A bad week for elevators...

I constantly find myself defending the safety and security of New York to all of my friends and family.  Fortunately, I have never been scared or uneasy about anything here (maybe with the exception of the first time I drove through the Bronx alone).  As a matter of fact, I recently saw a statistic listing NYC as one of the top 10 safest cities in the country.  When I initially moved here, people from home warned me about all sorts of danger I may find myself in.  What they failed to mention was the attack of an elevator.

It really is no laughing matter that just last week, a woman was crushed and killed while boarding an elevator just a few blocks from my house.  Apparently the building was very old, and the elevators were off balance causing this fatal malfunction.  Since that time, I have been literally jumping on and off the elevator in my building with all of my limbs tucked nicely into my body, as if I was about to cannonball into a swimming pool.

Additionally, this past weekend, there was an elevator situation in Brooklyn.  As a 75 year old woman was coming back from the grocery store, she was about to step off the elevator onto the floor of her apartment when a 40 something year old man doused her with a flammable liquid and lit her on fire.  Apparently, he had done some maintenance around her apartment and she neglected to pay him (she claimed he was stealing from her).  Horrifying.

Both of these instances are obviously tragic, and my heart goes out to the families involved.  I am very lucky to work in a modern building, and live in a great part of town in an apartment that is maintained by the property management company and offers 24 hour doorman service.  They have been very good to us.  I'm not sure if I mentioned that we recently painted and bought furniture for the living room, and they were incredibly helpful throughout that process.  I continue to be grateful for my safety, security and peace of mind while living here.

Christmas in New York

New York is known for many things this time of year.  The 74' tall Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, ice skating rinks all around the city, window displays in shops all along Fifth Avenue....tourists EVERYWHERE.  Even the subway performers have stepped up their game lately.  Now they bring their entire family (babies included) with them, and typically it is the father who is doing the serenading and the mother/child combo collecting the money.  This child may be strapped to the mother's body.  If they are able to walk, they are also able to give you the most heart wrenching look that prompts you to hand them all the cash in your pocket.  Gets me every time.

Shopping here really stresses me out.  It takes such effort to get anywhere, and you can't ever get everything you need in one place.  I have ordered everything I can possibly think of online, but there are still items I have to physically go pick out.  So I have decided to split up my sprees into random week nights, when the chance of crowds is at its lowest.  Additionally, I have figured out how to go into a department store....Bloomingdales, for instance...and not be harassed by sales people.  You go right after the gym, without showering, in the same sweaty clothes you just lunged in for an hour.  They won't come within five feet of you, so you are guaranteed a pleasant browsing experience.  Works every time.

A few things to look forward to over the next several weeks include a.  Santa Con (this coming weekend, thousands of Santas will be scattered about the city acting like complete fools)  b.  ugly Christmas sweater party in New Jersey  c.  more Christmas shopping  and d.  going home again.