Lisa

Lisa

Entrepreneur, Conversation Starter, Mingler

“I have been through the whole dating scene here. It’s a hard place to date. There’s this ‘kid in a candy store-syndrome’ because there are so many people. Everybody is super busy, everybody wants variety and everybody has ADD. Dating almost feels like an interview and it can be a bit annoying. You have to be on. You have to be in that mood to be doing the whole act. It’s a hard place to make those connections, for sure.”

“ I was born in the Bronx. My family moved to Queens where I was raised, then I lived in Manhattan for a while and now I live in Brooklyn.”

“The intimate interactions of growing up in New York is something that will stick with me forever. Five minutes on the train talking to the homeless guy next to me, or a conversation with a CEO in the bathroom. It was, and is, fast experiences, interactions where you have to constantly adapt. It has made me comfortable with speaking to anyone in any situation. It is like a boot camp for meeting the rest of the world. I don’t have the fear for things that are different because I’ve been living with those differences my whole life.”

“I have a master in speech pathology. I work with international start-ups and communication. I look at the whole package to help them succeed here. In other countries it’s more important to present technicalities. You don’t have to give the laundry list here, but you have to be able to be a good storyteller.”

“The New York accent is dying out because more people are coming into the city. Every borough had a slightly different accent based on the immigration happening in that borough. The traditional New York accent had elements of Italian, Irish, British, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic. It came from all different nationalities and it made the New York accent. It can be super nasal, you stretch out the wowles and talk a little slower. What you hear in the movies lean more on the accent from Bronx and Brooklyn. If you speak to older New Yorkers they still have it.”

“The bad thing about a New York accent is that it doesn’t necessarily give you the impression of an educated person. There is more prejudice against people with regional accents. I have worked with lawyers and people in finance looking to turn their New York accent down. The image you get when you hear someone with that accent is a mobster, tough guy or someone who’ll scam you.”

“I went through a phase in my mid 30s where I was putting pressure on myself like ‘I need to have a kid, I need to do this and that.’ It resulted in some bad dating choices. I was miserable and I realized that it’s not a big deal being single here. Because New York has so many people focusing on work and trying to make it, being single is OK. It takes a huge pressure off your back. It’s normal to find a 50-year-old with a roommate. It’s normal to be 50 and single. It’s not stigmatized.”

Q&A

“People will always crave the diversity of New York. The city exists on its own in the US. There is a center to this city. There is a pulse to this city. There is a movement and energy to it.”

What neighborhood do you live in? Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

Best thing about living there? Sense of neighborhood, mom and pop shops. Old Italians. Food! Caputo’s Bake Shop, Court Pastry and Caputo’s Fine Foods.

Favorite neighborhood in New York? West Village.

Favorite street to stroll? Any of the winding streets of the West Village really. A stroll along Bedford eating pistachio gelato is always nice.

Why? When you are on those streets there is a sense of romance, especially on summer nights. It reminds me of Europe in some ways, but yet it is very distinctively old New York.

Favorite bar? Hard to say these days, but I still like Lelabar and Fig 19.

Hidden gem? Angel’s Share used to be, not sure if it’s still considered hidden.

How to be(come) a New Yorker? Haha well...Complain to strangers on the subway about the weather, or rent. Kiss on the promenade. Rooftops on hot summer nights is also very romantic.

Your New York soundtrack? Get Right by Jennifer Lopez in my earphones while pretending the world is a video.

Favorite restaurant? In Manhattan it’s La Grainne in Chelsea, a french bistro that is very cozy.

5 THINGS THAT TELL A STORY ABOUT LISA

BOOK “This is about cultural communication and a book that inspires me these days in my work at AccentC3. I love how she breaks down the way culture works.”

VENETIAN GLASS “It was my grandmothers. I used to look into it like a kaleidoscope and was fascinated by all the shapes and colors. When she passed away it was given to me. It reminds me of her and the mediterranean heritage of my family.”

GLASSES “These are my date glasses. I love the colors and it has a romance to it. It reminds me of something very decadent, but it also remind me of two people sharing a moment.”

WINE OPENER “I love sharing my home with others. Having people over, having fun, great conversations..”

LETTER “My grandfather documented everything in this book. He had a house in the Bronx, and would rent out an apartment for $75 a month in 1969. As you flip the pages, you can see the progression all the way up through 1993.”