Life in the Apple

It seems the New York lifestyle has swallowed me whole, because even though I have technically been here for more than two weeks, I haven't yet had the chance to properly report on my goings-on.

Upper East. For the past 10 days I've been a real uptown girl, mingling with the rich and the beautiful in Manhattan's Upper East Side while staying with my aunt in an 87th street apartment. I've found the not-so-rich and the reasonably pretty more appealing, though, and preferred the beaming smile doorman Jose greeted me with every night to the snobbish sneer of the locals, who seem to be daily customers of the countless nail and hair studios on 1st avenue.

On the other hand, the proximity of the Park, good friends, evening walks along festively lit Fifth and Park Avenues and great restaurants made it worth every minute.

High Society. New Years Eve was spent sipping champaign and nibbling on caviar at the University Club's black tie New Year's party ... it was a first for me, but luckily the people I was with didn't take themselves half as seriously as the platinum-blonde face-lifted crowd. We had fun and enjoyed pretending to be real big spenders for a night.

Interesting encounters. I started work on January 2nd, and so far it has been rather uneventful. However, I did get to accompany the director to a meeting with a New York billionaire who owns several buildings in Gramercy Park and among other things has a giant pillar-shaped crystal chandelier hanging in the staircase of his five-story townhouse. During the meeting he had a quick chat on the phone with Senator Leahy whom he asked a quick fundraising question... His story is American Dream de luxe: He came to the States as the son of poor German immigrants after WWII and, after working as a psychiatrist for a decade, made a fortune in the metal trading business. Today, he owns an island in the Virgin Islands. Charmed life?

The Cat Place. Yesterday I left Manhattan to start my catsitting stint in Brooklyn Heights. My feline room mates are rather quiet and a bit odd (Biggins will only let you pat his head, and Mistopheles drinks from the tap in the bathtub), and I have to get used to the smell of cat food, but so far they are still alive and well. Lets hope it goes on that way, because I am really not the world's best pet sitter!
The place is great, a quiet duplex in a great area with a cute kitchen, room for visitors, a computer, TV and a nice DVD collection. The neighborhood reminds me of London - quiet streets, beautiful brick townhouses, fun little bars and cafes, and a breathtaking view of the skyline from the Esplanade. I can't find my data cable, so here are some photos I nicked from the internet that look a lot like what I saw today.

Manhattan skyline from the Esplanade

Quiet streets

Breathtaking views on to the water

This is getting way too long, so just a few past and future highlights to top it off:

• Catholic Underground: Ever seen monks in grey skateboarding, rapping, playing the saxophone and sending 500+ people into fits of roaring laughter? They are real, and they run a really fun youth event every first Saturday of the month. You won't believe it unless you've seen it. Yesterday, they also screened an amazing movie called Bella. A must-see that won the people's choice award at the Toronto Film Festival 2006!
• Pre-birthday brunch at Cafe Sabarsky with real Viennes hot chocolate this morning with my few NY friends, followed by a stroll through the Gallery to take in some Klimt and Schiele.
• Visits from three of my VIPs: Both Amy and dad are coming for a week at the end of January, and it looks like Pia will be spending an entire month here in February!! Can't wait.
• A surprise tonight ... have no idea what it is, but I have to be at Union Square at 6.15.