Back Online!

Yes, I’m back online. After two and half months of absence I’m ready to catch up. Although it has been a pretty slow summer nevertheless, life happens.

I moved out of my loft apartment on N. Water St. It was a bit sad since I’ve always enjoyed the view of the Genesee River and downtown from my oversize windows. The location was convenient and cover parking was a luxury in downtown living. I never took those things for granted and always reserved time to enjoy the warm lighting as the sun went down behind the Red Wing Stadium.

On May 22nd, I move into the newest urban development, the Mills at High Falls on 312 State St. Constructed by the same company, the building looks very similar to Corn Hill Landing, only ½ mile upstream. I toured the building 4 times and finally decided on apt. #303, a one-bedroom plus loft with approximately 1000 sq.ft. living space facing the High Falls pedestrian bridge.

I was at first excited about living in a brand new apartment but the joy was short lived. The Wednesday after I moved in my car was broken into while I was visiting my parents in Indianapolis. This rather minor event launched a month long struggle with the management at the Mills until I finally moved out on June 28th. Despite numerous calls and written complaints on the lack of security in the back parking lot, nothing was done to compensate my lost or to prevent future occurrences. The “gated” parking lot remains open 24/7 and underground parking is not yet available to the tenants. Instead I was given the option to move out. And even moving out wasn’t that easy…According to the moving out guideline in the lease agreement I must have my carpet professionally cleaned before the final inspection in order to receive my original deposit. That would have been a reasonable expectation had I lived out the full duration of the lease but it was absurd to have to pay to have it cleaned after only one month, especially given the circumstances. I was flabbergasted by just how unaccommodating the property managers were. At one point I was ready to take them to small claim court. They want to take my money and my principle!
Luckily, to my advantage, the Friday before I moved out was the grand ribbon cutting ceremony with local and state officials and the media, a perfect opportunity to stage a protest. Prior to the event, the management sent out flyers to advise people to park away from the building to save room for outdoor stage and seating area. A big moving out sign was made for my car to be parked in front of the building during the event. In the morning I give one last attempt to settle the carpet cleaning business but ended up with an emotional breakdown at the office. These people are nothing but bullies. Instead of treating the tenants like respectable human beings, they manage people like children.
Frustrated with the situation I backed my car right next to the entrance while all the other cars cleared out the spaces. Before I even got the sign inside the car, the management marched out of the building telling me to move my car (even though the lease specifically spelled out that there is no assigned parking in the lot). I stood my ground and said if you want to move it you’ll have to tow it, otherwise, drop the carpet cleaning and refund me my deposit. The management was frantic. I could almost see steam coming out of their ears! It took no time for Caroline to say, “You’ll get your money back, all you have to do is to move the car!”

At the end, the squeaky wheel gets the oil and I got a written notification in the mail saying that I will receive all of my original deposit back plus 86 cents interest before end of July. I’m still waiting on the check but at least I now have something on paper.

So now I’m in my 3rd apartment in two month in Pittsford! Moving was stressful and dealing with the Mills was a nightmare, I’m really glad to be able to finally settle down and put always all the boxes. Having grown up here as a teenager, I’m back in my hood!
People couldn’t believe I was moving out of downtown but I’m happy to announce that I love my new apartment in the burb!

And in between all the craziness Robert moved back from Vegas. We decided to give another try after what seemed to be an unsalvageable breakup. Sure, we could be a good couple, he’s persistent and persuasive and I’m ideal and gullible. We took short trips to Toronto, 1000 Islands and Ottawa. I went kayaking at Irondequoit Bay and watched a Rhinos game in the pouring rain. My friend Liz got married to her high school boyfriend Chris and I played at their wedding on July 3rd.

The biggest announcement of all is that I got a kitten! His name is Teddy! Now for the first time I can begin to grasp what it would be like for moms to watch their newborn with such awe. I can watch my Teddy for a long time, playing, eating, sleeping, doing just about anything! I love my Teddy!

And in case you didn’t get to the Highland Park BBQ and Blues Festival over the weekend here’s what you missed:


And I'm due for another hair cut.

Hell at the Mills

• Lack of Security – My car was vandalized in the “Gated” parking lot less than a week after I moved into the Mills.
• Non-responsive Management – I reported the incident to the property manager but received no responses.
• Negligence – The “gated” parking lot is left open 24/7 even after the incident. I repeatedly suggested more actions to be taken to avoid re-occurrence but they were ignored by the Mills. No one was ever issued a key FAB to access the parking lot gates as noted on the lease agreement.

• False Advertising – The Mills had been advertising the secured underground parking since I first visited in March. However, when I inquired about it this June I was told that the underground garage is not available to the tenants. This left me with no option for safer parking.

• The property managers showed total disregard towards tenant’s property and safety. Nothing has been done by the Mills to help securing the parking lot. Instead of finding a solution to help the tenants, the Mills chose to release me from my lease.

• Infringement of Privacy – I have become aware that the security cameras installed in the parking lot look directly into the residents’ windows. This allows anyone with access to the videos to see into the private lives of the tenants. This information was never disclosed to the tenants prior to signing the lease.

• Unaccommodating Management - After living at the Mills for only one month I was required to have the brand new carpet professionally cleaned. The lease mentioned that carpet need to be cleaned on an annual bases. I requested the management to come for a pre-inspection to determine if such professional cleaning was necessary but my request was turned down. Instead I was advised that regardless the condition of the carpet I will not get my full security deposit back without a cleaning receipt.

• Noisy tenants – frequent loud music and disputes from neighbors in the hallway and parking lot.

The Mills treat their tenants as children that need to be supervised instead of real people that need privacy, security and respect.

Two Days After

Back for two days and I already feel as if I never went. Some people go on vacations; I travel on a budget. It’s usually a lot of work and I rarely feel relaxed afterwards. Maybe when I’m 60 I’ll be content lounging on a beach or relax on a cruise but for now I like the work. Each destination is a project and every time I complete a trip I feel a sense of accomplishment.
Although I’ve got the itchy feet travel bug I still get homesick when I’m away. There’s nothing better than sleeping on ones own bed. I’ve stayed at lots of hostels over the last couple years. Some of them are very pleasant and some are just the bare minimum. I don’t have any problem sleeping in a dormitory but I do get a bit more particular with bathrooms and hot showers. This time out I didn’t even brush my hair for two weeks. Luckily, the sights have always made everything worthwhile. Traveling has made me more appreciative of many things I would have otherwise taken for granted, things like hot shower, central heat, air condition, drinkable tap water and regulated traffic system. Rochester has to be one of the most comfortable, convenient and stress free place to live. It’s good to be back.

Home at Last

Long Way Home

I left the hostel this morning around 8, same time as I checked in three days ago. I took a seat outside and had a cup of tea before I headed towards the airport shuttle station. It’s a tradition around this part of the world to have tea before a long journey, a good way to collect ones thoughts. I can’t say that my feeling for Istanbul was too overwhelming at first but now that I’m leaving I do feel a bit melancholy like one would feel at the end of a good book.

Turkey has been great and I’m grateful for my stay here. Two weeks is not a long time but it’s what most people get from a year of work. I’m obliged for having the luxury to explore the city on my own pace and ventured out to Troy and Ephesus. In a short time I’ve learned a bit more about history and another culture. In a country with more Roman ruins and minarets than American cars I’ve learned a little bit more about myself. A quote on the Sky magazine said something like “Wander if for distraction; travel is for fulfillment.”

The ride to the airport was pleasant. I saw lots of tulips on the side of the roads and countless ship liners on the Marmara. I came to the airport more than 3 hours in advance just to be on the super safe side only to find out that my flight is delayed for 6 hours! Now I’ve got a good 9 hours to kill in the airport….thank Ali for wifi.


I contacted Delta and it turns out that by the time I get to JFK I would have missed the last connecting flight to Rochester for the day, which means I’ll have to stay overnight in JFK to catch the next flight out at 9:35am. This way I won’t get back home until almost noon tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll at least get a decent hotel room tonight for a hot shower. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Day of Two Shanks

By now I have exhausted pretty much all of the sights in Istanbul mentioned on Rick Steves guidebook except the archeological museum and few minor sights. Since I can’t take Istanbul back with me I decided to eat as much as possible before I leave. So today will be known as the day of four meals and two shanks.
Shank #1

Shank #2

New District Walk

It was a warm Sunday afternoon. After lunch I decided to walk around the surrounding streets and eventually to the Galata Bridge and maybe checkout the archeological museum.

Lunch

Dinner

Evening Tea

The Other Side of Istanbul

I took the overnight bus back to Istanbul and finally had some food good enough to travel for. This time I’m staying in the Taksim Square/Galata area just off the main pedestrian street Istiklal. The direction to the hotel suggested people to follow the crowd to the main street but at 8am on a Saturday morning that just wasn’t a viable way to go. Instead I stumbled around the very confusing Taksim Square, which is more like an irregular traffic cycle but not in a perfect cycle either. I had to ask few people and eventually checked into the right place. The owner was a bit strange and I made it clear that I didn’t appreciate strangers petting my head like I’m a 3-year-old. Later he was quite apologetic and offered me some tea and simit (Turkish bagel with sesame). I checked my email for Myland stuff. Even though I’m on the road I’ve still kept up with ongoing business at home. It really makes me feel that I’m in the middle of two worlds, China is 6 hours ahead and New York is 7 hours behind.

Taksim Square is across the Golden Horn from the Old City and it’s considered to be the new city center of Istanbul. The area immediately surrounding my hostel is full of shops and restaurants and is especially lively late at night. Istiklal Street has three Starbucks, two McDonalds, one Burger King and countless connecting side streets and alley ways. However, most important of all there is a Self Serve eatery on every block with endless tasty looking ready to eat dishes displaying through large class windows. I’ve eaten at couple places like this in the Old Town but due to the fact that it’s more of a touristy area, the food was average and pricy. The worst meal I had was at a called the Pudding Shop recommended by Rick Steves. The Döner kebab sandwich was also pretty dry except a lamb one I had in Kusadasi yesterday. I’m finally at the right place for some good meals! And I’m quickly decided this is exactly what I want to do for the last three days of my trip. Eat and relax with little bit of walk between meals.

I started lunch promptly at 11am just as the Self Serves started to open. I figure I could just get a plate of food here and there throughout the day! First stop was a place across the street from the hostel with people grilling chicken and kebabs through the window. The food there looked particularly delicious and fresh just as they are being taken out of the oven. I sat down for two of the best grilled chicken tights I’ve ever had in my life! They were tender, juicy and flavorful but not overpowering with crispy skin on the outside. No sheep intestine, cow stomach lining or pig feet. After all, everyone can appreciate simple food made extremely well.

The other end of Istiklal Street, opposite of Taksim Square, is lined with music shops displaying all sorts of instruments including the popular Turkish string instrument called bağlama. It sort looks sort like a lute with long neck and 7 strings (2, 2, 3). I spent sometime at one of the stores flipping through an English instruction book trying to get a better understanding of the instrument. Instead of one semi step between two notes in western music, the folk music here divides a note into 9 parts! Holy dissonances. So the frets on the bağlama are bit different from a lute or a guitar. There can also be many different tunings depending on the music. The bağlama is played with a tezene, like a guitar pick. There are also many variations of bağlama, some big and some small with different tunings.

After the Istiklal Street I hopped into another Self Serve place for my second lunch: a big slice of moussaka with zucchini puree and meat patty and cheese. I’m still not too convinced that the top was made of zucchini. It tasted like super smooth and buttery mash potato. It was very good and filling. Leaving me no room for another plate anytime soon.

So instead, I took a short nap in the afternoon followed by a not so pleasant cold shower. Apparently there is no hot water at the hostel. I haven’t taken a shower in two days so I didn’t have a choice. I guess it’s a price to pay for budget travel. Many people come here to experience the Turkish bath, just not sure if I’m really up to that. Lying on a slab of marble with people rubbing me down with soap just doesn’t sound all that appealing.

By dinner time there was still one thing missing: eggplant and I corrected that with another trip to the Self Serve across the street. A plate of delicious eggplant toped with small chucks of pork. Like I mentioned before the people here really has a way with eggplants. The stuffed eggplants (Karnıyarık in Turkish), one with onions and the other one with lentil beans, are probably the best vegetarian dishes I’ve ever had other than things made with tofu. The Turkish version of moussaka is also extremely tasty with sautéed eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and minced meat and parsley. I also had a plate of sausages, or Kofte as they are called in Turkey. Adding an ice tea the total came to 12 liras, or $8US. Great deal for a great meal.

In the evening I went to a milonga just a block down the street called TangoJean. It’s a small place with couple dozen people. I danced few sets and when the people started to thin around 1am I walked back to the hostel soon after, figuring milonga is something I can easily live without.The streets were completed jammed with people, mostly locals. Many bars and restaurants have tables outside in the side streets. Friends gathered around having coffee and tea, some sharing a hooka filled with dry fruits, some playing backgammon. It was definitely quite the scene.