Elliott C. Back: In Aere Aedificare

I’ve been looking for an apartment. Let me tell you my story!

Brooklyn, 4-5th Avenue and 27th street

I met the guy and saw the place, which was a cute, affordable studio in Brooklyn. The neighborhood was primarily hispanic and quite nice. I thought it was mine until he gave it to a girl. So, the first apartment search ends in sex-discrimination against me, whom all of you know is at least as clean as most women. Or, maybe showing up in a sweaty runner’s garb complete with position plaque from my 3.5 mile run counted against me.

Brooklyn, on the 5th train route

I got there early so I scouted a 10 block radius around the dilapidated building, but everyone was staring at me the whole time. It was like I entered a country where a cute, skinny, white boy in a dress shirt and pants was unacceptable. I had thought NY was a homogeneous mix, but actually it really has bubbles of segregation and isolationism pocketing it. Today I ended up in the wrong bubble, where everyone was African American and didn’t like a white face in their part of town. I didn’t want to stand the guy up I arranged to see the apartment with, so I showed up, made friendly smalltalk, expressed concerns about fitting in in their neighborhood (which the building manager couldn’t allay), and then took off. It seemed like a nice place to live, with lots of kids, and fun, and happiness in the air… but just not for one of me, whatever that might be. I got less hostile looks in Shanghai.

Midtown East, with the pushy brokerage company

This was the best so far, a nice studio between 1st and 2nd on 45th Avenue for just $1600 a month. I told the brokerage company that I was willing to put 1 month’s rent as a deposit to take it off the market. Then they went good cop / bad cop on me. The broker who showed me the place encouraged me to do that, and hinted that they could definitely hold it a couple of days, while the head broker said they couldn’t and that if I were to proceed my “$1600 deposit” would be forfeit in the event that I changed my mind.

After listening to a lot of very pushy talk about how fast the market moves, how I’ll never find such a great bargain again, etc, I told them that the opportunity cost was too high not to check out some other places I have arranged to see. Staten Island v.s. Midtown:

If the Staten Island place is in a good location in Staten Island, it’s definitely going to be a much better deal for me than living in Manhattan. I’ll be saving $600-700 a month, after tax money that I can then invest, or put into repayments against my student loans. At $500 a month I would theoretically pay them off in 6.5 years. At $1100 a month, I would be paying them off in just 2.6 years. And I’ll save $5000 of interest payments.

The nice thing about a fast-moving liquid market is that in a week everything is changed, and I can pull out my checkbook and sign a place on the spot, as good a deal as the week before, maybe better. Things aren’t static, which means as much buyer opportunity as there is seller opportunity.

So, I’m going to be flying to Honolulu this Friday, so at Wendy’s request I’m collecting a big list of possible things to do while we are there! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted in this category; it feels good!

The USS Arizona Memorial is the final resting place for many of the battleship’s 1,177 crew members who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. The national memorial commemorates the site where World War II began for the United States. Experience history through the national memorial’s program tour, museum, and wayside exhibits.

Directions: The #20 and #42 bus will take you to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center
Times: 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 7 days a week

Hawaiian for “Sprouting Water”, this is one of the most famous beaches in the world. The two mile stretch of white sand coast is fronted by hotels and tourist facilities. The area is excellent for swimming, surfing, boogie boarding, catamaran and outrigger canoe rides. You can read more about Waikīkī beach on Wikipedia!

Hawaii’s Polynesian Cultural Center, located about one hour’s scenic drive from Waikiki, is the top paid Hawaiian attraction for a reason. Our seven native villages give visitors the rare chance to participate in the daily adventures of Hawaiian and other South Pacific cultures. Add Hawaii’s most authentic luau and the world’s largest Polynesian night show and you’ll see why every trip to Hawaii should include a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Yes, it’s for tourists, but even my mother said to go!

When: Pickup from hotel around 12:30
Where: The other side of the island

Be pampered at the exclusive Captain’s welcome reception on the top deck, 7-course French style dinner served to your own private table in our Art Deco Super Nova Room, super premium beverages and live Jazz entertainment!

When: 5:30 - 9:00 PM
Where: Call (808) 983-STAR (7827) to reserve

Hanauma is both a Nature Preserve and a Marine Life Conservation District (the first of several established in the State of Hawai‘i). Visitors are required by law to refrain from mistreating marine animals or from touching, walking, or otherwise having contact with coral heads. Hanauma is known for its abundance of Green sea turtles, also known as the Honu. Hanauma Bay is a breeding ground for the turtle because of its abundance of foods, protection from predators, and other unknown reasons.

When: 6:00a.m. until 7:00p.m. except on Tuesdays
Where: Number 22 bus from Waikiki; runs down Kuhio Avenue
More fun: Call 1.866.268.7459 to rent bumper boats, jet skis

Settled close by the exquisitely beautiful Pali of Windward Oahu, this enormous garden possesses some of the most exotic vegetation across the greatest expanse I’ve ever seen. We were disappointed in Oahu’s terrain until we went to Kaneohe. We came upon this park by accident. What a beautiful area. This garden had some of the best pictures of our trip.

When: 9 AM to 4 PM
Where: 55 or 56 will stop on Kamehameha Hwy.; it’s a 2-mile walk to the visitor center

Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēʻahi. Diamond Head Trail is 1¾ miles to the rim and takes about 1½ hours. There is NO shade, so schedule an early hike!

When: 6 AM to 6 PM
Where: From Kuhio Avenue, take Bus #22 or Bus #58

The Honolulu Zoo covers 42 lush, shady acres at the Diamond Head end of Waikiki. The zoo features some special exhibits such as the Nene (the Hawaii state bird), native Hawaiian forest birds, and the highlight of the zoo, the Kabuni Reserve. The African savanna covers 12-acres where animals roam freely behind disguised barriers in 30 different habitats.

When:9:00 am to 4:30 pm daily
Where: Downtown, call (808) 971-7171

The Waikiki Aquarium, founded in 1904, is the third oldest public aquarium in the United States. A part of the University of Hawaii since 1919, the Aquarium is located next to a living reef on the Waikiki shoreline. Our exhibits, programs, and research focus on the aquatic life of Hawaii and the tropical Pacific. Over 2,500 organisms in our exhibits represent more than 420 species of aquatic animals and every year, roughly 350,000 people visit the Waikiki Aquarium.

When: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Where: Within walking distance

Parasail with Xtreme Parasail. The highest flight you can buy in the state of Hawaii. Without a doubt the BEST and LONGEST way to enjoy your flight in the air. If you’re going to do it, get the most out of 1,000 feet of line!

When: Call 808.737.3599 for information
Where: Pickup from hotels

Cirque Hawaii has exploded on Waikiki’s entertainment scene with all the joie de vivre that can be expected from a show patterned in the tradition of the wildly popular and purely magical Cirque du Soleil performances of Las Vegas and international fame. Mounted by two former Cirque du Soleil performers, the Waikiki show features a troupe of 34 award-winning aerialists, acrobats and dancers from around the world.

When: 1.808.922.0017
Where: 325 Seaside Avenue / Honolulu Hawaii 96815

A few miscellaneous things to do around the city:

• Laser tag @ Ultrazone
• Chinese dance theater performance

I’ve got a couple more things to post here, but it will have to wait till I get back from work!

While I was in Shanghai three weeks ago, I had a chance to try all kinds of food I’d never tried before. It was all great–I loved the authenticity of eating Chinese food in China. I also went with my girlfriend Wendy who did a fantastic job of finding us places to eat. Had I been alone I might have succumbed to the temptation of the familiar “golden arches” of McDonalds. That would have been ironic beyond belief. Never go to a foreign country and eat American food. It’s just bad taste!

The above little beauty is a mound of shaved, packed ice covered with sweet beans, black jelly, and some caramelized vegetables. It has also had a sweet sauce poured over it. It may very well be the strangest thing I ate in Shanghai, yet my girlfriend loves them. And, once you get over how odd the combination of ingredients is, and the shape, so unlike anything I’d ever seen before, it was actually quite tasty. You want to balance the solid stuff with the cool ice, and enjoy them in mixed proportions together.

Walking in that same mall’s food area, we came across this phoenix watermelon fruit juice drink. I wanted to order one just to take a picture of it, but I settled for a quick shot in the window. I think the price was $18 RMB. Only $2 for something so majestic! Drink the elixir of the everliving bird and you shall never die!!

Our last dessert for the evening, I point out this ice cream advertisement on the streets of (correct me if I’m wrong darling) the Xujiahui district. I was immediately struck with how clever the execution of the ad was–it reminds me a little of the Freakonomics title with its classic orange/apple synergy.

We did end up eating Pizza once from a Western pizza chain… it wasn’t bad, but my garlic breadsticks were cold. And, it wasn’t Chinese food. However, the next image shall redeem me:

Oh, what is this? Well, it’s the delicious brunch that Wendy brought me for in the rotating restaurant at the top of the Oriental Peal Tower, the tallest tower in Asia, and the third tallest tower in the world. The view was spectacular, the food well presented and wide in variety, and the company stunning. I couldn’t have asked for a better meal!

I got the following message in my inbox from the kind folks at Expedia:

We have received an unconfirmed response on your reservation. This means that the airline has not acknowledged the flight and/or fare that you originally purchased. We have attempted to restore the original flights and have been unsuccessful. Without confirmation from the airline, we are unable to ticket this reservation.

Please call us at 1-800-EXPEDIA as soon as possible and refer to your itinerary number so that we can work with you to make alternate arrangements. Unless you call within 72 hours of receiving this e-mail, your reservation will automatically cancel.

If you have further questions, feel free to reply to this e-mail or contact Expedia customer services at 1-800-397-3342 and reference case ID xxxxxx. You can also visit the Expedia.com “Customer Support” page () for more customer service information.

I always thought when I bought plane tickets from Expedia that somewhere tickets, real tickets, would be issued to me, a seat reserved and noted, etc. Unfortunately, everything seems to operate in batch-mode, where airlines give blocks of seats to online vendors who match them together in strange ways that allow the possibility that the tickets they’ve resold may not represent spots on a plane:

I’m not the only one complaining about this practice. See:

• Expedia dot SCAM?
• Rate IT All Expedia
• Mouth Shut on Expedia
• Victims of Expedia

My bank account also looks quite cute, waiting for $3000 in refunds:

This isn’t to blame Expedia though. To their benefit, they are refunding the total amount over those two cancelled flights. Also, their customer service reps on the phone were extremely apologetic and kind. It’s more a flaw in the system of batch-time ticket booking. With a real-time synchronized process, this sort of thing could not happen.

I rarely write about my personal life on this blog, but this story is interesting enough to warrant the diversion.

This Christmas, I had carefully planned a trip home to Phoenix to visit my family. I was to fly out Friday evening, and return Wednesday morning. Then, I planned to spend a few days relaxing in NYC before going back to work. I have gifts for all my family members, and my grandparents who were in town for the warm Arizona winter season from icy Canada. A few of my friends from high school also wanted to see me.

Then something new, exciting, and amazing came up.

The girl I had started seriously dating offered to host me with her family in Shanghai. Wow. I was touched by the invitation, but at first I thought it was just a politeness. I checked it out anyway and found that I could buy a ticket from Phoenix to Shanghai on Tuesday, and returning to NYC the next Monday. I thought that if it were possible it would be the best week spent anywhere of my life–something I’d remember forever. When I came to understand that she really wanted me to come, I purchased those tickets and looked forward to the most lovely Christmas of my life!

Then, a minor mishap tumbled up all my plans.

I had to get a rush L tourist visa to visit China, so I went to the embassy in NYC, documents in hand, Friday. I was there when it opened, and they told me to come back at 2 PM. I didn’t realize that they closed there are 2:30 PM, because their website led me to believe something else, and because I was very tired at the time. When I came back they were closed. I couldn’t take the same flight home, and when I got back to Queens, I found by calling airlines and online that there were no tickets to Phoenix, and then back to NYC Monday night / Tuesday morning.

Calling Expedia I found that my Shanghai tickets were not actually issued yet, and that I could have them canceled and buy NYC to Shanghai tickets. So the new plan is to pick up my visa at 9 AM Tuesday, take a cab to JFK, and arrive in Shanghai later (much later, it’s a 16 hour flight) to spend the remainder of Christmas with my girlfriend and her family. I will visit my own family sometime later in February, since I still want to hand-deliver their presents. In spite of this trouble, I am determined to everything possible to make the trip to Wendy work.

At the end of it all, the experience is a jumbled mix of love, disappointment, excitement, my own incompetence, sacrifice, planning, fate, disruption, tranquility, and happiness. I lose the dollar amount of the flight to Phoenix, but I have a chance to see them soon to make it up. I lose the chance to spend Christmas with my family, but I gain the chance to have a wonderful time with Wendy.