's my hometown. Despite the fact that I left for almost ten years with absolutely no intention of moving back, but we know how that story ended, so here I am again.

I grew up in Greenwich Village, and that will likely always be my favorite neighborhood. It's just a bit funky and weird, and the streets totally stop making sense (that's the part of lower Manhattan where the grid kind of throws up its hands in defeat), but it's all brownstones and narrow tree-lined streets that become cobblestoned as you get further west, and little indie shops and restaurants and gay bars, and it makes me really happy. If you like showtunes, check out Marie's Crisis, the very queer Broadway-themed piano bar where everybody sings along (and everyone knows all the damn words to La Vie Boheme and One Day More and Suddenly Seymour); it's more fun on weeknights, when it's less packed. I also have a fondness for Stonewall, partly because of the history and partly because it's one of the genuinely inclusive LGBTQ bars (as opposed to most NYC gay bars, which are like 95% gay men and bachelorette parties, and very few lesbians). And, yeah, whatever, I still love the cupcakes at the original Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street the best.

But I also think everyone should really explore the city, because it's so big and diverse and has something for everyone, if you look. So many tourists only ever see Times Square/Midtown/maybe the Statue of Liberty and then complain about how crowded and dirty and ugly the city is; yes, because THOSE ARE THE CROWDED AND DIRTY AND UGLY PARTS that all resident New Yorkers avoid like the plague. Do take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry; it's totally free and gives you great views of the harbor and Statue of Liberty; there's also a ferry to Governor's Island, which is a great picnic spot in the summer. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, it's very pedestrian friendly and there are fun neighborhoods on both ends; plus a great little park under the bridge on the Brooklyn side. Manhattan's Chinatown is okay, but there are way better Chinatowns out in Brooklyn (around Sunset Park/Bay Ridge; cheapest and most delicious dim sum) and Queens (Flushing, where there are ALL THE DUMPLINGS). Right now I live up in Washington Heights, near the George Washington Bridge; visit the little red lighthouse under the bridge, it's adorable, or wander around Fort Tryon Park and check out the Cloisters for gorgeous medieval art. Astoria, the most easily accessible neighborhood in Queens, is a great place to live and hang out if you're in your twenties or thirties -- tons of restaurants and bars. On the touristy end of the spectrum, yes, I genuinely love Central Park, especially the boat pond and Belvedere Castle and the Ramble; while you never quite forget you're in the middle of a city, you can definitely ignore it for a while. Also, the one tourist trap I will willingly shell out cash for is the Circle Line boat tour, which does a full circuit of Manhattan island and delves into some fascinating history.

My favorite little spot is the South Cove down in Battery Park, which is lit only by blue lanterns at night. I like sitting by the water there late at night when there's almost no one else around -- it's very pretty and peaceful.

I know NYC isn't for everyone -- it's very fast-paced and busy and yes, the cost of living is appalling -- but I thrive on that constant thrum of energy. I love that it's the city that never sleeps, that the subway runs 24/7, that there's always a bodega open somewhere nearby. I love that you don't need (and certainly don't WANT) a car to get around. I love that it's big and diverse enough that whoever you are, whatever you're looking for, you can find your niche here and thrive in it (if you're willing to put a little effort into looking). And it's home.

GUYS. Symphony Space in NYC is doing several film screenings of the National Theater production of Frankenstein later this year. You know, the one where the two rival modern Sherlocks alternate roles as Dr. Frankenstein and the Creature. I never had the chance to see it live (obviously, not being in London) or at any other screening of it, so I definitely need to see this with both versions of the cast. Jonny Lee Miller! Benedict Cumberbatch! Frankenstein! I'm likely gonna aim for both November showings. If anyone's interested in meeting up, let me know! Or just go for it on your own time. Consider this your friendly neighborhood PSA. :)

So...I'm moving out in two weeks. \o/ \o/ \o/ Found a room in a lovely, chill, friendly apartment up in Washington Heights. The bedroom's significantly bigger than my current one, the apartment is eclectic in my sort of way, it's a little shabby and lived-in, but definitely clean without being sterile, thank fucking god. And one of the roommates has a completely adorable and hypoallergenic puppy! I've never lived with a dog before, so I was a bit wary when I saw the craigslist ad, but the puppy kinda won me over instantly. And he's not MY puppy, so it's not like I'm gonna have to walk him or anything, and I can always close my bedroom door.

It figured that when I'm on a tight deadline for moving, I can only find shit for weeks and wind up settling for the least-bad situation, but when I'm allowing myself as much time as I need and am only willing to move if I find the right place, I find it in a matter of days. Go figure. But seriously, the instant I walked into this place and met the roommates, it felt right. Which has happened to me before -- my apartment of almost 3 years in Arlington, I knew right away, and it was awesome; and the second round of roommate search at the end of my stay there, after seeing seven potential roommies who all seemed more or less okay, the eighth girl walked in and I knew immediately that she was the right one. Both of those gut feelings were totally accurate. Here's hoping the trend continues.

Now I just need to figure out how to tell the current roommate that this is my two weeks' notice. UGH I just don't want to have to deal with her at all. If she gets really pissy, I fully intend to pack a suitcase and live on my parents' couch again for the next two weeks, and just come back with a van for my stuff at the end of the month. Not that I honestly think it'll come to that, but I am prepared.

Shit, I totally lost track of fandoms there -- The Hobbit comes out this week! And...I have no particularly fannish friends in NYC to see it with yet. Which is weird, because this being my hometown, I actually do have sufficient friends here -- but while many of them are geeky, none of them are first-midnight-showing-of-The-Hobbit geeky, as far as I know. So, um. Any New Yorkers out there want to meet up for a midnight showing? Or some other time opening weekend, it's cool, I don't need to do the midnight thing for this one. I am very friendly and good for geeking out at midnight showings with -- fannish friends from DC and Chicago can attest to this. :D? :D?