Day 35: The Visitors

Photo of the Day: View from the Eighth Floor

They're here! My first guests in New York just so happen to be my two favorite women: my sister and my mom, who are visiting me for the weekend. I worked from home today and then met my guests at the Holiday Inn in Long Island City. Though it isn't in the most beautiful part of town, it is a surprisingly comfortable hotel with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, and it is conveniently located only two blocks from the subway station.

For their first night in town, I took my visitors around Queens to my neighborhood in Elmhurst. We went out for some of my favorite boba at Tea Ren, then swung by a well-reviewed Thai joint called Chao Thai. We were suckered into buying one of the most expensive item on the menu, a steamed fish seasoned with garlic, lime, cilantro, and chilis. Fortunately it was very tasty, so it wasn't a loss but still probably not the best choice for our budgets. Afterward I got to bring my Mom and sister to my apartment, and they met my landlords while I played host with coffee and cookies. Even though my place is hardly a city attraction, I think my mother most appreciated getting to see first-hand where I live, if only for her own peace of mind, and I really liked showing her how comfortably I've settled here. From my place, we took the bus (after a frustratingly long wait at the stop) to Flushing to experience New York's newest Chinatown. Following countless recommendations, we tried the soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai and were blown away. They were so delicate and full of broth, and despite the paper-thin wrapping, they never tore or leaked. The soup dumplings are truly magnificent and delicious creations.

First day down, with only a few minor bumps along the way. After several less-than-favorable observations about the lifestyle here (too much walking, no central air conditioning, crowded, dirty, expensive housing, etc.), I've deduced that my mother is not terribly fond of New York. I've got two days to change her mind, so after a rocky start to the weekend, here's hoping that the rest of the trip goes better.

Another view from our eighth-story hotel window: the industrial remnants of Long Island City.

Mom making herself at home in our Long Island City hotel room.

First subway ride in New York! (Unfortunately, we were heading in the wrong direction at the time.)

Some very tender fish seasoned with chilis, lime, cilantro, and garlic at Chao Thai.

The famous soup dumplings from Joe's Shanghai in Flushing.

The soup dumplings were loaded with lots of yummy, soupy goodness!

Draining the dumplings of their treasured contents.

Day 34: The Book

Photo of the Day: Manifesto

Every once in a while, I find a book resonates so closely with me, that articulates a framework of thinking that somehow puts all the pieces of my mind into place, and helps me make sense of the world. They are powerful finds, and I finished reading one such book today. It's called Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists by Courtney E. Martin, released just this month. This series of profiles of young activists offers a brutally honest look at the social change movement among this sometimes overly idealistic generation. One of my favorite quotes from the book cuts right to the point:

"It turns out there is no surefire way to 'do good' in the twenty-first century. There are no pat or pure answers. There are no true heroes—and those who cast themselves in this light probably haven't thought enough about the complexities of their work or explored the terrain of their own souls with enough honesty. There are only occasional triumphs and, more often, good failures.

Good failures are what you achieve when you aim to transform an entire broken system and end up healing one broken soul."

It's a great message that, yes, you will fail, and, no, you won't change the world. But it does matter. And you should do it anyway. Martin offered a perspective that matched what I've seen and experienced in the nonprofit field—stagnation, bureaucracy, hypocrisy, inefficiency—and still manages to come to an optimistic and hopeful conclusion. I highly recommend this inspiring book to anyone remotely involved or interested in the social change movement. I'm not sure if it's in bookstores yet, but you can order it from Beacon; it's totally worth the price. The best part is the author is coming to visit our offices next month for a leadership seminar, so I will get to meet her in person!

On another note, my sister and mom fly in to visit me in New York tomorrow! I know it's only been a month since I left Houston, but it feels like forever since I've seen them. I'm so excited to host my first guests! I'm planning quite the culinary tour for them, so stay tuned for lots of food photography in the coming days.

The light was really pretty walking to the office today.

Lunch time! A chicken saltimbocca panini from Cer té, stuttfed with grilled chicken, prosciutto, mozzarella, and spinach with lemon caper aioli on a baguette.

Picking up some freshly ground coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters in the Flatiron District.

Classic marquee lights at Ace Hotel.

Day 33: The Mixer

Photo of the Day: Working the Room

I felt like such a yuppie today (but in a good way) after hobnobbing at a networking event after work hosted by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network in New York City. Held at Slate, a stylish little bar and venue in the Flatiron District, I had a wonderful time meeting like-minded people over drinks and conversation. And unlike other professional mixers, the attendees were engaged, genuine, and authentic about their excitement for their work. I only got to talk with a select few people, but everyone I met had such diverse backgrounds and were working on very different causes, but all for the public good. Due to the recent re-branding of our organization, I didn't have any business cards on hand, which made it difficult to network efficiently. But I did get some key contact information, and hopefully I'll be able to develop some valuable professional relationships from the interactions I had.

The guest speaker and co-host of the event was Rachael Chong, the president of CEO of Catchafire, a company that matches professionals with short-term, discrete projects for nonprofits. They do similar work to Taproot Foundation, but on an individual scale, and with a much more sophisticated matching system. It's actually a really interesting and admirable model, and I think our two organizations complement each other well. She was very passionate about her work, and I think I'll definitely be contacting her in the future to explore further opportunities for partnership.

The standard sign-in and nametags.

Networking with fellow nonprofit professionals at the bar at Slate.

My colleague and fellow AmeriCorps VISTA member Francesca (far right) floats through the room.

Rachael Chong, founder and CEO of Catchafire, offers insights into her unique business model.

It was raining steadily by the time I was heading home. I wish I'd brought an umbrella.

Day 32: The Chinese Candy

Photo of the Day: Moon Cake

My boss just got back from a business trip to China, and he brought back these Asian treats for us. I don't like moon cake, but I did quite enjoy the red bean candy and ate three and a half blocks of it. It's my second sugar overdose in two weeks.

After work, I attended my Tuesday small group near Bryant Park. Because I was early, I visited the New York Public Library across the street. Too bad the facade is under construction, or I'd have gotten some great exterior shots. I didn't get to see much since it was near closing time, but walking into the majestic building did imbue me a sense of calm and gravitas.

On another note,  it's my one-month anniversary of being in New York!

The Empire State Building through the library window.

Astor Hall, the entrance gallery at the New York Public Library.

Day 31: The Fall Festival

Photo of the Day: Concert at the Park

I swung by Bryant Park after work today to catch the last performance of their free Fall Festival. It was so pleasant to sit in the cool evening, flipping through brochures and materials from last week's graduate school fair, and listening to superb classical music by the world-renowned Orchestra of St. Luke's in the heart of New York City. I actually felt pretty crappy this afternoon and had a bad headache, so this was a relaxing, laid-back pick-me-up. Now that I'm back home, the family here is watching Dancing With the Stars on TV, which has everyone in an uproar. I was preparing for a mopey Monday evening alone, but it's hard when the people around you are having so much fun.

Ah, grad school. Both stressful and exciting to think about.

It was one of our program managers' last day at work, so we threw her a little office farewell party with crackers and cheese, cookies, cupcakes, and champagne.

The iconic Chrysler building at night. It's a lot smaller than I imagined it would be.

Day 30: The Birthday Party

Photo of the Day: A Bubble for the Birthday Girl

Today I attended a wild party in New York City.

More specifically, this celebration was for the three-year-old daughter of the family with whom I am living. The party was held at their home church, Indonesian Full Gospel Fellowship in Elmhurst. Although I did not attend worship service, I did get to witness the interactions and friendly banter among church members that felt quite familiar. I've frequently referenced in previous posts how certain churches here have a similar feel to counterparts in Houston; this one made me feel like I was back at the First Indonesian Baptist Church, the church I attended up until high school. While watching the youth group this afternoon, I had flashbacks to my own childhood. It has been a while since I even thought about that era of my life (it feels like such a long time ago), so I was surprised at the level of fondness these memories conjured.

The birthday party was a madhouse, as can only be expected of an event with dozens of toddlers on the guest list. The family went all out with the decorations, putting up balloons and banners and handing out party hats and favors. Oh, and the food! I hardly ever crave Indonesian cuisine, but when I do get some, I remember how wonderful it is! The homemade menu: ayam goreng mentega (fried chicken in butter sauce), daging rica-rica (spicy beef seasoned with chilis, garlic, onion, and coconut milk), mie goreng (fried noodles), sop bakso tahu (Indonesian meatball and tofu soup), siomay (steamed fish dumplings), kue lapis (steamed layered cake made with rice flour), an iced drink made with shredded melons and cucumber, and, of course, birthday cake. Afterward, the games got a little crazy with bouncy balls, hot potato, and kids hyped up on sugar.

The festivities continued privately at home, where the birthday girl ripped into her presents. It was fun to watch the pure joy in her reactions to new toys, as well as her obvious indifference to the new clothes. I can also proudly say today marks the first time this little girl has ever bothered to speak to me. Either due to shyness or fear of boys, she has never acknowledged my presence in my three weeks of sharing an apartment, but after today's fun and games, she now randomly walks into my room to introduce me to her dolls.

I visited a new church this morning, the New Life Fellowship located just down the street from my apartment. The message was taken from Mark 5:1-20. In this passage, a demon-possessed man who is healed by Jesus asks if he can follow him, but Jesus instructs the man to stay in his hometown and spread his own testimony. Likewise, we sometimes say we want to follow Christ as an excuse to leave our own uncomfortable situations or conflicts behind, but God wants us to learn and grow from them and use them as a platform to spread His love and mercy. What the pastor pointed out from this story is that deep transformation usually occurs in the mess of life, in the places of fear, discomfort, and pain.

It was a phenomenal service with dynamic speakers and a genuinely diverse congregation, but as I know from prior experience, it takes a lot of time for me to feel integrated and fully invested in larger churches. As much as I enjoyed the message, and as convenient as it would be to attend a church so nearby, I know I personally wouldn't get as much out of it this year versus the other churches I've attended, but I would recommend it to anyone in New York as a place of authentic community and solid teaching.

Waiting for the worship service to end and the birthday party to begin.

The birthday girl gets a makeover, including a blue princess dress and matching eye shadow.

Remember when you received gifts as a kid, and all you wanted was to grab and go? This photo captures that awkward moment when you realize you actually have to thank someone.

Hanging up decorations for the party.

Ah, the things a good father will do for his little girl.

The birthday girl and all the accompanying swag.

Grandma helps prepare the food.

Ayam goreng mentega, or fried chicken in butter sauce.

Daging rica-rica, a spicy beef seasoned with chilis, garlic, onion, and coconut milk.

Kue lapis, a steamed layered cake made with rice flour.

In line for mie goreng, or fried noodles, and bakso (meatball) and tofu soup.

The obligatory family photo around the birthday cake.

A small taste of how intense the games got.

This girl could haul it on the bouncy ball. So cute!

Next the dads get in on the action.

Enjoying her birthday cake.

Taking photos was impossibly hard at the birthday party because it was held in a dark, busy, and crowded basement where people kept getting in the way of my shots. So it was nice to catch the birthday girl at a quiet moment in a sunlit room upstairs. She still refused to smile for me though.

The birthday girl blowing bubbles. In the three weeks I've been here sharing the same roof, she hasn't spoken a word to me; I think either she's shy or afraid of boys. I mark the bubbles as the turning point when she actually came to acknowledge my existence.

The birthday girl and her brother play with her new paint set, a birthday gift from the party.

New Life Fellowship Church, which rents its space from the historic Elks Lodge. Hence, the giant elk in front of the doorway.

Folks wandering out after the service at New Life Fellowship.

Scenes from Queens No. 5: A deep purple flower weed sprouting out of the base of a telephone pole. It's amazing the random places you can find beauty in this world.

Day 29: The Recon

Photo of the Day: Space Age Icons

Right before I moved to New York, I dropped a fair chunk of money on some athletic gear, including a new pair of $100 Brooks running shoes, Nike compression shorts, and moisture-wicking t-shirts. The plan was to incorporate jogging into my routine, but of course, that hasn't happened. I didn't anticipate being so exhausted everyday from walking all the time! I do want to start exercising eventually though, so because the weather is beautiful this weekend, I did some reconnaissance for potential training grounds and trekked out to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which is only a 10-minute bus ride away. At 1,255 acres, the park is enormous, and it was one of the first things I noticed when I looked at a map of the area. Strangely enough, no one has ever recommended it to me as a place to visit, and my landlord's son said he's never been in his 11 years of living here.

I decided to go anyway and was very pleasantly surprised by the wide, well-kept green expanses. Even with the fallen trees and debris littering the ground from this past week's tornadoes, it was indeed a lovely place. Flushing Meadows Corona Park was the site of both the 1939-40 New York World's Fair (the largest world's fair of all time) and the 1964-65 New York World's Fair (through which Belgian waffles were first introduced to the United States). Perhaps more relevant to modern audiences, multiple landmarks from park figured prominently into the plot of Men in Black (the New York State Pavilion's observatory towers turned out to be alien spacecraft, and it was crashed over the Unisphere), and it was the site of the lavish if fictional Stark Expo 2010 in Iron Man 2 (Director Jon Favreau grew up in Queens).

In real life, the park is home to several iconic buildings and sculptures, including the aforementioned Unisphere, one of the largest globes ever made, and the now defunct but still photogenic New York State Pavilion. The New York Mets play at the nearby Citi Field, and the U.S. Open was held at the park's USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Also on-site are the New York Hall of Science, Queens Museum of Art, Queens Zoo, and a number of magnificent public art pieces. I didn't actually visit or enter any of these famous landmarks; what I saw was mostly people: dozens of soccer teams, skater punks performing tricks on their skateboards, kids playing tag, picnickers and grillmasters, and even a group of radio-controlled motor drag racers. The population using the park was overwhelmingly Hispanic, and Latin tunes filled the air, whether blared from a boombox or performed impromptu from the sidelines by sports fans (who apparently enjoy bringing maracas and drums to games).

As I left the park, I spied a long line outside a nearby Italian ice stand called The Lemon Ice King of Corona. I had just finished reading reviews this afternoon about things to do in Queens, and this place came highly recommended, so I was very pleased to randomly run into it on my way to the bus stop. They use real fruit chunks and have dozens of flavors. The frozen treat was delicious and may prove my downfall if I have to walk by every time I finish working out.

Before I went home I swung by the Queens Center Mall to pick up a birthday gift for a party I am attending tomorrow. Despite living literally seven blocks away, I'd never visited before and was stunned at the size and offerings at this shopping megaplex. It measures 966,499 square feet with more than 150 stores, and it is apparently one of the most profitable malls in the nation. It's nice to know there's an enormous mall within walking distance if I ever need to get out of the house for a while.

Pretty sunlit benches at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.

The sun sets behind the flags at Universe Court.

Gnarly tree roots.

"Rocket Thrower," a sculpture created for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.

The iconic Unisphere, a well-known symbol of Queens, created as a centerpiece for the created for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.

The Unisphere at sunset. With its Space Age theme, you can see why this park would be such a great venue for Iron Man 2's Stark Expo 2010.

The United States of America on the Unisphere.

The now defunct and dilapidated New York State Pavilion, originally built for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. The observation towers turned into alien spacecraft in the movie Men in Black.

Airplanes fly over all the time because of the proximity to LaGuardia Airport.

Now in decay, the New York State Pavilion was a glowing architectural achievement when first built and housed art from now-famous up-and-coming young artists.

I usually don't do black and white shots, but this building lent itself particularly well to monochrome photgraphy.

The details just look better in black and white.

A quaint little gazebo at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

I had just finished reading about this place online, and lo and behold, I ran into it completely by accident on my way to the bus stop!

My delicious strawberry-banana Italian Ice from The Lemon Ice King of Corona.

The massive Queens Center Mall.

My second cooking endeavor was another scrumptious success! On the menu: bacon-wrapped chicken breast stuffed with pesto, spinach, red peppers, green onion, and Italian cheeses. I was trying to use up all the ingredients from last week's tuna quesadillas, hehe.