Spare some change sir?

I woke up the other day (ok, today) and decided from this point on I was going to be a "cool" New Yorker.

The exact meaning of that? TBD.

For starters, it COULD mean turning off the HGTV and actually taking advantage of the city I'm living in. Unfortunately, "taking advantage" usually also means "coughing up cash." Also, after spending $1,000/month for my apartment, I kind of feel as though I should be hanging out in it. Why don't we just add some cats and a muumuu while we're at it?

Step one in cool, New York, plan: seeing an indie movie. (Star Trek doesn't count.) First on my list, the biopic "Valentino: The Last Emperor" about his final couture show and his 50 year plus relationship with his lover and business partner. Ca-ching! It's chic, couture, luxurious, and therefore I must be all of those things! I am the viewer for whom this movie was intended! A close, personal friendship with Valentino himself can only follow, right?

Wrong. Once again-wrong, wrong wrong. I arrive breathless to the theater at 12:15 (start time: 12:10) after a bus and subway transfer to get there. (I mean, Town Car. Which dropped me off around the corner. Which is why you didn't see it.) Tickets are $11, and I have a $10 in my wallet (so maybe I had more before I went to Tasti-D-Lite last night-get over it). No prob! Charge it!

One teensy problem: the sign in the window that says: NO CREDIT CARDS. I beg the ticket teller. Do you give a student discount? What about a "future close-personal friendship with Valentino himself" discount? Surprisingly, no to both. After digging in my wallet and coming up with seventy cents, bringing me to a total of $10.70, I gave up and walked towards the subway.

So I'm back to the HGTV. I'm not cool or chic or lounging in couture. From here on out, however, I will be a bit more sympathetic to the guys begging for change on my corner.