The Return of Natashia Perrotti: Canal Street Dreams Ep. 2

Summary

Canal Street Dreams: Episode 2 – "The Return of Natashia Perrotti"

Release Date: April 28, 2025
Hosts: Eddie Huang and Natashia Perrotti
Location: Live from Despots Bar on Canal Street

---

1. Welcome Back: Natasha's Return to the Podcast

The episode kicks off with Host Jordan warmly welcoming his wife, Natasha, back to Canal Street Dreams after her brief retirement. Their reunion is heartfelt, highlighting the couple's collaborative dynamic both personally and professionally.

• Jordan: "Our most requested guest since we restarted the pod is here today. My wife Natasha. Welcome back to the show, babe." [00:30]

Natasha attributes her return to the persistent support and requests from their audience, emphasizing the couple's deep connection with their listeners.

• Natasha: "You just asked. That's all you have to do is just ask. You asked nicely. I said please." [00:59]

---

2. Navigating Parenthood and Professional Life

Jordan and Natasha delve into their journey of balancing parenthood with their careers. They discuss the challenges they faced after the birth of their son, Senna, and how it impacted their podcasting and filmmaking endeavors.

• Natasha: "Having people in her house post having a baby was weird to me. I just went into full mommy mode where I was like, I need to protect this little angel and like, nobody can be here." [02:09]

Jordan reflects on the initial chaos, recounting how their personal lives intertwined with their professional responsibilities, especially during the early stages of Senna's life.

• Jordan: "The entire pregnancy, I couldn't work. There was no money coming in. We were broke. Like, truly. Eating frozen pizza on the couch." [09:12]

---

3. The Fire Incident: A Test of Resilience

One of the most gripping segments of the episode revolves around the couple's harrowing experience during a series of unexpected house fires. They narrate the suddenness of the events, their urgent preparations, and the ensuing chaos.

• Natasha: "I remember feeling like I want him to. I was like, I don't know that we should separate today. I was like, I don't think he should be going anywhere without us." [11:19]

Jordan humorously recounts his attempts to stay calm amidst the crisis, highlighting the absurdity of preparing for "impending doom" with mundane tasks like making spinach dip.

• Jordan: "I was making spinach dip. If we're locked in the house, I'm making dip." [12:42]

Despite their efforts, the situation rapidly escalates, leading to a frantic evacuation. They describe the logistical nightmares of moving with a newborn and a large dog, Mr. Chow, amidst the chaos of the fires.

• Jordan: "We immediately packed in 30 minutes and left. But let's talk about what was in your go bag?" [14:10]

---

4. Trials at the Ace Hotel: Evacuation Woes

Upon reaching the Ace Hotel, Jordan and Natasha face additional challenges. The hotel enforces strict policies against pets, leading to further stress as their dog, Mr. Chow, inadvertently causes more chaos.

• Natasha: "We were all sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Senna's in an infant crib. And then they're banging on the door at three in the morning asking us to get our dog." [16:44]

Jordan describes the aftermath of Mr. Chow's misbehavior in the hotel room, culminating in a hefty charge for the damages.

• Jordan: "And then we put him in the bathroom, pees in there too. We're just sleeping in dog piss." [17:57]

---

5. Financial Struggles Amidst Chaos

The couple openly discusses the financial strain caused by the inability to work during the pregnancy, compounded by the costs incurred from evacuating and unforeseen expenses.

• Jordan: "The fires were crazy. We had to move into a rental, go into debt, and basically sell our house to stay positive." [10:43]

Their story takes a pivotal turn when Jordan reveals how an unexpected investment in art played a crucial role in alleviating their financial burdens.

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6. Art Investment: An Unexpected Lifeline

In a serendipitous twist, Jordan shares how his long-term investment in Japanese painter Yunishimura's works became their financial savior. Following advice from a friend, Harley Wertheimer, Jordan sold two Unishimura paintings at a time when their value had skyrocketed, thereby rescuing the family from debt.

• Jordan: "Two Unishimura paintings are what basically saved our ass." [23:26]

Natasha emphasizes the importance of following one's passion, highlighting that genuine support for artists can yield unforeseen rewards.

• Natasha: "Follow your heart when you buy art." [23:49]

This segment underscores the profound impact of Jordan's investment choices, blending personal passion with practical necessity.

---

7. Lessons Learned: Resilience and Community Support

Reflecting on their journey, Jordan and Natasha discuss the invaluable lessons they've learned about resilience, the importance of community, and the unexpected ways support can manifest during challenging times.

• Jordan: "When you're up, support artists, because when you're down, they will support you." [25:15]

Natasha adds that their experiences have deepened their emotional connections and reinvigorated their engagement with the world around them.

• Natasha: "Having our son forced me to reconnect and, like, really tap in and care about a lot of things, because I care about the world for him." [08:06]

---

8. Conclusion: Embracing the Journey Together

The episode concludes on a note of gratitude and mutual support. Jordan and Natasha acknowledge the unpredictable nature of life and the strength they draw from each other and their community.

• Natasha: "This is one of the best art stories ever. Literally, two small Unishimura paintings got us out of debt." [23:25]

• Jordan: "Shout out Unish and Mora." [25:27]

Their story is a testament to the power of perseverance, the unexpected avenues through which help can arrive, and the enduring bonds that sustain them through life's tumultuous times.

---

Notable Quotes

• Jordan: "The entire pregnancy, I couldn't work. There was no money coming in. We were broke." [09:12]

• Natasha: "I need to protect this little angel and like, nobody can be here." [02:09]

• Jordan: "Two Unishimura paintings are what basically saved our ass." [23:26]

• Natasha: "Follow your heart when you buy art." [23:49]

• Jordan: "Shout out Unish and Mora." [25:27]

---

Join the Full Experience:
While this summary covers the key moments of Episode 2, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the full version on Substack for an unfiltered and comprehensive dive into Jordan and Natasha's journey.

Transcript

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[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

All right, Canal Street Dreams, we have a new location. Live from Despots Bar time again still on Canal. So it's still Canal Street Dreams. And our most requested guest since we restarted the pod is here today. My wife Natasha. Welcome back to the show, babe.

[Natasha]

Thank you.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Straight out of retirement, Jordan with the 4 5. How do we get you out of retirement this time?

[Natasha]

You just asked. That's all you have to do is just ask. You asked nicely. I said please.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

That is a. That. That is a good lesson for most husband men's to. To learn.

[Natasha]

You also took me shopping.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

I did take you shopping.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

We did get a new hoof shoe. Yeah, there was a new hoof shoe shoe.

[Natasha]

You took me shopping, which is icing on the cake. I was like, very cool. I can get down with that.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

There was some Marella was used to coax you back on the show because once we started, I kept getting emails and DMS from people like, where the is Natasha? Cuz we did use the old YouTube channel to launch this pod.

[Natasha]

Yeah, yeah, there was some crossover.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

There was a lot. There's a lot of crossover. All the old episodes are still on the same RSS feed. But.

[Natasha]

But we also left people at a cliffhanger.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

We did.

[Natasha]

We came back, we had a baby and then we just left.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

They met Senna and then we were just like pods over.

[Natasha]

Did we put Senna on the podcast?

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yes. Senna was on the couch for Taylor's episode.

[Natasha]

Oh, yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Remember? Which we can, we can cut to Angel. We're gonna show footage of Senna from the couch. But let me, let me ask you, so what was it for you that was like, I can't fucking pot anymore.

[Natasha]

Okay. Having people in her house post having a baby was weird to me. I just went into full mommy mode where I was like, I need to protect this little angel and like, nobody can be here. And then you left. You went to go shoot the vice Dog.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Natasha]

So it was like, we had four weeks while my mom was at our house for a month. Then we had, like, three weeks together with just us. And. And then it was immediately you left, so then you weren't there, and.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And we were insane. I think the second week, Senna came back from the hospital, we potted with Taylor.

[Natasha]

Yeah. It was so quick and so early. I think we were just, like. We weren't ready to accept that our life had changed. I think we were in the phase of parenthood where you're still holding on to your life before you're like, no, no, no. Nothing has changed. I don't need to figure this out. We can just do everything with our kid. Like, he can be here. He'll take a nap. It'll be fine. And he was whiling out, scream, crying, not napping. And I think that was a huge reality check of, oh, no. We need to really plan for things now. It's not the same as just, let's do whatever we want.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. I think the craziest I did was that the Commander season opener was two days after Senna was born.

[Natasha]

Day I got home from the hospital.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. And I was like, well, I can't miss the game. Also, he needs to be here for the season opener, but also my buddy Jarrett, who I watch every game with, needs to be here. And Dr. Drew, who I watch every weekend with, has to be here. This was crazy, though.

[Natasha]

This was so crazy the day I got home from the hospital. The day, like, do you know what happens to you when you have a baby and you're in the hospital? First of all, you didn't even sleep over in the hospital. That's another thing that I like.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

I didn't sleep over.

[Natasha]

Me off. You didn't sleep over? You left?

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Really?

[Natasha]

Everyone left?

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

No, I slept.

[Natasha]

No, you stayed. No, no. I gave birth at, like, 2 in the morning. So you stayed until, like, 6 in the morning. And then I had to stay another night. And you didn't stay. I was in that bitch alone.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

No, I definitely slept there the first night because I got you canners in the morning. I remember I ordered, like, a bunch of pan Whatever cakes and whatever the.

[Natasha]

Day I get home from the hospital. Like, we roll into our house from having a baby, he invites his homies over to watch a football game. I'm like, what the fuck is going on?

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Commander Dedication. That's true, fan.

[Natasha]

It was crazy. He's, like, upstairs making wings with his friends, and I'm, like, trying to put together Baby stuff and trying to figure out how to be a mom. And he's like, the commanders are winning, babe. It's amazing.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Not. Not for nothing. Literally one of the best days of my life. It's like, new babies here. And us stupid homies was like, yo, this is so sick. He's watching the game with us. And we were, like, telling us, taking turns holding him and then putting him down on the couch. And we were like, I remember you came and you were like, yo, do you just have him on the couch? We're like, yeah, he's watching. And you're like, bro, you can't just leave this newborn baby on the couch. And I was like, he's one of the dudes.

[Natasha]

But we sound like we shouldn't be parents.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

I did so many dumb things the first six months, but, like, I did have a great time. I really.

[Natasha]

It was fun. And then in hindsight, that was actually. I tell everybody new mom this. I'm like, that was the best thing that you ever did was invite your friends over that day. Because I think I would have gotten home from the hospital and spiraled. Like, I think I would just would have been crying and so emotional, and there's so many hormones, and you're in your house alone, and you're thinking of everything that's changed. And, like, I didn't have as hard of a time because I was like, oh, the homies are here.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yes.

[Natasha]

Like, nothing. Nothing is like, I tell people. I'm like, it was actually quite nice.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

And as annoying and stupid as it was, I was like, all right, cool. I see. I can throw you. I can throw you a bone a little bit. And I can see. Okay. You. You got lucky on that one.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Natasha]

You got lucky.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Ne. Next after the next kid, I. I'll have angel and the crew over.

[Natasha]

The next kid is like, whatever, though. When you have the second kid, you're like, okay, let's just go. Like, it doesn't even matter. You're like, so kind of like the scar tissue. You're like, all right, cool. This is fine. Take it home. Everything's fine.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

The day of the birth was insane. I. I just remember it was like, we're. We're watching My Best Friend's Wedding, and the doula, like, was double booked and needed to, like, go to somebody else's birth first.

[Natasha]

I think September is.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

The highest volume, like, birth month.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. New Year's babies.

[Natasha]

New Year's babies. Yeah. So there's just. I mean, she told me she was like, I've had, like, 10 births this week.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Or Christmas babies. They're like. They're holiday babies. Holiday babies. Yeah. Yeah. That.

[Natasha]

That time.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

It's like December to January that you get pregnant.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. Everyone's just, like, eating prime rib and smashing it up after.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

They're just.

[Natasha]

They're partying. Everyone's shooting up the club. No one cares.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Exactly.

[Natasha]

It's fine.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. And a lot of kids born opening weekend of the NFL season, you know, it's a beautiful thing.

[Natasha]

Yeah. The correlation there is for sure.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

It's the NFL.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Incredible. Incredible. So what, okay, you went into having a kid. What were some of the things that you were like, all right, this is what I expect? And then what was the complete different.

[Natasha]

Oh, man, I didn't expect anything. I think I didn't put any expectations on myself or you or the feel.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Like you expected a lot of me.

[Natasha]

No, I didn't. I actually. My entire pregnancy, I think I was kind of just like, this is the part I need to get through, and then I'll get to that part when it gets there. Because I was so anxious and nervous during my pregnancy that I was like, okay, if this all goes well, then I can deal with everything else after.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

In sports, we call this focusing one game at a time. Like how the Knicks were focused on the Pistons. Now we're not thinking about the next team we're playing.

[Natasha]

Like, yeah, yeah. I was tunnel vision. I was like, let me just, like, have the baby and then figure everything out. But I think the thing that surprised me the most was how emotional and vulnerable it made me, how much it opened me up to the rest of the world. Like, we were kind of living in isolation and didn't really give much of a. About what was going on. I mean, you always did. I kind of opted out of society for, like, a large portion of my life. And I think having our son forced me to reconnect and, like, really tap in and care about a lot of things, because I care about the world for him. So that I didn't expect that. I thought I would just carry on.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. I think I was very anxious because I knew that I had set myself up for an insane first year because. Well, first there was a Hollywood strike, so I couldn't work.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

The entire pregnancy, I couldn't work. There was no money coming in.

[Natasha]

And we were broke.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

We were broke.

[Natasha]

Like, truly. Eating frozen pizza on the couch, like.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And vice wrote us $380,000.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And they didn't pay. And it turned out that making the documentary was, like, the only way to keep cash flow positive.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And then I was like, but wait, Cameras gotta go up two weeks after Senna's born or. No cameras went up. I think it was about a month. Yeah. Yeah. Like five to six weeks after Senna was born. And then I was. That was. It was just an insane time to, like, host, direct.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Produce the film with Senna just being born. Holding our relationship together. Together. Not just me. Holding us both. Holding it together. Being broke. That. I think that was probably up to that point in my life, the hardest six months until January of this year.

[Natasha]

No. We had a moment where we had sold the Orange county house. Was it last summer, maybe, where I feel like we were like, okay, things might be back to normal. It might have been, like, June. July. August.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. Of 2024.

[Natasha]

2024. But, like, truly, like, that whole. I mean, since I've been pregnant, it's been a struggle. Everything has been kind of, like, one thing to get us to the next. To get us to the next.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. For the record, it wasn't our second house. It was the house we got for our parents, who then decided to not provide any child care. And I went into debt, so had to sell that house just to stay positive. And then we actually had got. Just gotten to a good spot, and then the fires happened.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

The fires were crazy.

[Natasha]

The fires were crazy. Well, the fires were crazy for a lot of reasons. For us, specifically, because we had decided to move into a rental light.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Well, let's start from the first day of the fire. How about that?

[Natasha]

Okay.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

So I remember I was excited the day of the fires because I was making spinach dip. So I make the huge.

[Natasha]

Well, no, can I start? Because I had, like, a witchy experience.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

The morning of the fire beginning, I remember our nanny was very excited. I think this was, like, a Monday or Tuesday. I don't know. Whatever it was, it was her first day with us that week. I had taken Senna to a doctor's appointment, and I'm driving back from wherever, like Beverly Hills. And it was just so windy. And I just remember feeling like I want him to. I was like, I don't know that we should separate today. I was like, I don't think he should be going anywhere without us. I think everyone needs to stay in the house. I remember I texted our nanny, and I was like, hey, I don't think I want Senna to go to that birthday party today. And she was bombed because it was his, like, best friend. And she got to Our house. She's like, what's going on? Like, what's up? And I was like, I don't know. I'm just feeling a little weird. I don't really. I don't know. I was like, I think we should just stay home. And I could tell she was like, you know how she was. She was the best and so sweet, but she kind of became a mother figure to me because I didn't have family around. So she was kind of, like, side eyeing me a little bit. I could tell she was just scared, kind of annoyed. She's like, I have to, like, sit in the house all day today. Like, bummer. Can't go to this birthday party and have fun with all the kids. And around I got excited.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

That's when I ordered a bunch of stuff on door dash to make spinach dip. I was like, if we're locked in the house, I'm making Houston.

[Natasha]

We also kind of like, impending doom. So at this point, there was no real threat. I was kind of creating our neighbor Yoni.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

No. Yoni had sent an article Sunday night being like, yo, did you see that? There's going to be crazy winds, and it may, like, blow. Blow down electric lines tomorrow. And I remember we looked at it, and we're like, that sounds insane. Like, I don't know if that's going to happen, but let me make spinach dip. Like, my one thing the whole time was like, I will prepare for impending doom by having spinach dip the whole day.

[Natasha]

And then we were watching the news in the living room. You were making spinach dip. And all of a sudden, we just started to see reports of. It was. It was like this. It was like nothing.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Saw the people leaving their cars in the Palisades and running from a fire. And I remember specifically, I'm standing at the stove with this stupid spinach dip. And you're like, babe, people are deserting their cars. And I come over, and I'm like, oh, my God.

[Natasha]

But this had all happened within an hour. Like, it went from there's a fire. People are evacuating to people are abandoning their cards on the side of the road. Smoke was pluming.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And then that's when the fireside of the mountain, the. The fire. Not the fire chief, but, like, a fire expert got on KTLA news.

[Natasha]

It's so funny that this was the man that triggered us. It was just like, a guy.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

It was the one guy. He got on and goes, listen, they're not gonna tell you to evacuate yet. But if you see black Smoke. Get out. It's coming. And we looked in the backyard and there was this giant, like dirt death eater cloud that was touching the trees in our backyard. And we immediately packed in 30 minutes and left. But let's talk. What was in, what was in your go bag? I'm packing of your go bag.

[Natasha]

This I packed for you and Senna. I packed nothing for me. I had like a pair of pants and like some underwear and skin care. I packed like my skincare, my toothbrush. That was it. I packed every, like every outfit son has ever worn his life for some reason.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

I got all of your handbags. We actually, we actually gifted the magi.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Okay, you go ahead.

[Natasha]

I held you down. I got all your jerseys. I was like, the only thing this man is gonna care about is a Knicks jersey. So I grabbed them all.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

You did grab every single Nick jersey. And my Jaden Daniels. I was like. I almost cried when we got to San Diego eventually because I was like, she. She got the jaded Daniels jersey when.

[Natasha]

I was doing this. I also thought. I was like, this will be one night max. Like, we're gonna go. I was, I thought we were being so dramatic. I was like, we're gonna go to Palm Springs. We're gonna laugh at ourselves in three days. We're gonna be like, what idiots. We should have just stayed home.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah, I got all your handbags. I got all the watches. And then that was. And I brought the spinach dip and a case of liquid death.

[Natasha]

You brought so much food, it was like, no. Then you brought like a piece of grilled chicken. Like you had the dumbest. So we drive, we get our dog in the car. It's me, Senna in the back, our dog, Mr. Chow, who's like a 90 pound Doberman. We're all in a tiny ass Porsche. Like tiny. We drive to Palm Springs, we get there, it's quick. It quickly becomes like a nightmare because for some reason Mr. Chow could not come into the hotel room with Ace.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Hotel was super whack because they bullied us a lot. Yeah. The Ace Hotel, because straight up they only had one small room available. We had at the time, it was a 15 month old child, a 90 pound Doberman, who's like, not the best with the kid. I put Mr. Chow in the car with blankets to sleep because I was like, all right, it's either Mr. Chow is gonna like mess with Senna or Mr. Chow sleeps in the car. He was in the car.

[Natasha]

The.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

They wake me up at 3am like, you're not allowed to have your dog in the car. I was like, this is like an extreme situation.

[Natasha]

Wake us up. But we need to go into detail. So we're all sleeping. Senna's. First of all, we're on. It's a mattress on the floor. At the Gates Hotel, they don't have much of a bed frame. So you're like doing this whole whatever vibe. Mattress on the floor. I have Senna in. Like, they tell you, you're like, oh, my God, an infant crib for the hotel room. And they just give you kind of like another mattress on the floor, which is insane. He's next to me. And then they're banging on the door at three in the morning. Like, truly, like the feds are coming for you. Like, somebody's like, pack it up. We open the door and they're like, you need to get your dog.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. So I get the dog, we bring him in, and I tell them, look, I get it that you shouldn't keep your dog in a car. Like, I don't want to do this, but we're like, we evacuated from the fires. You know, we're trying to make it work. I bring in Mr. Chow. What's he do? Immediately pisses on the bed and the floor, and then tries to jump into Senna's crate. I put him into the bathroom, tries.

[Natasha]

To eat the spinach dip. Try the grilled chicken. Yes, of course. Why would he?

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Not everything. Then we put him in the bathroom, pees in there too. We're just sleeping in dog piss.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And the Ace Hotel made us put him in there and then charge us fifteen hundred dollars for. For dog piss in the room. And they're like, we think there's dog piss. We're like, yes, there's absolutely dog piss. This is absolutely the dog piss room from now on.

[Natasha]

Weren't they threatening? They're like, we're gonna call the police on you. Or like animal control or something.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. And I was like, this is. I understand laws and I understand standards, but this is. There are extenuating circumstances, for sure. People evacuated from a fire with their 15 month old and a dog. And I calculated and was like, the best scenario for everyone is Mr. Chow in the car with many, many blankets. But instead they had him come in the room so he could piss on everyone.

[Natasha]

You know what's crazy about that is he was so well behaved in the car. Like, didn't even think about peeing on anything.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

He loved the car because he had the whole back.

[Natasha]

And then he got into the room and was like, I'm just going to fuck this up. I'm going to pee on everything.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah. And then. And then he stayed in a bathtub.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Like, that's not fun. I'd rather be in leather seats, but yeah. Shout out to Ace Hotel. A bunch of fucking bombs.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And then we went to San Diego.

[Natasha]

Yes.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Shout out. Shout out. David Chang. David Chang gave us the idea to go to San Diego.

[Natasha]

Yep. And then we stayed at the most insane. Now, it's hilarious because it's, like, bigger than our apartment. But we were just in such tight quarters, and we've never done that as a family up till that point.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Beach apartment.

[Natasha]

The beach apartment was crazy. It was. It was tiny. I mean, it was like one room.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

That block was cracking, too. Like, it was every. There was, like, five churches on every block around us, and it was all just junkies going to church, trying to, like.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Not do drugs all day. That was an interesting.

[Natasha]

I actually really enjoyed it. We just walked outside all day. We watched the sunset. We saw planes landing. We were, like, super close to an airport. I think Senna loved it. We had the best time. And then we moved into a bigger house in San Diego.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Escondido. The Escondido house was nice.

[Natasha]

That was super nice.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

That was the best week we had was in Escondido.

[Natasha]

But I think it's important. This whole time, we're kind of like. I mean, we don't have any money, and we're just thinking to ourselves, we can't go home because our house is on a block that is covered in ash, effectively.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Everyone got sick. Everyone and their kids got, like, double ear infections and rsv. Everyone was sick on the block.

[Natasha]

Yeah. But, I mean, it was just so crazy to be in a situation where you're like, okay, I don't have any money to continue to not go home, but my option is to go home and then compromise the health of my child and my. Just my whole family. So I think we just kept trying to, like, pull a rabbit out of a hat and, like, how can we figure out how to stay here, not go home? I think for a solid, I would say five days. One day we woke up and we were like, okay, we're gonna move to New York. The next day. We were like, we can't actually financially figure that out. We can't. That's not on the table anymore. Then it was back on the table. It was five days of just like, we don't know what our life is gonna look like past the next three hours.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah, we Just rang up credit card debt.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

We literally. The solution was just. It was a very tough situation to be in where you're like, all right, I financially cannot afford to keep my child safe. Yeah. But what is the option? Go into debt and make the move or go back to a place where, you know, the air is bad. And our doctor, our pediatrician had actually sent a mass email explaining how bad the air and ash in the area were for people. I mean, it was burning. The entire city was burning for over a week. And we just made the choice to put our children's.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Our child's health first go into debt. Trust that I would figure it out. And, you know, luckily for us, we invested in emerging artists. You know, there was a couple. There's a couple painters that I just really like their paintings truly. And the funniest thing that happened was what saved us some in art galleries. You know what? I'm a Shout out his name. Harley Wertheimer. Shout out Harley Wertheimer. Great friend. Knew I was going through a tough time and informed me that a painter who I've been collecting. I'll just say his name because I. I love this painter. He is my favorite painter. Yeah, I've been collecting his work from. For several years, probably eight years. Japanese painter called Yunishimura. And so I had originally purchased a Yunishimura painting, a big one of a red car that was really, like, anxious. I think the trademark of his painting is the anxiety in it. I bought that. Then a few years later, he had a show in Poland that, you know, multiple paintings were left in the show. I ended up buying three paintings from the show. And turns out his work went 70x around the time of the fires. And I had no idea because I. I never planned to sell any of our art. Like, I love the art.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And shout out Harley. Harley hit me up and was like, yo, I bet you one of his galleries would love to purchase back some of his art because there is a huge market for it right now and people are selling it at auction. And turned out that two Unishimura paintings are what basically saved our ass.

[Natasha]

Yeah. Follow your heart when you buy art.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah, yo. Like, no, I wouldn't buy this.

[Natasha]

Yeah. I mean, you can try to be strategic and make investments, but I think it always just pays off when you support artists that you genuinely love. And that. The Red Car piece is my favorite painting that we had in our house.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

It's the best in. Ever since I bought that painting. It was in my room. I Always hung it across my eyeline from bed because I like to wake up and see that painting.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And I remember I found that one. I think it was 2016. Easier. 2016 or 2017? Art Basel. I was just walking through Nada and just saw it and it struck me and I was like, I gotta have this.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

And I remember the one person, I got their opinion. I brought a Ron over and I was like, yo, a Ron, what do you think about this? And he's like, oh, that's tight. That's tight. Then I got Al Moran. And Al Moran was like, oh, good gallery, Good gallery. They represent, like, the best Japanese artists. I think it was Kyo Yuki. And yeah, I just. I copped that painting. Just followed that painter. And so, yeah, I will say, you know, like, when you're up, support artists, because when you're down, they will support you. This is. This is one of the best art stories ever. Like, literally two small Unishimura paintings.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Got us out of debt.

[Natasha]

Well, that's the best.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Back to New York because we got.

[Natasha]

To keep the big ones that we love dearly.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

And yeah, got us back to New.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

York and shout out Unish and Mora.

[Natasha]

Yeah. Straight up.

[Host (possibly named Jordan)]

Yeah.

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