Latest / Excuse My Grandma / Excuse My Solo: The Nostalgia of Old New York City

Transcript

Excuse My Solo: The Nostalgia of Old New York City · Excuse My Grandma

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: From athletic stuff like a full court pickup game, swish to athletic ish stuff like a half mile stroll. Get those steps in. Head to Sierra or sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all. From athletic to athletic ish, Sierra's got it.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session, and this summer, Prime originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off Campus, Elle, Every Year After, The Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen.
• 0:40
  Your next obsession is waiting. Watch on Prime.
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: Welcome back to another episode of Excuse My Grandma. This week, it is just Kim. We're gonna do a little solo episode while grandma is still in Florida. I am in New York for a few days, but don't worry. I'm going back to Florida, like, next week.
• 1:20
  I I'm honestly losing track of time. I think it's next week, and then we'll get in lots of content together. Then I'm gonna come back to New York again without her just because I like getting back to real life. I mean, Palm Beach is made up land, and as fun as it is to be in the beautiful weather and with my family, I feel like bringing me back to New York. I love the vibe of New York, obviously.
• 1:50
  And that's what I'm gonna talk about today, by the way, of my Nostalgia obsession and growing up in New York City. But first, let me do a little recap. So I've been in New York the last few weeks. Grandma was here for a little bit of it. She got to come to my UJA event because I was co chairing this generosity gala.
• 2:11
  And the first part of it, parents got to come and then it became 800 young people in their twenties and thirties. But she and my parents and my other set of grandparents and Poppy got to come and congratulate me, which was lovely. And my boyfriend's sister was on the committee too. So he was in town, which was amazing, but in from LA. And so him, his parents, and my friend who introduced me and my boyfriend who is, you know, also his sister, she was there as well because she was on the committee.
• 2:46
  So it was a family affair, which was so nice. And it was so nice to have Zach here for the week. We had some nice dinners. I mean, it was kinda chill because we both had work to do, but we watched White Lotus together one night. We had dinner at Cucina Alba in Hudson Yards.
• 3:10
  I had mixed feelings on it. It was pretty good. I'm trying to think what else we did. It was nice just having him here. I was with him for a full month because before that, I was in LA staying with him and getting some work stuff done.
• 3:23
  And then he came to Palm Beach for a few days around my birthday, which was nice because I want to be in Palm Beach so I could be with my family on my birthday because they always make it special. So it was nice to all, you know, have each other there too. And, yep, Zach did stay with Grandma Gail and Poppy with me as he has, I think now three times, which is just hilarious in itself. I'm 29 years old and staying at my grandparents with my boyfriend, but that's the charm of it all. The charm of Excuse My Grandma.
• 3:55
  And now Zach went back, so I'm not sure when I'm gonna see him next. That's the hard part about long distance, but it's fine because I can see my friends as much as I want. I can really put my head down and like start thinking about content and strategy and all the things to grow, excuse my grandma, and get into parts of the industry that I really wanna get into. So it's not like I'm like, I am still very busy, but I do wish it was all merged together that I could have Zach and friends and family and work all kind of going at once, but it's what it is for now. What else did I do?
• 4:40
  Oh, we also saw a play together one night, which was fun. We went to this show called All Nighter that Ben Platt produced, and it was about a few college kids in the last week of school spending an all nighter in the library. You would probably recognize some of the cast in it if you watch, like, TV because a lot of them were in TV shows that I watch. And then we got to go to a cast party after, which was really cool with some other influencers that I actually recognize. And I get really nervous in those situations, but Zach was really good with me because he kind of pushed me to talk to people and get outside of my comfort zone.
• 5:15
  I have always had a little bit of social anxiety. So I think having someone always with me at those kinds of events makes a big difference. The ones I'm talking to you, you'd have idea. I mean, I like to think I'm charming, but, you know, it's just everyone gets nervous, especially in those work situations. I also went to something at Instagram with they host some of their creators to kinda talk about new features on the app and get their creator community together and really network.
• 5:43
  And I get so nervous in those networking situations too. But I know that I'll feel good after if I introduce myself to the people who work there, whether it's a brand event or Instagram or the other creators there, I always feel better. I just end up standing in a corner until someone talks to me. But when it matters, I think I get down to it. Okay.
• 6:06
  Let's get to what I wanna discuss this week. This is what I wanna chat about. I have always been obsessed with the nostalgia. It's part of my personality at this point. I love watching old movies.
• 6:18
  I only listen to music from the fifties to the eighties. I romanticize everything, whether it's my dating life, getting ready, or just walking down the street, there's something about looking back to the past that makes everything feel so much more special. I grew up in New York City as a lot of you probably know. And maybe it's because when you grow up in New York, you're constantly surrounding by history and by that feeling that people come to New York for, which is the iconic classic nature of the city. And I've always felt like I lived in a city that has already been lived in by so many glamorous, interesting people before me, including generations of my family members.
• 7:06
  So growing up here, I was raised on stories of what New York City used to be. My grandma would remember certain things. It would be what my parents talk about and even what I saw in old movies. So there was always this sense that I had just missed out on something amazing and that I probably will miss out on something amazing in the future. And then I'm also taking it all in and experiencing in myself.
• 7:33
  And the city has always had such exciting, elegant, romantic vibes to it. And I would say it it dates from the nineties when I was born and then previous to that. I don't know. Maybe a little bit of the February because it's my own nostalgia of thinking about growing up and the playgrounds I went to and things like that. But I definitely think 2000 onward didn't have the same vibe.
• 8:04
  And so I think that's why I've always been drawn to making New York feel like old New York. I wanna bring back things that made it special. I wanna go to those classic old timey restaurants for dinner and go to Broadway shows and check out those classic spots that have really been around forever. But New York City has changed. And I don't know if it was COVID.
• 8:29
  I don't know if it was government changes. I don't know if it's just society and culture and how that's changed such a influential city. I know that I started leaving New York during COVID to go to Palm Beach more frequently and also just realizing how the weather here is like not the best. But it partly was doing that because you couldn't really hail a yellow cab in the same way. The streets were are crazy with ride sharing apps.
• 9:03
  There's so much traffic, like three to five times the amount of traffic, would say. And it's just a different atmosphere, but I don't think that magic is completely gone. I think you just have to know where to look. So that's where I'm coming in. I'm still trying to figure this out on my own, but I want to have you all listen to what creates old New York for me, the places I go, and also the nostalgia of home for me.
• 9:33
  I'm sure everyone has that with their own hometown. And for me, it just happens to be New York City. So what was old New York to me? There are certain things about New York City that has always felt timeless. For example, you go to Times Square, billboards, you go to a Broadway show.
• 9:53
  Central Park to me is the heart of it. I think anytime you walk in the park, you're transported back in time. It's so romantic. It's set to the sound of jazz of a trumpet player underneath one of those little bridges in the park echoing and school children cheering and yelling and different languages as you walk by people. And it's such a beautiful symphony to me.
• 10:26
  And I'm I'm probably you're you could be laughing being like, what is she doing romanticizing this? But it's truly how I see things. I think parts of the Upper East Side are totally old New York to me. I grew up on Upper East Side. But besides that, I think a lot of places there are establishments.
• 10:43
  I think the people who live there, I've been living there for a really long time. So even walking on the street, those people feel like they're from a different time. A 100% going to these museums, The Met, especially, I grew up blocks from, and it's a wonderful museum. I sound like grandma Gail. It's a wonderful museum.
• 11:04
  Museum. You have to turn on this program on PBS. That's what I'm gonna be saying next. Okay. I think downtown, the Whitney is fun.
• 11:15
  MoMA back Upper West Side Natural History Museum when you go with kids. Oh my god. If you guys went to Natural History Museum on field trips when you were younger or with your parents on the weekends, they used to have those little dinosaur chicken nuggets in the cafeteria. God knows what was in them. That is such a nostalgic moment for me.
• 11:34
  Other things I did as a child that seem I I wonder if people do this with their kids still today because it seems a little old fashioned. I took tap dancing lessons. I took ballet. I took piano lessons. I think it's good to put your kids into those kind of things young and then you'll see actually if it turns into something.
• 11:57
  But otherwise, I do think it creates that creativity in a kid. Oh, I forgot to mention Woman Rink. That's an iconic place. You always feel like you're transported back in time, do a little ice skating date. And then there's places as as a child that I did birthday parties that I don't even know if we're around anymore, like the vinegar factory or the craft studio, which was, you know, you'd paint your own little pots and stuff.
• 12:23
  I did so many different birthdays there. And I remember they would always get one of those noodles, like pool noodles, and everybody would do the limbo. Not the limbo. What's it called? The limbo.
• 12:33
  Right? When you go under when you go under the rope. I think that's what it's called. Wait. We have to Google this because why does that sound wrong?
• 12:41
  Limbo? Limbo dance? No. Guys, am I crazy?
• 12:50
  Speaker 4: This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home. With agents who close twice as many deals, when you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it.
• 13:14
  Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream.
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: With Plan B emergency contraception, we're in control of our future. It's backup birth control you take after unprotected sex that helps prevent pregnancy before it starts. It works by temporarily delaying ovulation, and it won't impact your future fertility. Plan B is available in all 50 US states at all major retailers near you with no ID, prescription, or age requirement needed. Together, we've got this.
• 13:43
  Follow Plan B on Insta at Plan B One Step to learn more. Use as directed. Yeah. It is the limbo. Do people still do the limbo?
• 13:55
  Anyway, we also would always have this guy magic Al at a lot of our birthday parties who was just a magician, but the kids would go crazy, including myself, for this guy. And I feel like five years ago, I happened to go to a kid's birthday party and he was there. So I feel like he's still doing this thing twenty years later. More than that. Jesus.
• 14:17
  Thirty years later probably. And then there's also places I used to shop a ton as a kid also have gone out of business, but hopefully people who are from the New York area might relate. You guys remember Infinity? That was so popular on the Upper East Side. And then Lester's.
• 14:36
  I think less is Lester's still there? That was an establishment. You would bump into everyone you know. I also feel like there were a few people I knew who were Lester's models and they were on the front, like, on the outside. And I was like, wow, they've made it big.
• 14:49
  So I'm I'm thinking of things as a that I was a little child. And I don't necessarily think in order to get nostalgia back, you need to do things little kids do. Like, even though I love Disney World and watching a Disney movie, it's not necessarily about being a kid again, but maybe revisiting places that brings up the memories of when you were a kid. Okay. But if you're an adult listening or, you know, 18 and up, where can you go today to recreate that feeling of old New York?
• 15:26
  How do you make new New York old New York? So I have certain restaurants that I feel like are stuck in time. I just celebrated my birthday as I mentioned, and we went to Carbone for dinner, me and a bunch of my girlfriends. And Carbone is one of those places where, like, they're playing old Italian music. It's like brick walls, very West Village Soho vibes.
• 15:49
  Have a dirty martini there, and you are brought back in time. Similarly, I know it's not easy to make a reservation, but there's this place, Reyes, in Harlem that is also old school Italian. They have pictures on the walls of the celebrities who have been there. I love it there. Go to Bloomingdale's.
• 16:09
  Go to forty Carrots and have a froyo. Go to JG Mellon on the Upper East Side and get a burger. Also on the Upper East Side, EAT, the deli. Is it a deli? It's like prepared foods and stuff like that.
• 16:23
  William Greenberg's Bakery, they have the best rainbow cookies and chocolate covered popcorn. To me, that feels nostalgic. Another fancier Italian restaurant in Molino. There's also for lunch on the Upper East Side for, like, a little half sandwich and soup, and you feel really classy via Quadrono. And then also more diner type food, Lexington Candy Shop on the Upper East Side is like an old school soda shop.
• 16:55
  I used to go after school no problem. Now I walk around there, there's like a line around the block. I'm not really sure what that's about, but I like it there. And then by me now in Flatiron, there's Eisenberg's Deli, which I think closed and reopened under new ownership a few years ago and it's very fifties type like deli sandwiches and milkshakes and that kind of thing so that's a lot of fun. I wanna talk again about entertainment and culture in the city, especially Broadway.
• 17:29
  So I'm not sure if it's just I've gotten older or it's just not in vogue anymore to go to Broadway. I don't feel like it's as common as, you know, let's go to a bar on Saturday night or go to dinner with your group of friends. Part of it is probably ticket prices, although it's not always expensive depending on what seat you choose and if you do it far enough in advance. But I think going to Broadway more, make it feel like an event. You're gonna learn something.
• 17:58
  You're gonna be entertained. It's something fun to mix it up besides just getting dinner with your friends. Shows that are on Broadway right now that I love if you wanna go. I just saw Hell's Kitchen, the Alicia Keys musical. I know I'm late to seeing that, but I think it's like one or two years old.
• 18:19
  So amazing. Definitely go see that and it gives you that New York feeling since it's set in Hell's Kitchen. The show and Juliet is very fun. That's a new musical. Cabaret who, you know, it's that show has been on Broadway a million times, but I love it.
• 18:37
  And they've revamped it. Book of Mormon, Wicked, all those classic ones are still on Broadway. And I haven't seen Outsiders yet, but I would love to see that that one best new musical this year. I also think listening to old songs makes a huge difference. And this is so like, I'm such a romantic, but I walk around the city and I and I'm listening to old New York type music.
• 19:06
  And I'll try to find a playlist that I can link on my stories on Instagram for everyone to listen to if they don't know where to start. But listening to Frank Sinatra or Louis Armstrong or Ella Fitzgerald and walking around the city is such an amazing vibe. Autumn in New York. And classic New York City activities people should still do. Do.
• 19:31
  I mentioned the museums. Go to tea at the plaza where there's a million little places that'll do like a high tea ceremony. There's such amazing piano bars as well. I haven't been in ages, but Bemmelman is a really famous one on the Upper East Side in the Carlisle. And then Marie's Crisis in the West Village does all show tunes and piano bar, and it's so, so fun.
• 19:55
  I only discovered that one in high school, I think. Well, because I was drinking. But when it comes to fashion and style, I think walking around Soho and shopping just gives you that New York feel still. But I think also going into vintage shops, there's also this, like, vintage market that they do a few times a year called Next to Normal that they do in the old Bergdorfs in, like, Flatiron area. So fun.
• 20:22
  Next time I go, I'll take some content so I can show everybody. And then watching movies. Let's say you're not in New York and you love New York or you are and you just wanna watch When Harry Met Sally, like it's a documentary. That's an amazing one to watch. Any Woody Allen movies like Annie Hall or Manhattan, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Serendipity, all movies that are, you know, 30 years old at this point, but not more than that.
• 20:51
  Jeez. 50 years old. But they are so classic New York and will really make you appreciate the city more. So I'll make this episode short and sweet, but I just like to come in, talk to you guys, and update you on what I was up to in the last few weeks and talk about the things that are important to me. And this week, I felt like talking about old New York was the right topic.
• 21:19
  So here are my closing thoughts. Do we think New York City is still magical? I New York is one of those places that will always change. We've seen that. It's the nature of the city, but I don't think the feeling of old New York has to disappear.
• 21:38
  I think it's still there if you know where to look. Part of it is just deciding to see the magic and really lean in to the things that I was describing, You know, like taking the long way home through the park just so you can walk through and look at the beautiful brownstones on the Uptown or or in West Village, in Greenwich Village, sit at a cafe. I think what I'm getting at is I walk through life going from thing to thing, plugging in my AirPods and listening to a podcast, which is great sometimes. But I think actually listening to the city and not having those distractions and not thinking about your own issues is really what's gonna make you appreciate New York. Dress up just because.
• 22:34
  Take pictures with your friends. You get the gist. So I'd love to hear from all of you. Message me on Instagram or TikTok or anywhere you wanna get ahold of me after the episode. I think you can also leave comments on the episode if you're listening on Spotify.
• 22:50
  So tell me how you make New York City feel nostalgic. Or if you're not in New York City, how do you romanticize your own city? I would love to know. And I will see you all next week with Grandma Gail.