We met Milla inside Barnes and Noble on a chilly spring day….
AskaNewYorker: Hi Milla, what do you do here in New York City?
Milla: I work for a fundraising corporation, which does fundraising for nonprofit and charitable organizations. I’m a coordinator. I work and coordinate as a liaison between 17 or 18 different accounts. I’m the go-to person and manage the directors who are on site at the different functions.
AskaNewYorker: How long have you lived in New York City?
Milla: I’ve lived in New York since 1995. I’ve been in Brooklyn for five years and recently moved to the Bronx about eight months ago.
AskaNewYorker: What part of the Bronx?
Milla: Woodlawn.
AskaNewYorker: How do you describe Woodlawn as a place to live?
Milla: Woodlawn is like a little Irish town, strictly Irish, very homogenous. Cops, firemen, construction workers, and young professionals. Very boring.
AskaNewYorker: Is it an easy commute to the city?
Milla: Excellent. 25 minutes to my job, door to door.
AskaNewYorker: What subway line?
Milla: Metro North and the 4 train.
AskaNewYorker: Tell me more about Woodlawn. It can’t be all that bad.
Milla: If you’re into Irish pubs and bad Irish coffee and bangers and mash, it’s wonderful. If you’re not, your shit out of luck.
AskaNewYorker: So why did you move there anyway?
Milla: I got engaged and it didn’t work out. So now I kept the apartment which is rent stabilized and seven rooms; 2 bedrooms. It’s huge. It has a dishwasher and it costs less than a studio on 14th Street.
AskaNewYorker: And you replaced your ex with some pets?
Milla: No, the pets came along (laughter)! Might have driven the ex away, actually. I’m not quite sure about that. I’m still working that out in therapy.
AskaNewYorker: What kind of pets?
Milla: Two cats and a dog.
AskaNewYorker: That’s a lot of responsibility.
Milla: It can be. Constantly running around. My super is great, though. She helps out with walking the dog.
AskaNewYorker: What’s the dating scene like in Manhattan?
Milla: Scary. I’m too old to go to the clubs and the loungy kind of places, and I’m too young to be settling down with 40 year old investment bankers who are working on their second marriages. So I’m kind of caught in the middle. I just kind of go out and have fun with whomever I go out with, without any expectations and just keep my little stable constantly changing.
AskaNewYorker: What do you do in your spare time?
Milla: I go to NYU 3 nights a week, working on my M.F.A., creative writing, working on a novel. I’m trying to find my place in the world. I’m doing what I can, keeping very very busy.
AskaNewYorker: What’s the novel about?
Milla: It’s about a woman who falls in love with another man for food. She’s a patron of a restaurant and he’s the chef and he starts falling in love with her even though they’ve never met and they don’t ever really meet. It’s just through the dishes he creates for her.
AskaNewYorker: Great necklace, where did you get it?
Milla: It was made for me by a friend of mine from Ralph Lauren. I worked there for about one and a half years. I was an assistant buyer.
AskaNewYorker: It looks like you bite your fingernails.
Milla: I was in a car accident when I was younger and the nail beds were broken and ripped off. Unfortunately I don’t have pretty hands. No one notices them. They’re usually blown away by the bigness of my hair.
AskaNewYorker: And your beautiful smile! I don’t know why but I’m getting this vibe that you are leaving for a trip soon.
Milla: I am going on a trip actually! Tomorrow night I leave for Rome and I’ll be there for five days. My parents have actually rented a villa in Tuscany somewhere, but we are going to spend some quality time together, then I’ll come back.
AskaNewYorker: And continue to write your novel.
Milla: Yes, and continue to write my book and kick-start my summer in the city.
AskaNewYorker: Fantastic! Enjoy. Arrivederci!
