Usually with banks it’s just whatever. That’s my bank. But lately I’ve discovered something way more cool — a whole family of banks. It’s like a million little banks that all hang out together all the time, like a non-stop Brodeo. They’re called Chase banks and they’re super cool. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of them, but if you live in New York they’re like everywhere! Nowadays, I don’t even need to leave my building to use a Chase ATM, they built one right into the wall. How amazing is that!!! And, if an ATM isn’t good enough, across the street is a full-on Chase Bank with teller counters and more ATMs and signs about how great everything is at Chase and armed guards and everything. Score! And, honestly, they’re like total freaks about money, in a way that I love. I get scattered and stuff about how much I have or don’t have left but Chase is always on point about my money. How great is that? Love, you CB. Keep grinding, nigga.

Plus, I don’t want to brag, but Chase has totally hooked me up to do all my banking online. On my computer. At home.  It’s like they were reading my mind. I get home from work and I’m like, what should I do now? Banking! It‘s tough in the city to know what to do with yourself sometimes, and the Chase branches close at 3, so I totally appreciate it at 7 p.m. to be able to get online and keep hooking up with Chase whenever I want. I wish they had chat boards and emoticons and stuff but maybe I’ll suggest that next time I see Mr. Fleischer.

Anyway, if you have heard about Chase, you know that they’ve got these great commercials, on TV, and buses, and subways, and billboards, and taxi LCDs, and highways, and ceiling fans, and grates on the street, about how we’re all one family at Chase, they just talk everywhere I go about the family. And, I know it sounds corny, but since I moved here from Dallas it’s kind of lonely without a real family nearby, so all the Chase banks help out a lot. They say it’s a family of banks, but it’s kind of more like a real family to me. Wherever I go in New York there’s a Chase bank within a block or, at most (and not that often) two, so I’m always surrounded by one of the family of banks or a banker guy like Mr. Fleischer or his assistant Manuel who’s really nice and keeps my money. Plus, literally, no one ever believes me back home, but I can get my money anywhere I am in the whole city!! Hello, coolness factor — are you at red alert, or what?

Here’s a link to their awesome site map, so you can discover everything going on that chiz-ace.com. http://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/shared/assets/page/sitemap. And, if you want to back up a bit and just get an overview about the whole concept of Chase, here’s the linky-poo http://www.jpmorganchase.com/cm/cs?pagename=Chase/Href&urlname=jpmc/about. Tell ‘em New School New York sent you and you might get one of the promotional water bottles like I have with the cool Chase logo, huge all over it where the water spits out.

Everywhere I walk these days there are these fabulous new stores selling telephones. The new ones, where I don’t have to carry wires around with me, or an antenna or anything — just the phone! There are these really cool companies — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint. Everything about them seems really cool and NOW. I just love the energy these stores have brought to the city with their great storefronts and amazing graphics. All those colors!

Near my house there used to be an old deli that was really dingy. It was owned by an old husband and wife who had been there for, like, ever. They sold comic books and gross sandwiches and ice pops and all this disgusting stuff that wasn’t gourmet or chic at all. It was just depessing in this nice new neighborhood with all these cool new stores (hello, marc jacobs – dreamy!) to have this gross old couple selling their stupid newspapers. But now AT&T has moved into the space and it looks great. I got my new phone there last week — it’s rad aplenty. Here’s a photo.

Jealous much? How cool is New York these days?

One of my favorite things about the way New York is changing is that Duane Reade is everywhere! I can’t walk down the block now without convenient, 24-hour access to the coolest, best pharmacy in America. Hello, how great is New York! The Duane Reade that just moved in near me — my bad — the two Duane Reades that moved within three blocks of me, are amazing. There’s the one on Christopher Street and Seventh Avenue, which is perfect. It’s a totally organic fit on that corner that just screams — hello, the old Village is back! Then there’s the one on the corner of Hudson Street and Charles. There used to be a gross old red brick building there. It was a gathering place of some sort for gross yellow taxi cabs, it was even on that show “Taxi” as the headquarters or something. Anyway, that building had been there for like a hundred years — enough already! Thankfully, they tore it down and put up this totally cool DR.  Smoking! I can get my pictures processed (Cabo!!!) (Don’t Snitch!) and buy bacitracin and smoothies and get my toe corn things and everything. Love you, DR. When is a third one opening? The West Village is looking really old and shabby these days– nothing Duane Reade can’t snap into place.

If you haven’t checked out the new New York City, you’ve gotta come visit. Not only is Duane Reade everywhere, but like CVS (http://www.cvs.com) is here too and Rite Aid (http://www.riteaid.com). Tooo cool! Kisses. Out.