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Melanie Van Orden,
Jet Set Now Editor
Jul
20
Where Did the Time Go | An Update On Our Travels
Jul 20, 2008 by Jason Van Orden
Gasp! It’s been a couple months since either of us has posted to the blog here. I guess we’re still learning how to manage our freedom, ambitions and other demands on our time. When last we posted, we had just returned to NYC for our favorite time of year — spring.
Here’s a quick update on our travels since.
May 2008 - Harlem
It was interesting being on the other side of the sublet agreement. In the past when we’ve gone to AK for the summer, we’ve always been able to quickly find a tenant who would pre-pay the summer. We’d even make a profit. Now we’re the one’s looking. We had to act fast and be flexible to find something that fit our needs.
We spent the first month back in the city living in a luxury condo building on the edge between Columbia University and West Harlem. This is a steadily gentrifying area due to the proximity to the university.
We enjoyed taking in Harlem — the most neighborhood-y neighborhood in all of Manhattan. People are constantly in the streets and on their stoops enjoying each other’s company. It’s clear their is a healthy sense of community there.
June 2008 - Astoria Queens
Buenos Aires spoiled us. We got used to having so much space that the more cramped quarters found in Manhattan were started taking a toll. So we found a three-bedroom sublet in Astoria Queens and joined the “bridge and tunnel” crow.
Astoria is just across the East River making it easy to get back into Manhattan. As much as I enjoyed having more space, I also missed being constantly in the vibe of the city. We quickly realized that the walk to the subway was longer and the taxis fewer.
Our sublet was near Astoria Park with a fabulous view of the lighted bridge at night. Astoria has a strong Greek community. The houses all have small, well-manicured yards…and yes, some of them with Greek statues.
Next time we come back, we’ll have try a Brooklyn experience. We’re trying to be well-rounded and multi-borough-al (ummm, not really a word).
Utah
No we’re in Utah visiting family and have some amazing photos from Lake Powell. We have a lot more to share. We’ll see if we can be more consistent about posting. All this traveling has been a lot of fun, but it can be hard keeping up on everything.
What hints do you have for more consistent blog posting or for managing all our ambitious tasks while traveling?
Filed Under New York City
Comments
2 Responses to “Where Did the Time Go | An Update On Our Travels”
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Write a to-do-list or list of your goals. Then plan out each one individually, seeing how each one could be achieved and prioritizing each task and goal. Don’t forget to reward yourself when you reach a goal or finish a tedious task and I like to reflect on the goal or task I finished, like journal writing. I know this one good way of getting done what you would like to get done, at least for myself. Sounds like your NYC adventures continue and I am sure Brooklyn would be very interesting. Next you should let us know about Portland, at least I am curious to hear your consensus on the place and the adventures that occur there.
It sounds like Amara is a pretty smart lady
I could use some help in the consistent posting category, but I do know what works for me: a combination of button-down consistency, and free-form creativity.
Two of the creative mavens I respect the most are Twyla Tharp the choreographer, and Steven Pressfield, the writer of classical Greek fiction novels (both on Amazon.com). They both reflect my own experience: you must prep the altar for The Muse to come, i.e. set a routine, set goals, be diligent, show up…be a pro, in other words. Then, you’ll be ready when the inspiration hits, and for those special times when it REALLY blasts you and you ride the wave.
Plus, they both point out, as does Chris Pearson of Copyblogger fame, that telling stories really hooks people in. A related post on Duct Tape Marketing illustrates this nicely: “Our new strategy can be summed up as follows; ‘We are not using our blog to sell signs, we are using our blog to sell the EXPERIENCE of getting a sign.’”
I’m convinced that telling a story is one of the most reliable ways to, as you once put it, “reel people in like helpless little fish.” You never stop reading a story at the start of a blog post, do you?