New York | GRRRL TRAVELER

Saying Goodbye to NYC and my ‘New Yorker’ Lifestyle

Filed under GRRR Inspirations, 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…)

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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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}

by Christine Ka’aloa

As a continuation to the NYC Survival Guide (Part I), 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 with a career-focused, time-efficient and spatially-deprived mental training which immediately sets them into that “hardcore/hard-edged” category opposite of Los Angelenos, Chicagoans and San Franciscans. As a community, however, the hard outer crust melts away as New Yorkers realize one unifying fact- they’re all in the same boat when dealing with spatial limitations. Yup, everything is surviving the space crunch of small New York apartments. As such, there is a lot of “insider trading” that goes on and here are some basic starters: (more…)

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}

by Christine Ka’aloa
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!

I am back from my stay in Hawaii… back to living in a shoebox-sized apartment in Hell’s Kitchen (N.Y.C), swallowed by a bustling, cramped and noisy city which won’t let me sleep, relax or …stretch. It’s time for summer cleaning – the seasonal re-assessing of one’s environment and what needs tossing out, in order to live one step closer to the zen of “uncluttered” existence (*additionally, my sister is visiting NYC and staying with me; hence the inspiration). Old clothes, VCR, a huge metal rack organizer, etc.. all make their way onto the landing stoop of my apartment building so that fellow neighbors can find recycled use for them.

Now breathe, Om…. S P A C E.

…charming Lower Eastside brownstones, hip Soho lofts, regal Park Avenue high-rise condos with elevators and doormen, and warehouse-sized artist studios. Walk-in closets, elegant foyers AND…a living room! People tend to have slick and glossy impressions (more…)

Shooting Reality Food Porn at the Food Network

Filed under Glam Around the World, New York by Christine Ka'aloa on February 25, 2009 at 8:23 am {no comments}

8A call time and I am over at Chelsea Marketplace at 9th Ave/16 Street to shoot a Toyota sponsored Recipe Makeover Shoot for FoodNetwork.com. Our small crew of 3 camerapersons, AP, PA and my friend and Producer, Jim G. congregate below at one of the cafes, then head up to the Food Network Kitchens to setup lights, prep, meet our talent and shoot, as Jim calls it, “Food Porn”. The host for this show is Rob Bleifer, head executive chef at the FN Kitchens for over 8 (or was it 11?) years and a surprisingly very down-to-earth guy with a mellow Chicago feel about him. He is more than compliant in lifting his arms in scarecrow so that I can mic him up to my camera each time he does a wardrobe change.

Now I didn’t know this, but the FN Kitchens is not an actual sound stage, even though its got enough wattage and stage lights to function as one. It’s an actual fully-functional kitchen where all the FN chefs (and its celebrity chefs) come to practice, test and fine tune their recipes. Think of it like a mad scientist gastronomical lab! The kitchen has 6 work stations with a small separate room on the side for the “taste testers” who are the gastro-equivalent of “the Noses” in the perfume industry. The taste testers sample the foods that the chefs make and offer suggestions to improving the flavor of the dish. (more…)

Written by Christine Ka'aloa New York

New York Times Travel Show 2009

This weekend Feb 6-8, the New York Times Travel Show is making its annual appearance at the Javitz Center, NYC. GRRRL TRAVELER will be there to take in new ideas for her blog, see her favorite travel host speakers and in general, be inspired for her next trip! If you have the time and means, check it out.