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| STEPHANIE TRACY |
Today I’m back for another interview. Thanks, Tracy, for agreeing to do these Q & A sessions. As you know, I find New York to be fascinating, as well as the people living in it. So, let’s chat again. Me, in my house in Digby, Nova Scotia. You, in your apartment on the Upper West Side of New York City.
Steph: Do you consider yourself to be always on time? Even in casual situations I would think that living in such a fast-paced city, timing is everything. Are you constantly looking at your watch?
Tracy: Haha..funny that you should ask this question. I like to be on time, but I find it harder to be punctual in New York City than in other places I’ve lived. Here’s why.
There are so many variables here, so leaving early doesn’t mean that I’ll arrive early or even on time. For instance, living on a higher floor requires riding the elevator, which can sometimes take five minutes since we have one elevator in our pre-war building. When riding the subway, trains get delayed or stuck underground due to train traffic. When the subway is packed, the doors won’t close, so there’s another delay. (Three tries to get the doors to close isn’t unheard of, since so many people ride the train.) When riding in Via or a taxi, sometimes vehicle traffic is heavy or stopped altogether.
Buses rarely get stuck in traffic, but they do run late, so I’ve waited as much as 15 or 20 minutes for a crosstown bus. Then usually, two or three buses show up at once. So, as you can see, getting somewhere on time can be harder in New York, than say, in smaller cities.
I aim to arrive no more than 15 minutes late, which I think is within tolerance for most people. And, I’m always looking at my watch or phone. I need to know what time it is, because you are right –– timing in NYC is everything. A New York minute can make or break an opportunity.
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| Miss the bus? Grab a cab. In NYC, timing is everything. |
Steph: What is a typical Monday like for you? I envy you for many reasons, and one is that you work from home. You get to set your own schedule and take breaks whenever you want –– to go for a walk or just to watch a TV show.
Tracy: If I haven’t worked much the past weekend, Monday is a crazy day. I do my best to get Monday’s blog post ready over the weekend, but sometimes I’m busy with other things (like life!), blog maintenance (which takes a ton of time), or other writing. So, if I don’t have Monday’s post ready to go, that’s the most important item on the list. From there, I queue posts for the rest of the week as well as return any pertinent emails that I haven’t had time for, and then, jump on social media too. Most days are the same (work, work, work!), but the beginning of the week is more hectic.
Since I’m not an early riser, I usually start working around 10, sometimes a little sooner. I don’t ever turn on the television. I don’t even play music during the day. I like quiet and find that I’m more productive in silence. I nibble during the day as I get hungry, and between 4 and 5 p.m., I take Bogey for his walk. We go to either Riverside Park or Central Park. Then I return to work until about 7 or 8 p.m.
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| Tracy and Bogey go to Central Park or Riverside Park in the late afternoon. |
Mike and I usually eat a late dinner. Then around 10 or 11, I get back on my laptop and hammer out a few more things, usually admin or maintenance, or emails. Lauren and I correspond late at night a lot because that’s the quietest time of the day! Blogging isn’t as glamorous as it sounds.
Tracy: Having the opportunity to correspond with people from all over the world is incredibly rewarding to me. I never dreamed that my blog would become international, but it has. I love connecting with readers from South Africa, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Indonesia, and the list goes on! I have a big audience in the US too. I find it amazing that a website can become a vehicle to bring so many different people and cultures together. Spreading the New York City love, informing through insight, humor, opinions, and tips, and sharing my adventures with others is the biggest reward I can think of. 🙂
Steph: What are you most looking forward to this summer?
Tracy: I am traveling a bit this summer, so I will not be in the city for the whole three months. I am still planning my trip, but the way it looks now, I will be in Europe for much of July. I am attending TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) in Stockholm, and then I will be traveling around from there.
If any blog followers would like to meet up, please reach out. I’m not sure of my schedule yet, and I believe it will be tight as I’ll be moving around. But right now, I will be in Stockholm and Paris, and maybe Copenhagen, Berlin, and other cities in Germany, as well as Zurich and parts of Switzerland, Italy, perhaps Provence, and maybe (a big maybe) Barcelona. I am not sure about London. I may not get there this trip. I’m still finalizing plans, so stay tuned.
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| Tracy will be spending some time in Europe this summer. |
I should be in NYC during most, if not all of June and August, though. I love the summers because they’re quieter than the rest of the year, and I also like the warmth. So many people leave the city during summer, and even though tourists are more likely to visit NYC in warmer weather, public transit is not as busy, and securing a table at your favorite restaurant is a snap.
The only main event I have on the books is the NY Philharmonic concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park. This summer’s date is June 17. I look forward to it every year! I missed it last year because I was out of town, so I’m praying for a dry day, so the concert doesn’t get canceled.
Mike walks to the park first thing in the morning and puts down a blanket close to the stage. Other people do the same. Unbelievably, no one takes your blanket! Then we carry our picnic dinner and climb over about 10,000 New Yorkers to get to our blanket that’s about 50 or 100 feet from where the Philharmonic will perform. The sun goes down, and everyone sips wine and eats dinner while the orchestra plays. The evening’s finale includes fireworks, and sometimes the entire audience sings “New York, New York.” It’s an amazing New York experience and quite romantic!
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| Thousands gather on the Great Lawn every summer to hear the New York Philharmonic. |
Steph: From your Upper West Side apartment what is the view like? Can you see Central Park?
Tracy: I wish I had a view! I can see the apartment building across the street and a little bit of West End Avenue, but I am about a 10-minute walk from the park, and not high enough to see it anyhow. (I live on the eighth floor.)
My friends Heather and Gary live on the 12th floor one block west of Central Park, so they can see some of the park. They also have terrific city views. The photo below was shot one avenue from Central Park. As you can see, the park is a tiny sliver way in the distance.
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| From 85th and Columbus, Central Park is still only a tiny sliver. {photo by Gary Moran} |
To have a decent view of the Central Park, you need to live on the park, really, and that means you need an apartment on Central Park South (59th Street), Central Park West, Central Park North (110th Street) or Fifth Avenue. All of these streets are very expensive.
Maybe my next apartment will have a view. I can dream…. regular daydreaming is what got me to New York in the first place, so it certainly can’t hurt. But until then, I’m happy to be here, with or without a view.
It’s always fun talking with you. I just wanted to say that Tracy’s New York Life is like an escape for me, seeing where I live in such a small town. I enjoy sitting at my computer with my coffee, reading and daydreaming of life in your amazing city. Thanks for sharing your stories!
Have a question for Tracy? Send an email to tracysnewyorklife at gmail dot com.
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