Should I switch to VoIP?

I am fed up with my current telecommunications "solution", as it is riddled with problems and frankly, I feel that it is overpriced. Deregulation of the telephone industry has made everything more expensive. I like competition and feel that we should benefit from it, but really all I see are expensive (and often annoying) ad campaigns combined with confusing marketing packages leaving consumers baffled by choices so that they just pick some phone plan without fully understanding the features and costs, and then when they try to make a change, they find that they are locked into a 3 year contract. When doing some comparison shopping, it is impossible to compare apples to apples, so you just end up going with the company who's commercials annoy you the least.

I have often thought that I'd like to get rid of our land line and just rely on a cell phone. I work from an office all day where I have my own land line (although it startles me when it rings since it happens so seldom), and I don't make that many phone calls on the evenings and weekends, so why have both a cell and land line? Plus, I can supplement the long distance calls with Skype. But, I don't really like talking on a cell phone -- reception is not great and I don't like the ergonomics. I always feel like I'm talking into a tiny spy device that sounds like a tin can, so I haven't made that bold move yet.

My latest telecommunications problem forcing me to make a change is that my voice mail does not work for long distance calls. This is particularly annoying since both our parents live outside our calling area, and all they ever get are three beeps and then it disconnects. I have reported it four times and Rogers still has not fixed it nor followed up with me! I was just going to cancel my voice mail plan and buy a new phone that has a built-in answering machine. We'll save $5 per month and have a "solution" that actually solves the problem. Plus, we need a new cordless phone anyway. But when I was in the store, I saw a Vtech set of two cordless phones that works with Vonage, a local VoIP provider. It was the same price as the other set of phones, BUT it comes with tons of nice features, and the monthly charges are half of my current bill. Humm. Getting away from one of the monolithic telecoms and saving money is very appealing to me.

I had considered going with VoIP three years ago when we moved here because Bell screwed up our order and we were not going to get a land line for 5 weeks. But Dan needed the land line for his job at the time and I could not guarantee that the VoIP line would be reliable. With all the other decisions that need to be made when you've moving to a new house, deciding on a new tele technology was just too much. So we did what Bell recommended and went with the competition. Rogers was happy to set us up with a land line in the newly created 647 area code and has been charging us about $45 a month for it ever since.

Yesterday I did a live chat with a Vonage rep and found out that I can get 500 minutes of long distance plus all the call features (voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, phone messages emailed to you, you can retrieve your message anywhere that there is an internet connection, etc.) for $19.95 per month. That includes the 911 charge and there is no additional charge for system access, etc. Plus, I can still use my fax machine on occasion without issue. So, it seems like I'm ready to take the plunge but a few questions remain:

1. Which service provider should I use? Vonage sounds like the most established but there are plenty of others that I don't know about. My friend Andrew uses broadvoxdirect.com so I should look into that. Does anybody have any suggestions for me?
   
   
2. Should I use my old analog phones with an adapter or buy IP phones? One FAQ that I was reading says that using your existing analog phones saves money but then you don't have all the features like transfer, hold, etc. Since I'm not running a business out of my home, I don't really need those features. I can set the phone on the table if I need to put the call on hold. I just need to know if there is improved reception and service by using the IP phones?
   
   
3. Can I use a mix IP phones and analog phones with adapters? Or if I do go with the IP phones, will my fax machine still work?
   
   
4. Can I set it up so that all my existing jacks and analog phones will work with VoIP? Right now I have Rogers digital home phone, which is VoIP, but at the price of conventional analog phone service. (No wonder they can afford to bring the Buffalo Bills to Toronto and give away $545 tickets to hundreds of people.) The technician set it up so that all the jacks work. Can I just set up the new VoIP system to the existing wiring? Or will I be limited to only one phone in the house? (Or a set of handsets that are grouped to one base unit?)

Hopefully I will find answers to all these questions soon so that our families and out of town friends can start leaving us messages. We were really starting to think that we were no longer message worthy out here in the 647s.

How Bell Canada lost a customer for life - will Rogers be next?

Bell Canada dropped the ball. I tried to stay with them when we moved but they drove us away. I have heard that it costs more money to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing customer, but how much does it cost to drive one away? Bell wastes their money by calling us every 10 days asking what it will take for us to switch back. We always tell them our sad story but unfortunately their script cannot answer our questions nor offer us what we really need to repair this damaged relationship. I often ask them to pass this info onto their supervisors, yet we get the same call again about 10 days later. If there is no feedback loop on the customer acquisition team, how can I trust that they can even provide me with service, when they let me down three years earlier?

Before I moved three years ago, I was a Bell Canada girl all the way -- so was Dan. I was happy with the service and had no intention of changing. So when we moved, I called all my service providers and arranged to take them with me. Days before moving, I thought that maybe we could get a dedicated phone number for Dan's home office and that's when I discovered the problem. Our phone would not be connected until five weeks after we moved due a labour strike and the earlier customer service person gave me the wrong information. If I had not made this call, we would not have learned about this error until the day that we moved. And unfortunately, there was no recourse. I was tempted to kill the landline and go mobile, but Dan needed it for work. Our only landline alternative was to go with the provider of the previous homeowner's telephone provider: Sprint (which had been just bought out by Rogers).

The problem extended into our internet service provider (ISP). We were both with Sympatico DSL provided by Bell and were planning to take it with us too. After being slapped in the face with the five week wait for the Bell landline installation, we found out that we'd have to pay an additional $10/month for our DSL since we would not have Bell as our TSP. And since we didn't cancel with 30 days notice, we'd have to pay for an additional month. They did not offer me a special rate for a few months until I could switch back to Bell. Instead, they told me that my only choice was to cancel Sympatico or pay the higher fee. This was the nail in the coffin for Bell.

Will Bell's current re-branding save them? They have gotten rid of those horrible beaver commercials. They've abandoned all the other brands such as Sympatico. I'm not sure what the blue "er" is all about, but the new print campaigns have an "er" suffix like faster or sexier. Are they implying that they are better? I am not fooled by the crisp and clean aesthetic even if I do like the casting choice in their latest commercials. I'm curious to see what the Teacher's Pension Plan is going to do with Ma Bell after the world's largest leveraged buyout. But I do know that a new ad campaign is not going to pull me back.

Am I happy with Rogers Home Phone? I was until June 2008 when I was told that I had to switch to the Rogers digital home phone or cancel my service. They were forcing me into the arms of the competition. I wanted to keep an analog landline because it will work in a power outage. I guess that we're all frightened after the big blackout in the summer of 2003. I've learned to stock drinking water in the basement, get a solar powered radio, always keep a healthy supply of beer, and keep an old analog phone that will work in case of power outage. But VoIP & Rogers digital phone will not work when the power is out. So I have played it safe and kept the landline. But this aggressive action on Rogers side has made me take a look around and I'm realizing that I'm paying far too much for this service. A traditional VoIP service offers much better features at lower prices. Sure, there may be issues with quality of service, but if I'm paying about 40% of what I'm paying now, it will be worth it. I can supplement the bad times with a cell phone.

It is the lesser of all evils - instead of going with the best, I'm settling for the service that bothers me the least. It makes me wonder that if I'll be looking to switch in another three months or even three years. What new technology will temp with? But will their marketing and advertising turn me off? Only time will tell.

When blogging goes offline

Last week I came home to something very different: fan mail - delivered by Canada Post.

The handwritten envelope was addressed to "Occupant". The only thing that comes handwritten by mail these days are greeting cards, but this was a standard size envelope. Plus, whenever I get a card, the sender usually knows my name! I hesitantly opened the letter, wondering what it could be.

The typed two page letter started out with the words, "you don't know me, but I believe that we have something in common". This heightened my concern, so I quickly scanned the pages, trying to find out what this person wanted. It is terrible that I assume that somebody wants something, but in our accelerated society, people rarely use snail mail for personal greetings (except for my friend Chris, who lives on my street, yet regularly sends me post cards by mail, just to say hi.)

Scanning the letter, I couldn't find the pitch, so I re-read it slowly, enjoying the fact that it was simply a letter full of nostalgia for my neighbourhood. This man had lived on my street in the 50's and his friend lived in my house. He went on to tell me about the way things were back then: collecting green stamps at the mom and pop grocery stores, the listening booths at the original Sam the Record Man location on College Street at Crawford, his friend doing bike deliveries for the old Capp's Pharmacy, going to the Italian barber shops, etc. He fondly remembers the people, the sights and the reassuring sound of the College Street car rounding the curve at Grace Street.

He asked if I had checked out the Toronto Archives website, telling me that there are lots of great resources online. I had already heard that there was a bridge spanning a ravine just south of us, on the north edge of Trinity Bellwoods Park. The bridge is still there, but the ravine was filled in, bringing the street level up to the bridge. It is close to the location of the Trinity Bellwoods farmer's market on Tuesdays. My new pen pal confirmed that this bridge does indeed exist and that there are photos of it online. He also reminded me that Montrose was formerly called Sully Crescent. One of these days, I need to visit the archives.

I'm always surprised when I have comments on my blog from people that I don't know, but I guess that when you put your stories out there, it can happen. I just never expected that I would get snail mail from my blog, but I'm happy that I did. It gives me a whole new perspective on my home and neighbourhood.

There's no place like Holmes

You may have seen it on TV, but tonight, I saw it in person: the house that Mike Holmes built in his special two hour show, Lein On Me. It just happens that the homeowner is a colleague of mine, and during our United Way fundraising campaign, she auctioned off a tour of her house. Myself and two colleagues were the highest bidders, which allowed us and our significant others to take a behind-the-scenes tour of this amazingly modern eco home. We got to ride in the elevator to the green roof, see the two solar systems, and the awe inspiring 1" copper plumbing that feeds the flexible water supply system. (I can only imagine what their water pressure must be like!!!)

I must admit that I'd never watched Holmes on Homes until the day after I bought this money pit. Three years ago, I was living in a condo, and the whole HGTV network had no appeal to me. The biggest repair jobs that I did there in 5.5 years was replace the toilet flapper and re-tape the dryer vent hose. But the day after I signed that agreement of purchase and sale on a very old house, I switched over to channel 46 for the first time. We both sat silently on the couch watching Mike Holmes discover appalling construction errors and then swoop in like a super hero and "make it right". When I closed my eyes that night, all that I could see was a black hole sucking up all my savings and future earnings. The $400 we paid on a home inspection gave me little comfort. I felt like Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo -- a swirl of worry about the roof, the foundation, the wiring, the plumbing, ...you name it. The more that I watched the show, the more terrified I got. The more scared I was, the more I had to watch. My only salvation was to watch Holmes on Homes -- like a train wreck, I couldn't look away.

Sometimes Mike Holmes comes off as a bit too self-righteous on TV, although I'm glad to see that somebody is there to help homeowners like Christina & Joe. They have been through a tremendous ordeal, and while they are now the proud owners of an amazingly modern brand new home, being homeless for four years has taken its toll on them and their family. Being there and seeing it first hand, I was amazed by the design, architecture, and technology. I'm jealous of the environmental features and the amazing plumbing system that they have. But, I'm glad that my tiny little money pit has not revealed any of the problems that they've seen. I hope that if I meet Mike Holmes that it will be at a book signing or a cocktail party. But seeing his work in person was really fascinating.

To see photos and learn more about the house that Holmes built, visit the website. Or if you're one of my contacts on Flickr, you can see my photos there.

Great beer + amazing customer service = one happy customer

Last week we attempted to refill the fridge with delicious Mill Street beer. Dan is quite taken with the Stock Ale, while I prefer the Tankhouse Ale. As of late, our local beer store is often out of Mill Street. The last two times we've had to drive to a few different stores to find any in stock. When they were out of stock this week, with the price of gas and all, Dan decided to just buy his old brand. When he got home, he wrote an email to Mill Street to ask why they never have it in stock. Within an hour, they got back to him saying that they have been having production problems keeping up with demand, but that they'd ensure that our local retail outlet receives more product. Then they asked for his address so that they could drop off a case of his favorite beer. The next day, a full case of fresh beer was delivered to our house. Now that is customer service!

Compare this to Dan's experience with Mazda and the worst dealership: Dufferin Mazda in Toronto. Phone calls, letters, emails -- to the dealer, owner and Mazda HQ, yet all they said is -- that's normal wear and tear. Check out Second blown clutch on 2004 Mazda3: do not buy from Dufferin Mazda! Their record speaks for itself.

Coincidently, I was checking my web analytics today and saw the 4th most popular post on this blog is the one about the blown clutch. Seems that a lot of other people have had problems with the clutch on their Mazda 3. Coincidence? Humm.... you decide. I think not!!

Dan drives his Mazda every day for his job, visiting customers and retail outlets. He spends his day talking to people. Today, as he was getting out of his car, another motorist asked how he liked his Mazda as he was thinking of getting one. Dan told him his story of bad product coupled with appaling customer service, and this potential customer converted immediately against the Mazda move. Yes, word of mouth can also be bad for sales.

What I know is that Mill Street Brewery could teach Dufferin Mazda a lesson on customer service. They have a customer for life, whereas we will never buy another Mazda.

Pink Palace, R.I.P.

The other night, I was sitting on my front porch, well hidden by the cedars, when I heard one of the neighbours telling her toddler that he was not allowed to go past "the pink house" on his tricycle. But the next time, he pedaled right on past, so she came out to scold him. He said: "what pink house?" She pointed up at our house and said: "This one. Right here. The pink one, with the white door. See." But the kid was still confused. I guess that salmon does not look pink to a toddler. He was likely looking for bubble gum pink, or possibly the raspberry, that our trim had been painted previously, probably before this kid was born. You see, our house was known as the Pink Palace -- the house that others used as a landmark, as in "we are two houses past the Pink Palace."

I thought about warning this mother that it wouldn't be the "pink house" much longer, but I didn't want to blow my cover behind the cedars. Plus, I wasn't sure when the painter was going to be available anyway. Who knows -- maybe we would be pink all summer.

When the snow melted this spring, I knew that it was finally time to get rid of the last of the pink. We had painted out the hideous trim two years ago, and now it was time to be rid of the less offensive salmon. We called College Pro painters, completely unsure how much it would cost. I would paint it myself but I'm afraid of heights. Anyway, the house is very narrow and it is only the front that needed painting, not the side or trim. The existing paint was in perfect condition -- no peeling or wear. Therefore there was no need for primer, just two coats of paint. So I didn't figure that it would cost too much.

One day our young College Pro Franchisee finally came over and after several long speeches from a perfectly memorized script and many measurements, he presented us with his written quotation, encased in some glossy corporate College Pro marketing crap. Seeing photos of students who look similar to Brad Pitt did not make me want to go with College Pro. Nor did the fact that he quoted us $800 plus GST for this job. We told him that it was higher than we'd expected, and that we'd look for other quotes before deciding.

Finally I remembered a friend of a friend who I had not seen for awhile who is a professional painter. Why not call him? But instead, I emailed him with a photo of the house and the fact that the house is only 13' wide. He replied that he'd "paint the pink" for about half of the other quote, and just fit it in when he had time. Sounded like a good deal.

A few weeks later, I arrived at work a bit early and checked my email. A new message arrived from my painter friend saying that this was the day. And when I rode up on my bike that night, the house was a new colour. Hooray! Bye bye salmon. Hello Nantucket Gray. The neighbours were full of compliments, and now finally I can hold my head high as I walk out the door. Who would have thought that half a day and 1 gallon of paint could make such a difference?

Where I went in China

With the devastating earthquake in China so soon after my return, I have had about a dozen people e-mailing to ask if I was close to the affected area in Siuchan or Chengdu. While I wasn't in Siuchan province, I spent two weeks in the neighbouring provinces of Yunnan and Hunan.

View Larger Interactive Map

The maps of China on Google and Yahoo are very limited, so the map in my travel journal couldn't find the places that I visited. So, I made this map using the satellite versions to help find the "smaller" cities that were not marked on the maps. The red cross on the map is Chengdu, about 60km south of the epicentre of the earthquake. Places visited during my most recent trip are marked in red, my 2004 trip is marked in blue, and my visit to China during my 1992 trip to Asia is marked in green. You can click on the coloured markers and an info bubble opens up with some details. If you view the larger map, there is a table of contents on the left, listing all the places I visited, which is also clickable.

Photos from my travels are on Flickr which also has a map showing the geographical location where the photos were taken. It is a great feature, but it won't let me add other markers to the map, so I couldn't add a marker for Chengdu.

The Google / Yahoo war rages on. I live in two worlds that just can't get along. I like Picasa (Google) for offline photo organization, but I use Flickr (Yahoo) for online photo storage. They don't work together. This blog is in Google, but my travel journal was on Yahoo, for easier integration with my photo site. The map couldn't locate many of the places I visited (despite populations of a million or more), so I had to create a Google map too. I guess that I just have to face that I'm a blogging geek and should just enjoy the fact that I have choices. It is like my friend's recent dilemma: she regularly went to two different gyms - one for squash and one for fitness classes. She couldn't pick just one gym to join, so she continues to go to both. I have learned from her that accepting this is half the battle. But will Google win the war?

The carport of my dreams

After a winter with near record snowfall, it is natural for one to dream of a carport. Watching Dan shovel all that snow out of our uncovered parking spot really exhausted me. If I build him a carport, we won't have to worry about snow for the next four years. We will be guaranteed to have record low snowfall if I invest in such a structure.

Spring was in the air last week, and I felt that it was time to get moving on some quotes. I canvassed friends for landscaping recommendations and came back with only two names. One is coming tomorrow to do a quote, and the other one is considering if he has time to do the job at all. I then joined the Home Service Club, who guarantees the work of their recommended contractors or you don't pay. They promised me calls from three contractors within 48 hours to arrange quotes. We are getting close to 46 hours and still no calls. The jury is still out on this club.

As I wait to hear back from contractors, I started researching, and found this great carport plan online. It looks simple enough. Isn't it something that Dan and I could do on our own? It is kinda like building a fence, with a roof -- do I really need a building permit for this?

I called the City of Toronto, just to be certain, and discovered that their bureaucracy really is as bad as people say. I looked on the website and found a definition of a carport but could not find out if a permit was required to build one. So, I called their info line. After listening to several menus and making several choices, I was routed to a voice mail for the help person, who is away this week. The message said that somebody else would return my call, but then the mailbox was full, so I couldn't leave a message. I called back a few more times, trying to get a live person, but with no luck. My suspicion is that you do need a permit, so I have registered myself for an info session on May 13. At this rate, I may have a carport before the first winter snowfall. That is, if I can even afford it!!!

Take it outside!

Spring has arrived and it is time to expand our lives outdoors. Sadly, the hardscaping in our exterior spaces need some major work. Every time I step outside, the bottom of the door scrapes across the patio, not clearing the door jam. Even when I try to focus on the garden, all I can see are the pitted and sagging patio stones and gravel "zen" garden. I find it challenging to remain calm in my "zen" garden, when I can't even put a chair on that gravel. Our outdoor space is reduced to half the size because of the gravel. I cringe every time I take it outside.

My dream: unify the space by bricking the whole surface with a nice stone - all the way to the laneway. We could remove the back fence and build a carport with a transparent roof, doubling the backyard when the car is not there.

I went to an open house last summer and saw my dream carport. It shelters the car, when is it there, but keeps the space open and light. It is modern and zen, but doesn't make me clench my teeth. What a dream. Maybe one day....

Around China in 460 Photos

I know... it sounds like a lot of photos, and it is, but when you consider that I was away for 31 days, that's only 14.8 photos per day. To see all these exciting photos of China 2008, visit my Flickr page , or for some tales from the trails, visit my travel journal.

It was nice to escape Toronto in late March when it was still blanketed in snow, to hike around the spring flowers and trees of Hunan & Yunnan. But it was even better to return to Toronto a month later to blue skies and 22C weather. Good thing that I didn't have a stopover in Alberta. They had a huge snowstorm this weekend!

Where in the world??

Moneypit fans, I am hitting the road. I'm hanging up my tool belt for a money belt. I'm not collecting Air Miles at the hardware store, but by flying. Bad for my carbon credits, but good for my karma credits.

Try out this fun geography quiz as a warm-up for tales from China. I made it to level 8 and scored 255,505 on my first try. My traveler IQ is 100.

Stay tuned for details on my new travel blog.

(On my third try, I got up to 269,868, but did not get past level 8. Must consult a map of Africa before trying again. Better yet, time to travel to Africa!)

What is Obay?

After fourteen days, the Obay mystey has finally been unveiled. It confirms what we all believed: that Obay isn't real.

I loved the campaign, but the reveal was quite anticlimactic. I think that they took too long to get to the next step. People have been blogging about it, and even the Toronto Star wrote an article about it. This led me to an even better discovery: Torontoist.com. (Why have I never heard or seen this website before! They have such amazing photography!) Torontoist.com doesn't just write about stuff they've seen, they actually do some investigating, and they got to the bottom of the Obay story

I was somewhat disappointed, but the line: "pushing them to do what you want isn't right", redeems the whole campaign, in my humble opinion. It ties in directly with the creative, and it works. I was just surprised that Ontario Colleges even needs to advertise. Other than Universities, aren't they the only game in town? But when reading today's Toronto Star story, I see that this is the point. While far more practical and successful for most students, Colleges still suffer from an inferior view. Hopefully this will get people talking about the 30% of parents who would be embarrassed if their children went to College instead of University. Now that is shameful! Why? Because I said so!

OBay - From the makers of WhyBecauseISaidSo

I was walking to work the other day and I passed a bus shelter with this ad which really caught my attention. Despite the freezing cold winds and blowing snow, I stopped to take a second look. Could this be a real drug? What the hell! Uncertain, I continued along my route. Then I saw a second version only a few blocks away. Humm. Well, it made me laugh out loud, and after a coffee, I realized that this couldn't be a pharmaceutical ad: 1) because we don't advertise pharamceuticals in Canada (may cause anal leakage, dizzyness, dry mouth, watering mouth, etc.) and 2) because it is just too harsh.

Back at my computer, I googled this thing, and I couldn't find anything, except somebody else's post on Yahoo Questions. And for the first time in my life, I replied to one of those Yahoo Questions. (Guess which one is me.) There are several other replies now, but nobody knows what it is all about. It must be a progressive ad campaign, yet I have only seen four of these ads so far.

Stepping Out

I have not been very motivated lately to start any major work in our Money Pit, so instead I have been "Stepping Out". I satisfy my reno cravings by helping out friends or by lounging around the MP, enjoying the fruits of our labour. (Not a day goes by that I don't praise the reno gods for the dishwasher in our kitchen. I can't imagine life without it!)

Last weekend was very busy though. I painted at Ally & Ian's new place on Havelock on Saturday and Monday evening. The 3rd floor office is now a tasteful Benjamin-Moore beige with Cloud White trim. Very smart. And on the Sunday, I took a stroll to Upper Montrose with my painting pole to help Denise paint her bathroom a fresh pale blue. (Truth is, I borrowed the pole from Denise, so I was finally returning it!) And as luck would have it, we got a major dump of snow on Friday and my office closed early, so I used the bonus time to help Denise install a new light fixture in her hallway. It looks marvelous (if I do say so myself!)

On the road again...

To get my mind off renovating, it is time for me to hit the highway, or actually the airport, and set out on a foreign adventure. 2007 was a pretty good year, with trips to Paris and New York. I figure that 2008 is the perfect time to revisit Beijing, and see for myself how the Olympics preparations are coming along, and spend some quality time with my good friends Zerlina and Lennox. They've been living in Beijing for years and are planning to move after the Olympics. So if I want to see Beijing again, this is likely my best chance.

I will spend thirty days in China, which seems like a lot of time, but when you're traveling in a country as vast and as populated as China, it is almost insignificant. This time I will go to Hunan, Yunnan, Beijing, and Shanghai - a good compliment to my 2004 adventure in China. I want to go to Mongolia and Tibet, but that will have to wait for another trip. I hear that the sand storms this time of year are not so pleasant.

If you want to read about my travel adventures or see some photos, check out my new travel blog. I'll be updating it from the road. But I'm not leaving until March 20.

Divided We Live

Major first time home buyer error: don't think that you can easily change the floor plan. You can change some small things in your home, like removing a wall, but it is DIFFICULT to move your stairs. For some naive reason, I thought that we could change the stairs to make the space more open if we wanted to. Of course we can change it, but it will be very expensive!

The first photo shows a view of the dining room towards the living room and front door. The stairs are a nice feature in the room, but wouldn't it be nicer if you could see through to the living room, both above and below the stairs? Check out the second photo which is a reverse shot of the living room, towards the dining room and kitchen.

The wall with the cow painting is hiding the stairs. You can see all the way down to the kitchen and sunroom, but the dining room is hidden. It would be great to showcase the stairs on this side too, and allow the light to shine through, and really open up the space.

But this is just a dream. There is no way that we'll be able to change the stairs at this point. So for now, they will remain on the wish list, like getting rid of the pink bathroom. For now we will continue to live divided.

Stepping Up

One more look back: the stairs. When we bought the house, we thought that we'd just pull off the stained grey carpet and paint the stairs. Boy, were we wrong!

First we had to remove the "peel and stick" tiles, which ripped off the finish on the stairs, leaving a lumpy mess. Pulling up the dirty carpet seemed vile, until I spent about 45 hours stripping the layers of paint with a heat gun, and then with lovely scented paint stripper. How much of the paint was leaded, I wonder? And then painting with oil based paint. I did the second coat on Christmas day, before going to my sister's house for dinner. But it is funny how I had forgotten all the work, until I looked at these pictures.

Looking back a bit more

So the front hall was a success, but the dining room with the hand painted Klimt mural - what can you do with that? Four coats of Fresh Start primer, followed by two coats of Manchester Tan. The result: a dining room that doesn't give your guests indigestion. Another success story.

The kitchen: before and after, which has been well documented in this blog.

It's always good to take a look back now and then

It is easy to get down on yourself, thinking that you haven't done enough to your house. But take a look back at some old photos and you'll see the impressive transformation. Take for example, the front hall, which is now part of the living room.

Mint green paint, knotty pine wainscotting, and DARK. We tried to lighten it up with paint, but that wasn't enough. So we tore down the wall, drywalled the stucco ceiling, some fresh paint, and voila... a room that you can live in!

Now I don't feel so bad that I haven't finished painting the kitchen yet!

The pink did not stop on the main floor. It continued up the stairs and into the hallway, bathroom & "master" bedroom. We removed the "rushing rivers" mural on the closet doors, pulled down the pink pinstripe curtains & burgundy mini blinds, and then gave it a couple of coats of paint. The old futon looks pretty shabby in this photo. It is a work in progress-the room is not done yet.

The Best of New York (in my humble opinion)

We are now at the airport waiting for our flight home. I've already downloaded my photos and we have a few hours to kill, so I've decided to make a list of the places that we liked, for our next trip to NY. It seems very anal to write it all here, but figured that this way I can tell all my friends (and possibly some strangers) without having to look it up all the time.

When we weren't in New York's awesome museums (MOMA, Guggenheim, etc.) or shopping with the Canadian dollar worth more than the US (for the first time since 1976!) we were walking, eating and drinking. We had a rule that we wouldn't eat at the same place twice and that we'd always try something different if possible - especially all the micro brews that they have. Bartenders were generally very helpful in describing the various beers and would often let you sample it before committing to a pint. And with so many different restaurants to choose from, making a decision was usually the hardest part. That and finding something affordable in the more upscale neighbourhoods. Here is our list, by neighbourhood.

Restaurants:

Lower East Side

Russ & Daughters - 179 E Houston St., just east of Allen. - the BEST selection of smoked salmon and any smoked fish anywhere. The store is over 100 years old and quality is amazing. Best place to get a bagel with cream cheese and lox. Yummy! My only regret is that we didn't eat here more.

Katz's Deli - 205 E Houston St, at Ludlow St. - Traditional and crazy big New York deli that's been there since 1888. The best corned beef that I've ever tasted, and I was full for 12 hours. Sandwich comes with a big plate of pickles and pickled green tomatoes. Very fresh and fun to see the photos of all the celebs who have been there.

Pink Pony - 176 Ludlow St. (between Houston & Stanton) - Large and airy place with interesting decor and a great menu. Went for breakfast one day and would have liked to try their evening menu. Delicious. They list all of their purveyors on the menu, and most of the ingredients come from the neighbourhood. Great local feel.

Sugar - corner of Houston & Essex - not in the guide book, but we thought that we'd give it a try. Dan thought that it was the WORST of New York, and I guess that compared to everything else we'd had, it was. But, it was really not that bad. I'd recommend it for a coffee and a snack if you're in the area, but not for a meal. They do have free wifi.

Little Vesleka - First Ave between Houston & First - Strictly takeout and a few outdoor bistro tables for breakfast and light meals. A mini version of the well known Ukrainian place on Second Ave. Good coffee. It is across from Sugar and we wish that we'd gone there instead. Next time for sure.

El Sombrero - 108 Stanton St. at Ludlow St. - great Mexican restaurant in a happening neighbourhood. We walked past it dozens of times but never at meal time. There just wasn't time to check it out, but we will next time for sure. Always busy.

East Village

Frank - 88 Second Ave (between 5th & 6th Sts.) - Great traditional Italian food. Tiny with great atmosphere and menu with lots of Italian favorites. I had the homemade ravioli with beets & ricotta. Delicious.

Cloister Cafe - 238 E 9th St. (between 2nd & 3rd Aves) - tranquil garden to enjoy a refreshing drink. I didn't try the food, so can't vouch for that.

Cucina di Pesce - 87 E 4th St. (between 2nd & 3rd Aves) - Great priced Italian food with an excellent value "early bird" special (before 6:30 p.m.) which is good for the Off-off Broadway theatres in the area. We went later and still enjoyed a good meal. Dan thought that it was amazing, but I rate it more in the good range.

Sidewalk Cafe - Avenue A around 6th Street - I don't remember the exact address, as we're not that keen on going back. I remembered eating there when I was in NY about a decade ago and stayed on the Lower East side with a friend of a friend. I was so pleased to find it, we had to try it. It was our first morning in Manhattan, and the place was packed. Sadly, the food wasn't as good as I had remembered. I would skip it next time.

Yaffa Cafe - 97 St. Mark's Place - Recommended by a local coffee shop employee, and I have also been there a few times on previous trips, but this 24 hour cafe did not measure up to my memories. Their menu is too varied. How can they do everything well? It is a good location and a cool decor, but I think that the quality of food has slipped. The moral of the story: only go to a 24 hour restaurant when all others are closed. The long hours have a negative impact on the quality.

NoLIta (North of Little Italy)

Cafe Colonial - 276 Elizabeth St. at Houston - Based on the fresh food concept of colonial restaurants in Brazil, bright with high ceilings and friendly staff. Delicious brunch, but the rest of the menu looked good too.

Cafe Gitane - 242 Mott St. at Prince St. - Small but tasty food with a French flair. Yummy and great atmosphere too. I've been here on three separate trips to NYC and still love it.

Cafe Habana - 229 Elizabeth St - it sounded good and looked packed whenever we passed by, but didn't have time to try it ourselves. I'll put it on the list for next time, that's for sure.


Midtown West

Hourglass Tavern - 373 W 46th St. (between 8th & 9th Aves) - In "restaurant row" near the big Broadway theatres. A good choice if you're in the neighbourhood, but I wouldn't go out of my way to try it. Great atmosphere and nice staff, good food too. They have an hourglass on the wall above each table and during busy times, they turn it so that you don't overstay your welcome during the pre-Theatre rush.

Upper West Side

Vinyl - 507 Columbus Ave (at 85th St.) - We went to meet a friend from Toronto who is working in NY. This is her new neighbourhood, and a place that she's been a few times. It has a great decor of vinyl records and recording artists. The menus are old album covers (mine was Bonnie Rait, but Dan's was some old musical starring a then unknown Tom Bosley) which was fun. We met quite early in the evening so it was full of tables with young children and even one birthday party. But it was still quite cool and the decor was fun. The food was delicious and reasonably priced too. They have two other locations: one in Hell's Kitchen and I don't remember the other.

Brooklyn - Park Slope

Coco Roco - 392 Fifth Ave (between 6th & 7th Sts) - Peruvian cuisine - very very good. We ordered off the daily specials menu and were extremely happy with our choices. The ceviche appetizer tray was awesome. Five different types of seafood all 'cooked' in citrus, so it is tender and delicious, like sushi. I highly recommend trying it, if you haven't already. Great service and good prices too.

BARS

Hands down, the best drinking holes are found in both the Lower East Side and the East Village. A bit more gritty and unique than other areas of Manhattan, and filled with interesting looking characters. Anything but generic. But, I guess that it depends on what you're looking for. This area is more like Toronto's Queen Street West or Parkdale, not Yorkville. I understand that Brooklyn is the place to be for that type of ambiance at even better prices, but regrettably, we only made it out there once.

Lower East Side

I don't think that you could go wrong on any place on Ludlow. There are a bunch of bars close together, and we tried a few, and liked them all. I just don't remember all the names. On weekends, it gets beyond packed with non-Manhattan-ites in their trendy outfits.

Max Fish - 178 Ludlow Street just below Houston - High ceilings, interesting decor, and local hipsters come to drink with their dogs.

Local 138 - 138 Ludlow Street, just down from Max Fish - darker, moodier place with good music and friendly service.

East Village

d.b.a - 41 First Ave (between 2nd & 3rd Sts.) - This place was below our apartment and we foolishly walked past it many times, en route to other bars. Fortunately we stopped in for a pint before going to the airport and wished that we'd gone earlier. Amazing selection of beers and bourbons, great staff and good character. It was packed most nights after 10 p.m.

Lakeside Lounge - 162 Ave B (between E 10th & 11th Sts.) - I've been here on several prior trips to NYC. Small dark place that often features bands. They have a photo booth in the bar, where I have crowded into with friends in the past. On this trip, we visited on a quiet Monday night and it just didn't have the same energy that it usually has, but I still liked it.

Beauty Bar - 231 East 14th St. (between 2nd & 3rd Aves) - An old beauty parlor with all the hair dyers and equipment now used for patrons to enjoy a cocktail. They have a manicure special: $10 which includes a free cocktail. A bit bar with a good selection of beers, but also lots of old beauty products on display. They have a big back room where I saw some stand-up comics on my last visit to NYC. This time we just enjoyed a pint in the front room, and the fact that we were two of only a handful who were not asked for ID at the door. It was Friday, so the crowd was a bit younger.

One and One - First Ave at 1st Street - Almost across the street from our apartment, it was close and had a good happy hour and great vantage for people watching on Houston. We sampled their awesome Happy Hour wings at only 10 cents per wing and washed them down with $4 pints. Yum. The pub itself was less interesting, but the location made up for that.

Midtown East

Old Town Bar and Grill - 45 E 18th St. (between Park Ave & Broadway) - Over a hundred years old, huge ceilings and huge booths, and a bar that runs the length of the place. We sat in a booth with an autographed book jacket from Frank McCourt, claiming that it is the only bar left in NY where you can talk. Good conversation levels. They serve food too.

Pete's Tavern - 129 E 18th St (at Irving Pl.) - They claim that it is New York oldest original bar. I'm not sure what the original part means, although it did look old and had lots of character. We had a beer at the bar, to fuel our walk home from the Flatiron building. It is said that O. Henry wrote his short story "The Gift of the Magi" in his regular booth here. We sat at the bar right beside this booth, and it had a "reserved" sign on it the whole time, but nobody sat there. En route to the bathroom, I saw tons of photos of various celebs eating there: Rosie O'Donnell, Bill Clinton, Johnny Depp, etc., but none were there that night.

Midtown West

Rudy's - 627 Ninth Ave (between 44th & 45th Sts.) - a dive bar with free hot dogs and cheap beer, and vintage bartenders. Reputed to be popular with the broadway performers (think cheap and close by) but the theatre was in while we were there, so instead it was full of Hell's Angels and frat boys. An interesting and potentially dangerous mix.We sat in a circular red vinyl booth that was majorly taped up with red duct tape. I wanted to take a photo but was worried about the biker guys. We had our pint and got outta there. (I had been there before and found it fun that other time.)

SoHo

Fanelli - 94 Prince St at Mercer - an old bar with a great vibe and killer location. Good place for a cool refreshment on a day of shopping, or even at night. On my last trip, we enjoyed a few glasses of wine while chatting the the bartender. This time we were left on our own to soak up the ambiance.

West Village

We walked all the way over from the East Village, just for a change of pace, but found the area to be lacking in the kind of original places we had found on the east side. We went to The Blind Tiger Ale House on Hudson St., as I'd been there on my last trip to NYC two years ago, but it has been replaced by yet another Starbucks. Boo. But we soldiered on to:

White Horse Tavern - 567 Hudson St at W. 11th St. - It's claim to fame is that Dylan Thomas had his last meal there, before going to hospital with alcohol poisoning. It is decorated with lots of white horses all over. I thought it looked kinda cool, but Dan said that it seemed as authentic as a Firkin (a chain of generic pubs in Ontario). It was full of generic white people and we were sitting too close to a loud guy who was visiting from another part of the US, and thought that everybody would want to hear his take on the characters on Leave It to Beaver. One of the most expensive pints we had in New York and definitely not the best. I'd give it a pass.

Brooklyn - Park Slope

The Gate - 321 Fifth Ave at 3rd St. - Great beer selection and a BIG patio. A great place to relax after a long walk.

Brooklyn - Carrol Gardens

The Brooklyn Social Club - I didn't get to this place because I forgot to take the address with me when we went to Brooklyn, and surprisingly, we did not walk past it on our long long march. My friends tell me that it is amazing, and I do regret that we didn't get to see it.