In this episode; Kelly is joined by: Kim Lee! She is the owner and founder of Kawaii Coffee, and an immigrant from Vietnam.

Kim recently opened her coffee shop in the west village, which had been a dream of hers for a while. After attending business school and working in midtown at a nail salon, she decided her next step was to run her own business.

Kelly asks Kim about moving from Vietnam to the United States. How the culture differs, what was hard to adjust to, what was more similar than you might think, and what it's like starting over in a completely new country.

Kim talks about the coffee culture in Vietnam. She tells us how life is much slower there: people go to their favorite coffee shops at around 7 in the morning and wait two full hours for it to drip while they are there! She talks about how they use condensed milk as a sweetener, and the different reasons Vietnamese people go out for coffee. Kelly asks Kim what parts of that culture she hoped to bring with her to New York.

Kelly asks Kim about Vietnamese culture in New York. They talk about the food, different events, and how Kim can contribute to that culture.

Finally, Kelly asks Kim some quick fire questions about coffee, culture, and where she likes to live.

But above all else; Kim Lee is a New Yorker.

Kelly's Social Media

@NewYorkCityKopp

Kim's Social Media

@Kawaiicafe203

You can find her shop here: 117 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014

Jae's Social Media

@Studiojae170

• (00:00:00) - New Yorkers Podcast
• (00:02:25) - Vietnam is a dream to visit
• (00:04:45) - Living in the Biggest City in Vietnam
• (00:06:09) - Vietnam entrepreneur opens her first shop in Australia
• (00:08:33) - Toronto is more diverse than New York
• (00:10:18) - Japanese women start a nail salon in NYC
• (00:13:04) - Where to Start a Coffee Business in the West Village
• (00:15:48) - How to get from the Bronx to the West Village
• (00:16:06) - What Is Vietnamese Coffee?
• (00:19:23) - How Vietnamese Coffee Is Adjusting to Americans
• (00:23:01) - Vietnam's First Taste Test in America
• (00:26:01) - Kawaii Cafe, 117 Christopher Street
• (00:26:39) - The cafe in New York's West Village
• (00:30:20) - How New Yorkers Are Helpful
• (00:32:16) - The Space Where My Business Is Located
• (00:35:34) - Viral Coffee Shop
• (00:37:19) - Vietnamese living in the United States
• (00:39:06) - What do you feel like that New York City has that Vietnamese doesn
• (00:41:25) - How to say 'Same Year' in Chinese
• (00:42:21) - Married Vietnamese People Talk About New York
• (00:45:23) - How to Not Be Lonely In New York
• (00:45:57) - Vietnam vs New York
• (00:47:35) - Vietnamis talk about life in NYC
• (00:49:49) - Teens Talk About The Subway
• (00:52:36) - "A Woman's Perspective On Her Husband"
• (00:52:55) - What It Means To Be A New Yorker

With me today, I have Jim Somoza! He is the Managing Director at Industry City.

Join them on this episode where they go back in time. Jim tells us what it was like growing up in New York in the 70s and 80s. He talks about how his dad moved to an apartment on the upper west side, overlooking central park. He tells us how he would spend his afternoons in the parks, and weekends in the west village with his best friend. He talks about going to the arcades in Times Square, as well as other games they made up to entertain themselves.

Jim then talks about his time as a Real Estate Lawyer. How when he started his practice, it was very difficult to find work. But after sticking with it, even through the crash of the late 90s, he was able to find work and also met people that would bring him to his next career shift in working on Chelsea Market.

Kelly asks Jim about the history of Chelsea market: How it got started, what it was like to work there, and he tells us about its founders' vision and what he wanted Chelsea Market to be. Kelly also asks him about a famous sweet treat that was invented at Chelsea Market, and Jim tells us a little known fact about it.

Jim then talks about his time developing Industry City. He talks about how the proposal came to him. He tells us what Industry City used to be and how it used to function. He talks about how large it is in comparison to Chelsea Market and even the Empire State building. He then tells us what his strategy was in order to get not only retailers in the space, but also offices and patrons. Jim talks about the community aspect of Industry City, and what he hopes people will get from it when they come for a visit.

But above all else; Jim Somoza is a New Yorker.

Kelly's Social Media

@NewYorkCityKopp

Jim's Social Media and Industry City

@Jim_Somoza

@IndustryCity

Jae's Social Media

@Studiojae170

• (00:00:00) - Inside New York's Industry City
• (00:00:40) - New Yorkers
• (00:01:56) - The Story of New York City
• (00:05:17) - Living in New York City in the 70s and 80s
• (00:09:59) - Coming soon: Jay-Z on Growing Up in Brooklyn
• (00:11:24) - Living The Warriors In NYC
• (00:15:24) - Brooklyn doctor on New York City
• (00:21:06) - Real Estate Broker: The Crash of the Internet
• (00:26:50) - Real Estate Story: The Chelsea Market Sale
• (00:30:54) - Joe Bastianich on Chelsea Market and
• (00:34:07) - The Chelsea Market Building Sale
• (00:38:27) - The Fight for the Upper Flights
• (00:40:11) - The Japanese grocery store in Brooklyn
• (00:44:10) - Brooklyn Core: The Sake Brewery
• (00:47:32) - Mayor Bill de Blasio on New York's Walking Communities
• (00:51:20) - What Does It Mean to Be a New Yorker?
• (00:53:58) - Jim Samoza on New Yorkers Podcast
• (00:55:30) - New Yorkers: Thank You!

In this episode, Kelly is joined by Zombie Papas Jorge and Todd, the organizers of Thriller NYC!

Join them as they introduce themselves. Jorge tells us how he came to New York, and what it was like moving here. Todd on the otherhand, talks about being third generation from Brooklyn. They tell us about how they met, as well as their costume wedding. They talk about how they found Thriller NYC and how long they've been involved with it.

Jorge talks about the founding of thriller in the west village Halloween parade. He talks about the first time it was done and what it was like when it first started. He talks about how he initially joined another thriller group because Thriller NYC was full. Todd talks about how Jorge invited him to join thriller one year, but not in the way that he had wanted to.

Kelly asks about the process of putting together something so massive. Todd talks about the process of how people get tickets and join the group. He goes over what the rehearsals look like as well as what the time table is like to put on something like that. They both talk about what people are getting out of their ticket. They talk about how it is important for them to form a safe community, and they emphasise moving your body in community, and the healing power that it can have.

Jorge and Todd thank Kelly for his viral video of the performance, and they talk about how that helped them get put back on the map and continue post Covid. They also talk about what it feels like to put together this massive project every year, and the cultural impact that it has on the world. They talk about their trip to South Africa and how Thriller even has an impact there.

Finally, Kelly asks them some quick fire questions about the dance, the halloween parade, the costumes, and where to eat after.

But, above all else; Jorge and Todd are New Yorkers.

Kelly's Social Media

@NewYorkCityKopp

Join Thriller NYC!

https://www.thrillernyc.com/

@Thrillernyc

Donate to the village Halloween parade!

https://halloween-nyc.com/donate/

Jae's Social Media

@Studiojae170

• (00:00:00) - New Yorkers Podcast
• (00:01:57) - This New York Couple Had A 'Thriller' Wedding
• (00:05:18) - The Halloween Parade With Thriller
• (00:05:49) - The Thriller Dance in the NYC Parade
• (00:09:08) - How To Participate in the Parade Thriller Dance
• (00:11:52) - The West Village Thriller Parade
• (00:14:27) - The Memphis Thriller Parade
• (00:18:47) - The New York Thriller Dance
• (00:23:18) - Mets Mascots at the Parade
• (00:25:32) - The Cast of Thriller
• (00:28:33) - Thriller's Spring Parade
• (00:30:55) - What Makes The Thriller Dance So New York?
• (00:34:12) - Dancing To Michael Jackson's Thriller in Mozambique
• (00:36:21) - The New York City Zombie Parade
• (00:38:14) - How the Village Halloween Parade Works
• (00:41:02) - Thriller's NYC Parade
• (00:41:29) - Village Halloween Parade
• (00:43:12) - The Halloween Parade in New York
• (00:43:59) - What It Means to Be A New Yorker
• (00:46:02) - New Yorkers: Thank You!