Day 28: Joanne D.

01.28.14

Joanne works at The Disney Store in Times Square and according to her name tag, her favorite Disney character is Tinkerbell. 

Originally from Florida, Joanne majored in health services at UCF and spent some time working in the food industry before moving to New York to pursue her passion for acting. Now she's taking classes at the New York City Dramatic Academy. 

Joanne was so happy and genuine as she was greeting guests in the store I wanted to meet her for myself! It was so great to meet you, Joanne!

Day 27: Rachel S.

01.27.14

I've been hearing Rachel's name for years at this point. My good friend Kristen turned to me during a happy hour that she organized asking if I knew Rachel and gestured to an unfamiliar face. I said no, but really we each felt like we were old friends even though we had never met before. 

It was so fun to chat about all of our mutual friends and how our paths have crossed throughout the years. We talked about getting a drink in the coming weeks to accurately catch up. 

So great to finally meet you, Rachel!

Day 26: Aly F.

01.26.14

It was so great to run into Hannah from Birthright at Starbucks in Union Square where she was there with her girlfriend Aly who I had heard so much about on the trip!  Obviously, Aly made a perfect Friend of the Day.

Where's is she from? Chicago! Aly is a paralegal living in NYC and just got to go to London for work. Though she wasn't able to enjoy the city too much, it still sounded cool.

I can't wait to get to spend more time with Hannah and Aly in the States!  Great to meet you, Aly!

Day 25: Greg C.

01.25.14

Today was interesting.  For the first time throughout this project I met someone who wasn't as excited about becoming my friend as I was his.

Though Greg wasn't outright rude about it.  He was honest - and really had me thinking more about this project and what it means to be a friend.

I went into Angus where my sole intention was to meet my Friend of the Day.  In fact, I planned on sitting at the bar, chatting with the bartender, and leaving having met my new friend.  That's essentially what I did, but Greg the bartender wasn't so keen on using the word "friend" as quickly as I had hoped.

Just because you meet someone new doesn't make them a friend.  Friendship is something that grows over time and I know firsthand as I have some really wonderful friends in my life.  So why do I need 365 more? -- well, that's a good question.  But it's not about that.  It's not only about having friends.  It's about being open and trusting of another human and sharing yourself and hoping that you get the same in return.  It's a mutual challenge about trust and respect.  Just as difficult on both ends.

In the end, I do hope to have 365 new friends.  Already I have connected one of them to my sister who lives in Chicago because they both live there and I think they'd really get along, I've gone back to see another one of them at his place of work, and I have every intention of doing my best to stay connected to those who are not already directly linked to my life in some way.  It's only been 25 days, but already I have met some inspiring people and everyone has a special place in my heart for being a part of this project.

That being said, after hanging out at the bar longer than anticipated, chatting with Greg and discovering shared interests, he said that he'd be happy to be my friend of the day.

Greg is a bartender at Angus who came to New York 15 years ago to pursue his passion for painting.  I was so glad to hear that he only had to work a couple days a week and could spend the rest of the time working on his art.  Greg was generous enough to share his art with me and it can be viewed at his website: www.gregorycoutinho.com

Thanks you for challenging me, Greg.  Friends do that to each other.  I'll stop by and visit you at Angus and maybe if I get there by the end of your shift we can each grab a drink and toast to your latest commission being completed - get to it!  I know you want to be done by the end of February.

Day 24: Jeremy S

01.24.14

I was in an elevator in a building on the Upper West Side on my way to a Shabbat dinner/ Birthright reunion and the guy sharing the elevator with us was so excited that we all had just gotten back. He was also heading to Shabbat dinner on the same floor but a different apartment. 

Jeremy was so nice and he was happy to be my friend of the day but because we were each running off to dinner we didn't have too much time to chat. He asked if we could grab coffee next week so we could actually learn about each other instead of the quick drive-by which of course I said was okay (the point of this project!) but that I'd post a blog entry anyway since... Well... I have to! 

Looking forward to coffee, Jeremy! Hope dinner was great! 

Day 23: Jewel N

01.23.14

Jewel and I were working together at interviews for Disney Theatrical where she is the HR Manager. I was surprised that we'd never met before.

When it came down to ordering lunch from a local Thai place, I wrote down my order, asked Jewel what she wanted, and it turned out that we ordered the same thing down to the appetizer! Clearly we were meant to be friends. 

For those wondering: Spicy Basil Noodle with chicken and steamed chicken and shrimp dumplings. 

Day 22: Rachel L.

01.22.14

Tonight a giant group of 20-somethings went to go see Disney on Ice and it was so much fun!  I initially thought I was going to know everyone in the group, but was so pleasantly surprised to discover that I had never met Rachel before.

Rachel currently works for Disney Theatrical as a teaching artist, but has been developing programs to teach culinary food science to children in underserved areas where they don't even get enough fruits or vegetables.

Originally from Southern California, Rachel went to UCLA with my friend Elizabeth and was her guest at Disney on Ice.

Not only did we get to spend some time at the show together, but also took the train home -- some good quality new friend time!

Since we were at Disney on Ice I had to ask... her favorite Disney movie is Mulan.  The Mulan sequence in the show was by far the best of the evening, too!

Day 21: Pixie

01.21.14

Yup.  Her name was Pixie.

Here's the deal.  I'd gotten some info about Pixie last week as she's this gal my roommate has been seeing.  I found some of it slightly hard to believe, but rolled with it.

Last night I came across one of those situations people warned me about when I started this project: "What if you don't get outside to meet someone new?"  Whether I have a cold or if it's just way too cold, I need to meet SOMEONE!  I was beyond thrilled when my roommate walked in the door with Pixie.

Born and raised in Turkey, Pixie moved to the US when she was 18.

My roommate got a little squeamish when I mentioned she would possibly be my Friend of the Day (understandably so), so I decided to be slightly cryptic about her on here and not say too much or even show a picture.  If things get a little more serious for them I'll feel more comfortable posting a photo.

In the meantime, I didn't have to leave my apartment once the snow got really bad AND I was still able to meet someone new.

Phew!

Day 20: Lorraine L.

01.20.14

Lorraine is a badass.  At first I started chatting with her and was worried about her working late alone at Orange Leaf (a not-as-new-as-I-thought FroYo place on the Upper West Side), but as soon as I got to know more about her my fears were assuaged.

First of all, it was so funny to find out that Lorraine's second job is at Insomnia!  (She does NOT know Joe R. since not only does she work on the Upper EAST Side location, she didn't even know the Upper West Side location existed!)

While Lorraine has these two jobs (and some of my favorite kinds of dessert establishments -- at some point she used the word "discounts" -- it's important to have friends in the right places!), she is studying to be a personal trainer.  She was so tickled by the irony.  Studying at Kingsborough, she'd even be willing to join the police force since she'd have enough credits.  Cool, huh?  (Back to the "friends in the right places" thing)

Lorraine is trained in Filipino Martial Arts, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and boxing.

Bad. Ass.

She also rides a Fixie bike... which she had to explain to me.  Here's a video to give you an idea of what it's like.

The most important thing to find out, of course, is what her favorite froyo flavor is!  Peanut butter was her first choice, but they didn't currently have it -- her next go-to was Pineapple which she finds refreshing and thirst quenching.

It was important to her to note that at Insomnia, her favorite cookie is the peanut butter chocolate.

Day 19: Joe R.

01.19.14

It was one of those "I'm worried I'm not going to make a Friend of the Day" kind of days... when I walked into Insomnia Cookies and started chatting with the guy sitting at the counter who turned out to be one of their delivery guys.

Joe R. was more subdued than most of the Friends of the Day so far, but was still pretty psyched about the idea.  He went on to tell me that before working as a delivery guy at Insomnia he was on the sales floor at Nike Town.  When I asked him if there were any neighborhoods he preferred to deliver to, he noted that a few weeks ago he covered a shift at a location farther uptown (we were on the UWS) and that he had a better appreciation for his location after spending time up there.

He also made sure to note that he really enjoyed the hills and biking around the city as a part of his job.

Great to meet you, Joe!

Day 18: The Spencer

01.18.14

There were two Spencers on the trip.  Spence and The Spencer.  The Spencer got the "The" because he's older (and wiser?)

The Spencer hung out in NYC a bit post-trip before heading back to DC where he lives and works as a journalist. (Dare I mention he went to Northwestern... in CHICAGO!)  He works at The Atlantic magazine as a Senior Associate Editor -- fancy, right?!  The Spencer has such a sarcastic and dry wit and always was on hand for a good laugh.  Too bad you don't live in the city, my friend.  We'll come visit you soon!

Day 17: Caroline B.

01.17.14

After 12.5 hours on a plane, it was so wonderful to reunite with some folks from the trip at Julia's (a previous Friend of the Day!) for Shabbat dinner.  It was there I met her delightful girlfriend, Caroline.  Again, another person I look forward to getting to know more here in the city.

Caroline currently works as a carpenter at Signature Theatre Company and I assumed we'd have many mutual friends in the New York theatre community.  However, when I looked to see if we had friends in common on Facebook, I saw that we DID!  But NONE of them were from New York!  In fact, they are all from Chicago!  People that she went to high school with in Ohio (who have since moved to Chicago).  Small small world!

Caroline and I didn't take a picture together -- I'll retroactively post one... But it was still so great to meet you, Caroline!

Day 16: Assaf

01.16.14

I need to try to keep this short and sweet because Assaf's [reading and writing] English ain't too good and I want to make sure he can read this.  (His speaking and understand of the language was nearly perfect) It's going to be difficult because I have so many wonderful words to say about him.

With charisma, honesty, humor, and generosity, Assaf guided us through all of Israel for 10 days.  His passion for his work and kindness created an environment that was beyond all of our expectations.  I had an inspiring conversation with him about how he was working at a cell phone store and then decided to take the tour guide course and has absolutely loved his work guiding people around Israel for the past 15 years.  He told me that it was so important to him to wake up and love what he's doing every day.

There were many times that Assaf would share stories with us, incredibly personal stories about his experience in the country, his family, his friends.  Assaf was candid - in the best possible way.  I don't need to reveal all of his secrets, but Assaf is an inspiring human and it was a privilege to follow his leadership.  I look forward to keeping in touch with Assaf and hopefully getting to see him when he FINALLY makes his way to The States in the next couple years!

Day 15: Darren G.

01.15.14

Darren is a friend from Birthright.  He hails from New Jersey and studied film and television at Syracuse University and is now working at Bravo!

Darren had been supportive and excited about the project since he first heard about it and so I was so excited to make him one of my friends of the day!

So great to know you, Darren!  I look forward to all of our NYC adventures.

Day 14: Paul D.

Paul was on a Birthright trip out of Illinois!  It's truly been unreal the amount of people from Chicago (or with ties to Chicago) that I've been meeting.

I started chatting with Paul at one of the hotels that we were staying at (and at that time had already made a friend of the day), but when we ran into each other at a huge event in Jerusalem, it only made sense for him to be added to the list!

Paul is a poly-sci major at U of I and plans on staying in the Chicagoland area after graduation.  Not only is he added to the friend of the day list, but to the people I can visit when I'm in Chicago list!

I know you have New Years traditions with your friends, Paul... but I hope you're able to make it out to NYC for the big Friend of the Day party!

Day 13: Diva Eva

01.13.14

Eva was very quiet on the first day of the trip. She was planning on getting into New York a day or so early so that she could have some time to breathe before the long trip to Israel, but weather conditions around the country didn't allow for that.  Eva barely made it to the airport with time to relax let alone get any sleep.  It didn't help that she also wouldn't have her luggage for the first few days of the trip!

Needless to say, Eva wasn't the happiest of campers at the beginning.

That being said, she was still a trouper and I really enjoyed getting to know her.  But it was while we were camping at the Bedouin tents that I was inspired by her.

Eva went to school for clarinet performance, but has been living in Chicago, working as a barista, and planning on going back to school to become a pharmacist.  The only reason she was doing that was to feel like she could support herself - even though she really wanted to pursue music.  Something that we learned about Eva is that she has a beautiful singing voice, but is shy about it, and so I was honored to hear her sing once she open up.  (That's where the "diva" comes from.  Not with the usual connotation, but as the singer.  I also liked the alliteration.)

We were all gathered in our giant tent and talking about things that we've taken away from the trip so far and Eva made this poignant declaration -- she decided that even though she was supposed to start pharmacy school just days after getting back from Israel, she knows in her heart that it isn't what she wants to do.  How inspiring!  Late that night after most of the group went to bed, she and I had some quality time over the dying embers of our bonfire.  After a good heart-to-heart, we "borrowed" some chocolate and marshmallows from a neighboring group to make pseudo s'mores, crawled into the Bedouin tent, and went to sleep!

Can't wait to see you when I visit Chicago, Eva!  I'm so glad you've become a friend.

Day 12: Franklin C

01.12.14

Franklin and I sat next to each other on the plane and now we roomed together so we've gotten closer. The girl sitting next to us on the plane was talking about having clown noses in her luggage and once she got it (long story that we heard many times - involving missed flights and moving luggage) she would give us clown noses. 

Franklin was a Chemistry major at BU and now works on Wall Street.  As with Rabbi Adam, Franklin lives in NYC!

Day 11: Rabbi Adam

01.11.14

Adam isn't actually a Rabbi.  He's also a participant on my Birthright trip and is among the people that have had an extensive religious upbringing so he was integral in running our Shabbat service. Adam did such a fantastic job I told him he should get ordained to perform weddings. 

Adam works as a consultant and currently lives in NYC so it'll be so great to get to hang out more in New York as well. 

Day 10: Danielle L.

01.10.14

I was sitting at the bar at the hotel in Jerusalem when Danielle started chatting with me. I was so great to naturally start up a conversation with someone! Where was Dani from? A suburb of Chicago. This is getting ridiculous. 

She currently goes to school at the University of Wisconsin getting a degree in Human Development and family studies, specifically child development. Not only that, but she's getting minors in gender and women studies and global health. What does she want to do with that? Build a center for low income mothers and children and families. What?! Incredible. She's also on a Birthright trip and it's been great to see her around the hotel. 

Day 9: Julia

01.09.14

This is cheating... Only a little bit. I have a feeling this might happen a lot over the next couple days, but it's only fair that I'm able to spotlight certain people on this trip since I'm out of the country AND thrown into meeting 48 brand new people - some of them are becoming good friends it makes sense that I am able to highlight them when something happens that day to further and deepen the friendship. 

Meet Julia. We sat together on the bus all day and clocked in a few hours of quality time while doing so. 

To break it down to the lowest common denominator: Julia is awesome.  Born and raised in New York City, she works at a synagogue,  as a nanny, and as a community organizer for a group that works with domestic workers in the city. I'm so glad that Julia and I have days to get to know each other even more and we've already talked about all of the hanging out we'll do once we're back in the city. 

The icing on the cake (almost literally) in my decision to make today's friend Julia is that it's her Birthday! When she gets home she's having a "come as your truest self" party. Dress however you like, bring things from your life to share (a song, poem, game, whatever!) I think it's such a cool idea. Happy Birthday, Julia! I'm honored that I got to share it with you as your new friend. 

Day 8: Keilah

01.08.14

I've been doing my best to try to meet people outside of the 45 folks on this trip with me. While it was tricky to do so, I met Keilah at the dining hall of the place we're currently staying. She's a staff member for another trip. 

Keilah grew up in San Diego and then moved to Chicago (Chicago!) to go to UIC to study sociology and criminology. Needless to say, as a sociology person she was so intrigued by this project. 

She's currently a teacher's assistant for a special ed school while going to grad school for special ed. She talked about the challenges of working with those students, but that it's quite rewarding. 

Day 7: Omer

01.07.14

Not only does Birthright send you to Israel for free, they also provide the opportunity for Israeli youth (also aged 18 to 26) to experience Birthright along with you. This provides an ultimate immersive opportunity for everyone. 

I met Omer when we got off the plane. The six Israelis that joined out American group of 40 were waiting for us outside the airport; standing with signs welcoming us and greeting us with hugs explaining that "in Israel - we hug." 

Omer is 19 (though when I asked how old she was she made sure to say "nearly 20") and is currently serving in the Israeli military. Always in uniform as she is always on duty. 

On the bus ride to Tel Aviv we passed a sushi restaurant and I got excited - she leaned over to me and said "I'll make sure to take you to a good sushi place" and I knew we'd get along.  She and I were walking through a market and I was telling her about this project and I experienced the best response so far. 

Omer proceeded to tell me that it's fate that I'm talking to her about this. She has a rocky relationship with her family and it was against the preference of her parents that she go on this trip. 

But as she was waiting for us to arrive, she received a text message from her mother telling her to have a good time and that it's so important to create strong relationships with people as those are the things that last. And now, we are friends. 

Day 6: Cindy M

01.06.14

I had just boarded my flight to Israel when I went to use the bathroom before take off. On my way back to my seat someone was blocking the aisle for a few minutes so I just hung out in the back and started talking to Cindy, a flight attendant on the plane. I didn't think she was going to be my "friend" at first, but after talking to her throughout the flight she became a friend and after telling her about this project she was honored to be a part of it. 

Cindy was living in Chicago (ANOTHER Chicagoan! Perhaps I'm just drawn to them?) and working as a runner for the bond market when she wanted a change. Cindy was in between jobs and the student thing when she and a good friend opened a restaurant in Chicago. Tragedy struck when her friend was diagnosed with AIDS, they closed the restaurant, and he died soon after. 

Her sister was working as a flight attendant at the time and after United posted a job listing, Cindy decided to apply. After spending 8 years stationed in Paris (her other sister was a professional opera singer there), and though she hated the job at first, Cindy has been working for United for 20 years and couldn't imagine doing anything else!

She doesn't usually work flights to Israel and was so surprised to find some of her dear friends on this trip with her! Cindy asked that they be in the photo with her, too (so here we have Cindy M closest to me, Allie, Cindy E, Todd, and Amii) It was so fascinating to hang out in the back with them and hear about all of their experiences. On my way out, Cindy giggled that she and Allie just took a pole dancing class for Allie's birthday! 

It was wonderful meeting you, Cindy! Safe travels back to the states!

Day 5: Alex N.

01.05.14

I think I speak for everyone when I say that one of the best feelings is a short wait for Sunday brunch!  Especially at one of my favorite brunch hot spots in the city - Jacob's Pickles. 

Meet Alex - my newest friend and our server at brunch.  Alex came to New York two years ago to study musical theatre at Circle in the Square from his hometown of Ottawa, Canada.  Lucky for Alex, he was able to spend quite a few months as a working actor back-to-back before settling back down in his part-time gig while going on auditions. 

Alex was able to chat a bit about his fascinating family history -- both of his parents were from different countries altogether - his mother being Czech and his father Jamaican, they moved to Canada where they met. Not only that, one of Alex's mother's parents was Czech and the other was Slavic (which was taboo).  He also has multiple siblings.  Now he's here in NYC pursuing his dream!

Great to meet you, Alex!

Day 4: Maggie D.

01.04.14

This is really starting to get interesting.  Only day 4 and I was worried I wasn't going to meet someone today!  It was a little after 10pm and I was on my way home from midtown west - since I decided I didn't want the Thai delivery man to be my friend of the day, I popped into Mariella Pizza on 8th Avenue just to see if I'd have any luck.  Sure enough, I met my new friend Maggie D!

Maggie had just finished a quick bite with her friends Maureen (studying to be a physical therapist) and Connor (who works in wealth management) when I came by to say hello.  I was worried I might be keeping them, but they mentioned they were supposed to meet up with other friends two hours ago, so I might as well have a seat and hang out!

Maggie is in town from Chicago (I was so excited to tell her that I went to school there, too) where she is in grad school for psychology.  While she's originally from upstate New York, the ONLY two other times she'd been to New York CITY was to visit her friend Maureen!  (Maureen lives on Staten Island... I asked her if she needed her passport.)  Connor lives ABOVE the restaurant we were in... I should have asked him if it always smells like garlic knots. Maureen and Connor have a terrific meet-cute!  They were talking at a bar in the village and it turned out that Marueen's uncle is Connor's dad's best friend!  Small world!

What was so great about today's meeting is that we actually hung out for a bit.  By the time we were saying goodbye and all leaving the restaurant together, about 45 minutes had gone by!  I was coming from a game night and had Cards Against Humanity with me -- we didn't play, but talked about some of our favorite cards (Connor had never played before) and I mentioned that some are hysterically outlandish while others are just so simple... one of my favorites is "A Bop-It" -- THAT started a conversation about awesome 90s toys and games.

Safe travels back to Chicago, Maggie!  And if I don't see you next time I'm there, I'm glad to know you're often in New York for New Years!

Day 3: Matt S.

01.03.14

Meet my new friend: Matt S.! -- I add the "S." because I can only assume there will be more Matts throughout the year.  Matt is a consultant and while I'm not 100% sure what he does, (I'll find out more information next time I see him - could be at the New Years party!), I DO know is that one of his coworkers is currently on the Birthright trip that I'll be going on next week! 

Matt was having drinks in The Library with his fiance, Peter and their friend, Eric.  I was in there celebrating my last day of work at The Public and they were enjoying the special "Farewell Jason" happy hour.  

Matt, who's originally from Ohio, had NEVER been to The Public before.  He'd also never seen Shakespeare in the Park and has been living in NYC for 8 years! -- Where has he been?!  But Eric saw FUN HOME a couple months ago and even though he doesn't consider himself a theater person I was glad to hear that he really enjoyed the show.  It was then that he discovered The Library and so he decided to bring his friends back.  

Matt and Peter don't have a date picked out for their wedding yet, but they were still so excited to be engaged.  I dragged over my friend Emily because SHE recently got engaged and is in the thick of wedding planning so she and Matt were able to bond over wedding stuff. 

Nice to meet you, Matt! (and Peter and Eric)

Day 2: Mona (Begonia)

01.02.14

Meet my new friend: Mona!  Her last name isn't actually Begonia, that's just a nickname her friends used to call her... so I guess it's okay if I call her that, too?  Since we're friends now, of course. 

Mona was the first person in line for rush tickets for FUN HOME at The Public Theater and so I thought I'd say hello.  Born, raised, and currently residing in the East Village, Mona is a pre-school teacher married to a lovely woman named Maria.  She was slightly embarrassed that I asked her to take a picture (since she hadn't changed for the show yet), but was a good sport and took one with me anyway.  Initially she thought I was going to ask to cut her in line!  I hope you enjoyed the show, Mona!

Day 1: Hannah Kahn

01.01.14 -- Hannah Kahn. Originally from Chevy Chase, MD. Currently lives in New York and working as an actress. We met at a New Years party. 

Friend of the Day 2014: Origin

On January 1, 2013 I started posting a Photo of the Day on Facebook every day.  It started as a random and fun project that escalated into a challenge that friends have grown to like a whole lot.  The pictures could have been of absolutely anything - and they were.  I'm proud to say that I didn't miss a single day and I never cheated - the date that a photo is for was actually taken on that day.  Now that the Photo of the Day project is coming to a close, I've been doing a lot of thinking as to what another daily project could be for the year 2014.

I had a lot of ideas.  But there was one that I kept coming back to.

Inspired by the Humans of New York blog, I decided that my 2013 was so much about experiences in life and that I want my 2014 to be more about the people who I come across.  So, I want to make a Friend of the Day every day.  Meet a new person and take a photo with them every single day for the year 2014.

It gets more interesting.

Thanks to an idea from my friend Zack, at the end of the year, I'm going to throw a New Year's party... and I plan on inviting all of my friends, both old and brand new, everyone that will make the Friend of the Day list including the person I meet on December 31, 2014.

Who knows if this is even actually possible... but I'm sure as hell going to try!

Here's to 2014!  And if you're reading this, put a hold in your calendar for December 31, 2014.

Happy New Year!
Jason