New York | GRRRL TRAVELER

12 Commandments of The New Yorker’s Bible

Filed under New York by Christine Ka'aloa on December 23, 2009 at 1:48 pm {no comments}

: What’s in the New Yorker’s Bible?

As with all cities, there is a community camaraderie and shared understanding which governs the NYC M.O. Here are some of them:

1- You are expected to push and fight for EVERYTHING (a place in line, your way at customer service, the subway, career opportunities…)

2- Never walk around something if you can push you way through it.

3- There is never enough time in the day to do all that you want, but still you try.

4- Sleeping in on the weekends is nothing to congratulate yourself for or admit to.

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Saying Goodbye to NYC and my ‘New Yorker’ Lifestyle

Filed under Inspiration, New York by Christine Ka'aloa on December 23, 2009 at 12:27 pm {6 comments}

After several trips to Salvation Army, FedEx, USPS and a shout-out to friends for household give-aways I’m down to my last box. Today I’m saying my goodbyes to life in the Big Apple. How do I feel about finally leaving my city racetrack lifestyle?

Packer’s Remorse: The Art of Moving on and Letting Go

Moving is not a fresh theme to me; but while I am practiced in “The Art of Moving On”, my current move reminds me that I’ve still not mastered “The Art of Letting Go”. When packing for work or travel, my primary goal is whittling my packing list to fit a temporary lifestyle, which will sustain my daily travel needs. This is easy. Packing for a permanent move however, poses a greater challenge. A ratty pair of running shoes, a water-warped stack of old birthday cards, books and gift trinkets – EVERYTHING that’s (more…)

NY Fashion Week ’09: Shooting your cruel GREEN fashion.

Filed under Glam Around the World, New York by Christine Ka'aloa on September 29, 2009 at 12:04 am {no comments}

Designers, fashionistas, models, wannabes … and me.

Sometimes finding your GRRR in traveling simply requires finding the energy and means to attend some of the more highly-publicized (and velvet-roped) events in your city. The second GRRR is finding a worthy cause, personal belief or positive inspiration to make it meaningful for you. Thanks to my good friend, Josh, animal-loving rogue host of The Discerning Brute (DBTV) (& taxi cab TV’s Fashion’s Night Out for Lord & Taylor VJ host), I got to lay my lens on the NYC Fashion Week’s Green Shows- to cover the hip new “green labels” hitting fashion runways.

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How to Tourist your City (Pt I of II)

Filed under New York, Yoga & Spiritual Retreats by Christine Ka'aloa on August 31, 2009 at 7:00 am {no comments}

by Christine Ka’aloa

Your life is on autopilot and it’s as if you’ve chosen the most boring episode of your life’s favorite show and put it on re-run. Predictable, tired, spark-less, flat – your relationship with your city drowns under the depression of monochromatic daily routines. How many of you know how this feels, say Amen….

Even in New York- despite the fast-paced city and nightlife- I occasionally experience the lifestyle boredom of people in say, a small town in Ohio. Everyday, I take the same subway to and from the same stops, walk the same grid system of streets en-route to my same apartment, exercise my same workout routine at the same gym, etc… Despite the attempts to revive my city life with a concert here, an art opening there,…sometimes, the love affair with my city feels like it’s definitely over. Hey, its a fact we all experience the doldrums periodically and its also a fact that if you’re like me, you could potentially die from it, albeit slowly. The tricky part, however, is getting that LIFE control Repeat button unstuck!
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Canoe race on the Hudson River waves a paddle to the Statue of Liberty

Filed under Hawaii, New York by Christine Ka'aloa on August 14, 2009 at 9:31 am {2 comments}

Click here for popout Picasa slideshow

Canoe paddling is not a sport that naturally comes to mind when you think of New York City or the East Coast, …but think again. Each summer, east coast canoe clubs make their way out to the Big Apple for the New York Liberty Race to represent their coastal state in a race which starts from DUMBO, Brooklyn and rounds the Statue of Liberty. Fifteen outrigger clubs came out to participant in the event this year- teams from New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Canada, Boston and Florida, with five teams to represent Hawaii . Who knew the Pacific Island sport could find lifestyle pasttime on the east coast?

With my sports star sister in town with some of her Hawaii outrigger friends, I was there to take in the race events for my second year. (more…)

10 Ways to Survive the Space Crunch of New York

Filed under New York by Christine Ka'aloa on August 6, 2009 at 7:21 pm {one comment}

Here are 10 Insider tips and tricks which will help anyone moving or already moved to NYC, survive the compact and harried lifestyle of the Big Bad Apple.

Looking back to when I first moved into the city 8 years ago, I realize that nothing could have adequately prepared me for the New York City mentality and lifestyle. New Yorkers are a unique breed of urban warriors and survivalists…

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Big dreams in New York City meet with small spaces. (NYC Survival Guide: I)

Filed under New York by Christine Ka'aloa on August 2, 2009 at 2:00 am {no comments}

NYC Survival Guide (Pt I): Big dreams in New York City meets with small spaces. A New York resident’s reason for living in the city, surviving the small apartment lifestyle and the trade-off that makes it all worth it!

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I Want to be a Bollywood Extra!

Filed under EPISODES, Glam Around the World by Christine Ka'aloa on April 28, 2009 at 1:30 pm {3 comments}

An inside peek on what it’s like to be a Bollywood extra: My Bollywood addiction started about 3 years ago. For me, nothing can rival the beauty and grandeur of Bollywood films- upbeat song and dance numbers,…

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Review:”Bollywood Heats up at the Basement Bhangra in NYC”

Filed under Cool/Veg Restaurants & Bars, New York by Christine Ka'aloa on March 9, 2009 at 11:29 am {no comments}

Review: Basement Bhangra at S.O.B’s in New York City. Any Punjabis in the house?”…. An ocean of hands go up, but not because the entire crowd here is Punjabi but because tonight I’m at Basement Bhangra, a Bollywood disco event held the first Thursday of every month at SOB’s located North of Houston.