Worth your money, pt. 2

The Intrepid Author's Lady GaGa costume

Part of an ongoing series in which I name 3 items you SHOULD spend money on. Kind of like “Oprah’s Favorite Things”, but, you know, useful.

1. A granny cart: These are the wire basket/shopping cart hybrids you often see pushed around by the elderly. In New York, however, you pretty much need one or else you’ll DIE. Really. See, living in New York City forces you to have your logistical thinking cap on at all times. When you go grocery shopping, how are you going to get your purchases home? A lot of places (like my fave, Trader Joe’s) offer home delivery, but that usually means extra fees and tips. Or when you take your laundry to the laundromat, pushing 30 lbs of clothes in a granny cart is way easier than hauling it on your back. And it’s already hot enough in the city right now- there’s no reason for you to create extra work for yourself. And I even Googled it for you, so here’s a list of places selling granny carts online.
2. Wash and fold: This is one of the most beautiful services I’ve ever encountered in New York. When I take my laundry to the laundromat, I don’t sit there and do my laundry myself. This amounts to hours spent sweating and waiting in a cramped space when I could be doing more useful things (such as writing blog posts!) Instead, I drop off my clothes, and by the end of the day my freshly washed laundry bag is full of clean, neatly folded clothing. Most laundromats charge per pound of laundry, and charge extra for separating whites from darks. I suggest shopping around your neighborhood for the cheapest rates. Around the corner from me I can pay around $18 for my laundry, but a 10 minute walk to Susan Laundromat means I pay $11-12. Not bad for 2.5 weeks’ worth of clothes!
3. The true concert experience of a lifetime: So, I didn’t write a new blog post yesterday because I was ka-kinda busy… sitting in line for Lady GaGa at Madison Square Garden! The tickets were $90 each, which is the most I’ve ever paid for a show. How often, however, do you get to see a pop superstar at the height of her popularity?  (Not to mention my thoughts on GaGa being one of the most intelligent, talented pop artists the world has seen!) Our tickets were also general admission, which mean we had to get in line early if we wanted a good view. This translated into getting in line with one of my friends at 2 PM. We spent 4 hours in 100 degree-plus heat with other GaGa devotees, sweating our weight in water. However, my friend is the true champ- she recreated GaGa’s blue telephone hat/outfit from the “Telephone” video, and it included a clear shower curtain. That’s dedication.
   

   This is what dedication looks like

   But when GaGa hit the stage, and from our close vantage point, it was so worth it. The energy, the cheering, the costumes, the sets, and experiencing GaGa’s amazing voice live… it was over too quickly. I don’t think I’ll see GaGa live again. Not only the money factor, but the energy factor required for that kind of show. I had the time of my life- it’s best not to top it.