Guidespot: Guides by aliciak

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aliciak

Down to earth Martha Stewart-type with serious hustling skills

Neighborhood
Tribeca
Where I'm From
Pittsburgh
Occupation
Hustler
Website

About Me

I like to: crochet, eat, read, write, go to museums, watch old movies, cook, bake, observe children, visit the library, travel, cut my own hair, explore New York, mix gin drinks, bike ride, take photographs, keep in touch with people, be crafty, swim in the ocean, make bets, and read blogs and call it "work." The word that best describes me is quixotic. This means that I am very impractical, illogical, impulsive, romantic, idealistic and don't really understand the concept of money. I make rash decisions all the time.

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Pirates are awesome! (But the ones in the news are NOT)

By aliciak
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Updated 07/31/2009
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(1)

Categories:

Pop Culture; Humor

I used to think pirates are awesome, but the latest news bits about pirates holding U.S. ships hostage? Not cool! Not cool at all. Nonetheless, pirates are over the place on the webz, in the media and the like.

A Wannabe Librarian in New York

By aliciak
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Updated 07/30/2009
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(1)

Category:

Literature & Arts

For three years at college, I worked at the main library and furthered my long-term love affair with the written word. The giant pages of atlases, the smell of the classics room where I had Latin class, the rare books room with its extensive Sylvia Plath collection and display of teeny tiny books that made me said "awwww" and even the sketchy people who patronize libraries for the free internet, couches and bathroom access. As I frequently contemplate every career and job out there (it's NOT ...

Damn I Wish I Had Thought Of That

Started by aliciak
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Updated 07/30/2009
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(4)

Categories:

Humor; Geek

I frequently come across ideas, on the internet and in that socially-awkward thing called "real life" that I kick myself for not having thought of first. Which is to say, I kick myself for not being the person who will make money off of those ideas and/or reach the status of a fameball (Gawker's diction, not mine). Sometimes, I exclaim aloud, "Damn, I wish I had thought of that."

A Nanny's Guide to New York City

By aliciak
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Updated 07/27/2009
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(3)

Categories:

Family & Pets; Jobs & Education

True story: like many unsuspecting and clueless college graduates, I chose to become a teacher in the struggling urban schools in the Bronx. Yeah, that didn't pan out so much. After a few months, I was officially burnt out at the ripe age of 21, so I quit. And became a nanny! For over two years, I nannied for the same family, in particular, two middle-school-aged sisters, and it ranks up there with the best jobs I've ever had. If you're thinking of going the nanny route, or already are o...

Holly Golightly's Guide to New York City

By aliciak
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Updated 07/25/2009
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(5)

Categories:

Pop Culture; Shopping

"Mean reds." "Timber!" "Bye cat!" "There you are, you sneak!" If you aren't already familiar with those lines, add "Breakfast at Tiffany's" to your Netflix queue asap. Although Truman Capote wanted Marilyn Monroe for the part, the movie studios obviously went with Audrey Hepburn and it's now difficult to imagine the blond bombshell (or anyone else!) successfully playing Holly. The film, of course, takes place mostly in Manhattan and though it was released almost 50 years ago, a lot can be lea...

The Upper West Side Gets to be a Foodie Destination

By aliciak
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Updated 07/25/2009
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(1)

Category:

Eat & Drink

The Upper West Side used to be considered a wasteland when it came to food or drink, dotted with frat-ish bars and restaurants that you went to purely because you unluckily found yourself in the west 80s at dinner time. There was nowhere to get a decent lunch near my workplace; granted my allotted lunch time was about 3 minutes, so I more often that I want to admit, I subsisted on snickers bars from the basement vending machine. Times have changed, however! The Upper West Side is, dare I sa...

Governors Island is in Manhattan???

By aliciak
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Updated 07/23/2009
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(2)

Category:

Travel & Events

Much to my dismay, I discovered that Governors Island, all 172 acres of it, is officially and technically part of Manhattan, but both islands couldn't be more different. (Well, they could, but I'm going for "effect" here. Bear with me?). The former almost exclusively boasts 18th and 19th century buildings and is only accessible by ferry, and only recently did it become open to the public. (Yay!) If you haven't been to Governors Island, what are you waiting for? Seriously. It's a free 7-minute...

The Overrated in New York

Started by aliciak
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Updated 07/23/2009
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(2)

Categories:

Travel & Events; Eat & Drink

"Really? This is it?" That's how I feel sometimes when the clock strikes midnight on New Years or you see a really crappy fireworks display or you go to a bragged-about restaurant and it sucks. Overrated! What do you make scornful "Whatever" hands for?

Vices, Addictions, Bad Habits!

Started by aliciak
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Updated 07/23/2009
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(6)

Categories:

Humor; Pop Culture

I've got a few and I know you've got some too! What addiction can you not kick? What are your vices, secret or otherwise? Which bad habits have you tried again and again to give up? Think of this as group therapy--this is a safe space!

The Bookworm's Guide to New York: Part 2

By aliciak
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Updated 07/23/2009
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(1)

Categories:

Literature & Arts; Shopping

I already told you about how fantastic libraries are and what bars have their own bookshelves or literary significance in New York, but what if you just want to buy some books??? Well, my Guidespot friends, you have come to the right gal! A few clicks and you've just bought a book these days, but browsing bookstores, especially the independent or specialty ones, is like a fun treasure hunt. Don't let Amazon take all your money, okay?

College Admission FAILS

Started by aliciak
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Updated 07/20/2009
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(1)

Category:

Jobs & Education

Admit it, there were colleges you applied to that didn't accept you. You didn't tell anybody, but your parents watched you intercept that thin envelope from the mailman before trudging off to your bedroom and crying to the sounds of November Rain. Or maybe it was those dreaded SATs. Yeah yeah, you don't "test well." That's what they all say. College Admission FAILS. We've all been there. Spill it.

Stunning Architecture of New York: Part 1

Started by aliciak
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Updated 07/18/2009
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(3)

Categories:

Travel & Events; Entertainment

There's a lot to be overwhelmed by in the Big Apple--the smell of hot garbage, the endless sound of car horns, the sheer number of people--and hopefully one of them is also the architecture. The buildings! The landmarks! The sights (and sites) that make New York what it is. Even though I have lived here for 5+ years, I still find myself looking up and all around constantly, just like a kid in awe. Won't you do the same?

A Teacher Takes On New York City

By aliciak
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Updated 07/18/2009
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(5)

Categories:

Jobs & Education; Eat & Drink

Once upon a time, I was a hardworking, caffeinated, sometimes stressed, underpaid teacher in this fair city. I only began drinking coffee when I started working for the public school system and this is also when I discovered happy hours. In other words, teaching is a crazily demanding job and I was burned out at the age of 21 from my supposed lifelong calling. So, I chucked it all and dabbled in alternative education positions that did not involve the Bronx and HSers throwing balls of paper a...

How to be a Domestic Goddess in New York

By aliciak
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Updated 07/17/2009
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(4)

Categories:

Eat & Drink; DIY & Crafts

I have made no secret on these pages and elsewhere that I strive to be a domestic goddess. While I love shooting the breeze with people, museum-hopping, attending book talks, playing beirut, and all the other fine things New York has to offer twenty-something peeps, there is a profound and complete happiness I get from the following: decorating my apartment with flower arrangements, cooking elaborate meals, baking pavlovas and paging through Martha Stewart, Real Simple and Saveur. Perhaps you...

Discontinued Food Products :(

Started by aliciak
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Updated 07/16/2009
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(6)

Categories:

Eat & Drink; Pop Culture

Why do the best products seemed to get discontinued? Is everyone else just ignorant about what is awesome on the store shelves? Must be! What favorite purchaseables of yours tragically became discontinued, never to make an appearance in your shopping center aisles again?