Living in the City - Never a dull moment # 2

Last week I wake up in the morning, and somewhere between brushing my teeth and maing coffee - I get an alert from Chase Bank - that I have just made a purchase of $338.46 in Ralph Lauren UK (!). Called Chase, they cancelled my card, I was charged, I got the money back, a week later I got a new card. 

But I keep wondering - what the hell can you buy in Ralph Lauren for $338.46? socks?

Living in the City - Never a dull moment # 1

6:00 AM. 

I'm asleep.

Or at least - I think I am. 

In my dream I hear someone yelling at somebody and a dog barking.

Wait a minute - it's not a dream! I'm awake!

My neighbor - who ownes a dog - is yelling at someone and his dog is barking:

"Go away from here! do you hear me? go away! get out of the fu@#ing building! I'm gonna call the police!".

I get up and check the peep hole.

On the floor in fromt of my neighbor's door sits an old, dirty man, holding the door knob and begging: "pls. let me in! this is my home! for christ sake!" (read in a heavy Eastern European accent).

Now I hear the Superintendant:"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the building. you are disturbing the tenants. It's trespassing." and another "I will have to call the police".

what the hell is going on here? how long does it take them to call the police? 

I called 911.

5 minutes later a huge policewoman and a small policeman arrive. They as well try to ask the homeless guy to leave. Amazing.

After 5 minutes trying to convince the homeless to get up on his feet and leave willingly (all this time he sits on the floor keep saying this is his apartment and that he had been living there since 1998!), they decide to take an action. They put on their latex gloves, pul the man up, handcuff hm and take him downstairs. In the meantime an ambulance came, and they are waiting with a strecher in the street.

Too much drama for one morning. Now I am fully awake. 

Note to myself: Next time - find an apartment in a doorman building.

Dragging the Line

Like a good Israeli, I don't like standing in line. Not that like a good Israeli I will try to go to the head of the line "just for one question!", but I will try to avoid standing in line whenever possible.
But living in NYC definately chalanges my patience.
My first experiences in the country were with the authourities - at the airport you have to wait at passport control about 10-15 minutes (and that's only for American citizens. Citizens of other countries have to wait for over 20 min!). For the security you have to wait another 15-20 min., over 4 hours (!) at the social security office (1.5 hours out of it outside in the sun!), about 2 hours at the Department of Motor Vehicles - just to get a non-drivers ID!
On the other hand - you rarely wait at the bank, at the doctor's office - if you have an appointment, or at the cell phone providors stores.
So far so good. But try going to the supermarket. At Wholefoods Market you will probably spend 10-15 min. in line, at Fairway about the same and at Trader Joe's probably 20 min. These lines reminds me the times when people had to wait in line for food in Russia. Especially when it's snowing or raining and people are standing around the block to buy some groceries.
And how about clothing stores or deparment stores? You would expect these stores - that have branches all around the city and high revenues - to be more efficient. But no. At H&M for example - you will have to stand about 10 min. for the fitting room, and then another 10-15 min. to the cashier. The same at Macy's, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and The Children's Place. Most interesting are the lines in book stores - where people are actually buying books (I'll tell you more about it in another time).
OK. Let's agree that we all have to run erands at the authorities from time to time, we all need to buy groceries and clothes. Especially when they are on sale :-)
BUT - why should one want to stand in line for a burger? or a frozen yogurt? or a cupcake? What is the justification for standing in line at the Apple store for something you can buy online? Why would people come 24 hours before the launch of Iphone 4 - just to be the first in line to get the phone?
Sorry. I don't get it...

NYC Pets

Pets in New York have life as good as their owners'. Sometimes even better.
The pet industry is huge and includes not only regular pet stores - where you can buy most everything you had in mind to your beloved pet, and the doggy-walkers or the doggy-sitters services, but also pet salons, pet spas, pet gyms and pet jewlry stores.

One of the most amusing sights in the city are people who carry their pets in branded bags like Gucci and Prada, and even more funny are the people who walk their pets in a strollers - as if they were babies. That obviously makes you wonder - where the hell they pie or poop?

The other day, I woke up in the morning, opened my window curtain, and I started to laugh at the view...

From Drop Box

Now you tell me, isn't it the most bizarre pet service they came up with? Or maybe there are even weirder services or product?