My Pretty City

At long last, a collection of gorgeous photos taken on MFINY tours are now available on our Facebook Fan Page. If you aren't a fan yet, check us out here:

www.facebook.com/myfriendinNY

For that matter, you can follow us on Twitter, too!

@MyFriendInNY

Happy roasting, happy toasting, happy hosting,
-Kathrine

Flip Flop Extravaganza

We’re off to a soaring start this week (in flip flops): showed Gerry and the fam to Pipa for glorious tapas, sent Julia and her boyfriend to the coolest speakeasy lounge on the Upper East Side, and served Courtney a slice of classic NY pizza in Brooklyn before she jumped on a plane to Norway. And it’s only Tuesday!

You also may have noticed, the website is undergoing major reconstruction this week. Fear not! It will all be settled and make sense again very, very soon. We’re putting together a few knock-out tours so MFINY guests have a few simple options... The Treasure Map, The Classic Apple, The Nook & Cranny, The Best Friend and the NY Newbie.

I’m also amassing a variety of summer events calendars... thank you, TimeOut NY, Lincoln Center Jazz, NYC & Co., and the NY Post. Thanks to these trusty handouts, I have about 900 options for guests every day. I’m an official events aggregator, ha!

The busier I get, the more there is to do...

Executing My Inner Woolly Mammoth

The other day I heard myself say, "Yes, my to-do list is very long, but all I need to do is execute. Just pick one, and execute. A little execution never hurt anybody."

I... you know, maybe, that's how we do it in New York? My California is shaking it's head at me.

Big weekend ahead - three straight days of hosting! And don't snow on my parade with a weather report; I'm a woolly mammoth on the inside. Somewhere. Besides, a little snow never hurt anybody - at least not my client this weekend. She wants to conquer all of New York in three days, so my inner woolly mammoth is being put to task.

Also, I wanted to state for some public, official reason that I’m loathe to blog in recommendation format, suggesting things to do, see, eat, buy, sell, smell, scoff or ignore in New York City. Are you into suggestions? I suggest:

www.timeoutny.com
www.examiner.com
www.nycgo.com
www.nytimes.com
and when all else fails,
Google Loves You

Blatantly stated, there is too much to taste, read, watch, hump, listen to, try on or otherwise engage for me to blog blithely by. The sites listed above offer expert opinions and are duly over-qualified; trust them! Besides, if you plan your own vacation down to the last subway ticket, you probably wouldn’t want to use MFINY.

(MFINY guests usually want to experience the city sans tour book, led by a trusted friend who knows their personal interests. They like stress-free travel time; that's what I provide.)

Secondly... well, that was the only order of business, actually. In other news, I’m just chillin', doing what I love, exploring the city, showing people around. And making music in between sessions. Being a city hostess seriously kicks ass, I cannot deny.

This weekend my guest is one Lisa H.; likes eccentric films, pugs, photography and Guitar Hero. Fashionista she is not, but she IS an able-minded 27 year old female, which is to say, she won’t let herself leave New York without doing a little shopping. She loves nature, hence her constant exploration of National Parks and usual dismissal of big cities. No longer! Lisa wants an urban adventure, and voila, we shall have one. Or several.

The City Rushes

I’m Californian (Sacramento, woot), but New York and my bloodstream seem to flow at the same pace. Not long ago I was taking care of MFINY business in midtown and needed to make copies, so in between appointments I scanned 6th Avenue for a copier. I spotted a Kinko’s four blocks away and scorned out loud: four blocks! Why not walk to Canada while I’m at it...

And I laughed, hearing myself. My California laughed, and I walked four blocks. Laughs like that are like, the city winking at you or something. That sounds cheesy, but it’s kinda what it feels like. Carrie Bradshaw and everyone else talks about having a relationship with the city, and I suppose this is what they mean.

So last night, the city winked again - not at my impatience; New York isn’t just about rushing everywhere. I mean, we DO rush everything, but there’s more.

It’s 3pm, I’m subwaying downtown. The train stops, the city rushes, the doors close, and on we go.

I notice a man over six feet tall, cheek bones out to here, doesn’t look crazy, and some lady in the car has a particularly rude way of asking him to move aside. And I give him the subway smile, the closed-mouth grin, the don’t-worry-about-it glance, maybe a little eye roll... there’s no lingering in it, there’s no flirt. It’s the briefest exchange that alleviates tension, don’t ask me how. And then the train stops, the city rushes, and on we go.

It's almost midnight when I’m heading back uptown, and who catches my eye as I jump on the red line? Eight million people in this city (thank you, Wikipedia) and here he is again, sitting down this time. I pop a squat and can’t help but smile. Aladdin works at Nico’s, a Greek restaurant on Broadway at 72nd... I love that place. He’s tired, and I’m tired, and we commiserate.

I once met three French girls on the subway, back when I had the steady nine-to-five. We first started chatting because they didn’t understand some MTA announcement, so I translated... and then for months we kept seeing each other at exactly 8:35 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

When heading to Astoria, its a middle-aged Asian couple around 9:30pm. They always look tired, and they never talk to each other, and they’re always holding hands, arms linked and everything.

I don’t usually listen to music on the subway; sometimes I read, but most of the time I just think, and look around. And be friendly, evidently. People make a place, and eight million people are only so many. The city rushes, and on we go.

No wait, it’s really more like: the city rushes, and here we are. Yeah, here we are.

Going Live

My Friend In New York has officially launched. I am open for business. May the hosting commence!

Eager as I am to comment on the USS New York, the Bronx cheer and my latest discoveries as a CEO, I can’t move forward with frilly blog banter before making a list of thanks. Too many people have participated in the development of this business for me to charge on alone.

Rainne Wu
Aspire2Inspire
Web Designer and Programmer
Rainne gave MFINY it’s beautiful face. She has a keen sense of sophisticated presentation and was the perfect designer for the project! Her flexibility and pretty-page know-how amaze me.

Tom Tancredi
domntom.com
Project Manager
To my new-to-business-speak nature, “project manager” is the boring way of saying he was and is an incredible organizing force, a wellspring of practicality, creativity and realistic time lines, and moreover, he's my personal favorite sounding board. Tom has been a ready source of support and enthusiasm since the day I had the original MFINY idea four months ago. (Actually, that’s Tom to a tee since the day we met last December.) He is a formidable team member and deserves my many thanks!

Dominic Tancredi
domntom.com
Web Director, Lead Programmer
Brilliant in the background, Dominic is a connecter of dots unseen without whom the website would function like a wet paper plane on a windy day. Thanks to Dom for making it fly.

Caitlin Barbieri
CSU Long Beach
Photographer
When I offered to show Caitlin (and Ryan!) around NYC in August I had no idea that they’d inspire me to play host full-time. Caitlin’s photo-genius now graces the homepage, and their MFINY video will be online in another few days. Big thanks for their picture prowess.

Lisa Hansen
Intel
My High School Best Friend
Contributing many a brainstorm and nary a doubt, Lisa is another background player whose influence in MFINY is impossible to overlook. Lisa, I secret salute you.

More: To my mom, Jacob Becker, Lynn Kenny, my favorite Dutchie Sanne Lugthart, Fanny et Audrey, Seugli Lee, everyone at Forbes who supported my leap, and the 55 friends who have already sent their words of encouragement: the good karma will hit you back, no doubt.

Okay, now that I’ve used up all my blog time for (well-deserved) thanks, the marketing plan and launch party prep are calling me. Until soon!

Free and Full

Oct 9 - A month! I’ve been out of the office for a month. My website, business plan and tour guide license are all slowly being checked off my to-do list. My band (Suzy Sellout, a completely separate venture) has had a few big shows in the last month, but as of today I am free of distraction and full of



Oct 17 - I was saying, free of distraction and full of focus. Exactly.

As my beautiful new MFINY Weather Widget is dutifully reporting, its cold outside! Winter coats are making their season debuts this week. I felt cozy in my red wool until I realized that I smelled like my closet. Wooooops.

I still can't believe it's been five weeks since leaving the old job! At first, I was afraid that the lack of week-in / week-out structure would cause my weekends to lose their luster. To my ridiculous delight, however, I discovered that Saturdays are still glorious and Sundays still yearn for a brunch. I'm in!

Well, life as a professional friend has had it's leisure moments, but now isn't one of them. I wanted to let my readers know that yes, I am still alive and kicking, and MFINY is just a few days away from an official launch... ooo, I should have a launch party! (Why is it that the more I do, the longer my to-do list gets?)

For now, I'm off. And I do promise to write more often. I'll be free of distraction and full of focus. Uh huh. Exactly.

Ready, Set, Quit!

August 28, 2009

Two days ago, I quit my job. Yes, I gave two-weeks notice like a good girl.

I relinquished my illustrious post at Forbes Magazine under the inflamed vision of life as a professional friend. Now I have until September 10 to stew at my receptionist desk while imagining all the amazing adventures I'm about to have while being knowledgeable and charming. And while not stapling, not paperclipping, not filing, faxing, fedexing nor saying, "I'm sorry, he's not available, may I take a message?"

Last night I googled, "how to write a business plan," and discovered a lovely tutorial explaining the whole ordeal. Very organized, ooo la la. The page also included a list of Dos & Don'ts as you embark on your thrilling and obviously brilliant new venture.

Number One on the List Of Things Only Brash And Gutsy Yet Woefully Uninformed Entrepreneurs Do: Quit your job before your new business is operational.

Check.

I had no choice! I had to leave! For 18 months I've been a famous guy's assistant's assistant's assistant. I handle data entry and gift wrapping. He's a lovely famous guy, and it's all easy and monotonous and perfect for a New York newbie, but after 18 months any famous guy's assistant's assistant's assistant would want to gouge their own eyes out with their silver embossed, overpriced letter opener. I'd thought about moving up the totem pole in the spring, but the recession put a hiring freeze on the whole company and I was lucky to retain the fancy eye gouger.

Anyway, last Friday my supervisor (lovely lady, though I rarely saw her) informed me that my work performance was suffering. Too many typos, casual dress, crooked stapling, all of that. I'd need to severely straighten my paperclip and work diligently to regain the trust of the other assistants who had evidently stopped giving me projects altogether. She didn't say the words, "or else," but I got the memo. The whole conversation was probably on her to-do list as: Almost Fire Kathrine.

I'd have to try harder? At this? I spent the weekend weeping over a Blue Moon and squinting with meticulously scheming eyes, planning my exit strategy. I seemed to be doing them simultaneously because by Saturday afternoon my boyfriend, Tom, actually started making fun of my face. Real pal. (Aside from this teasing, Tom really is amazingly supportive, I must admit.)

It also happened that some friends from California were in town for the weekend shooting a video for some hot new band, and needed a place to stay. My inner-hostess-extraordinaire was happy to A) house and entertain them, and B) practice smiling again. They heard about my eye-gouging plight and pointed out that I'm a kick-ass hostess. I said, really? They held up my napkin covered with a hand-drawn map of New York's five boroughs, notes on hip vs. skippable neighborhoods, locations of their planned activities the next day, where to subway vs. where to taxi, and said, yes.

I admitted that I'd already considered starting a city-hostessing service, so they offered to shoot a YouTube commercial for it on the spot, using all of the NYC city-life clips they were gathering for the band's video already in process. I said sure, they shot, I quit.

Well, I didn't just QUIT. I - politely - told the nice lady in human resources, "If this job were a body, then the cartilage at the joints has worn very, very thin. At this time, working harder would be like grinding bone against bone. Improved performance is unlikely." I'm so dainty.

So, now: eight more workdays until I'm off and hosting. Tonight I tackle the business plan.

Number Two on the List Of Things Only Brash And Gutsy Yet Woefully Uninformed Entrepreneurs Do: Create a blog about your new venture while still on the clock at your old job.

Check.