New York Minute #1
It's incredibly useful having an iPhone in New York City. I would give out iPhones instead of maps at my Concierge desk if I could (I'm a Concierge at a major hotel in midtown Manhattan). In a perfect world, everyone would have their own iPhone. Lady Gaga would also do private performances for me and my husband Brad Pitt, but that's another column. The amount of NYC-based apps available on the App Store is impressive and has vastly improved my otherwise mundane life of eating, drinking, shopping and socializing in the best city in the world.
The iPhone turns a big city like NYC into a small village by connecting us through apps. Foursquare in particular has been largely responsible for bringing together a community of like-minded people checking in at locations and taking advantage of special offers. Check in enough times at one spot and you're appointed Mayor (or Town Alky as your friends may see it). An app called SquarePik allows you to add pictures or video to your Foursquare check-in but so far the app is in its early stages and has been quite buggy. My favorite app for pictures is Hipstamatic which gives your pics an old, tattered look like Coney Island of yore, the likes of which would make Mary-Kate Olsen proud. Tourists can use Sitorsquat to find the closest bathroom, which can be immeasurably helpful if UrbanDaddy sent you to Chipotle for dinner the night before.
How did we ever survive before iPhones? As I sipped a cocktail at The Summit Bar the other night and watched Hamid, the owner, change the song on on the bar's computer-based stereo using the Remote app, I laughed over the thought of my future kids one day making fun of me for being born before Grand Theft Auto:Chinatown Wars. What a long, strange trip it's been.
New York Minute #2
As I traipse through the slushy streets of Manhattan clutching my shattered iPhone, I relive the moments of that night a week ago when this tragedy could have been prevented with a simple "no thanks!" to those Jager shots.
We were at Central Bar in the East Village and after checking in on Foursquare, I joined my friends from Rockstar Games at the bar. It was a reunion of sorts and a celebratory drink was in order. After a round (or three) of shots, I proceeded to get very excited about an idea my friend was explaining, and I jumped up and down like a big drunken dork. My precious iPhone flew out of my blazer pocket and, almost in slow motion, floated gracefully to the floor. Just kidding. It smashed against the painted black concrete like an easter egg that never had a chance. I picked it up slowly, upside down, praying that I could psychically alter the inevitable outcome... Alas! The Jedi mind trick didn't work this time and the screen gave me the sad spiderweb face as I turned it to face me.
It's been a week since it happened and I haven't fixed my precious phone yet. Partially because it still works, despite the cracked screen, but mostly because I'm afraid to part with my iPhone for even half a day. iPhone addiction much? What if I want to take a picture of something hilarious, like the crosswalk stop signal that is missing all it's fingers except the middle one? Or check-in at some supercool speakeasy and make my friends jealous? These are the things I toil over. Tough life, eh?
The Apple Store's $215 price tag for popping off a screen and putting on a new one seems a bit hefty to me. So after some research, I found that TekServe in Chelsea would be happy to give me a shiny new screen - while I wait - for a mere $119. See you soon, Apple geeks of TekServe. I heart you.