“We gonna jump and shout
The Statue of Liberty said,
"come!"
NYC...NYC...NYC
Que pasa Ny?...Que pasa NY?
NYC down in the village
What a bad-ass city!
Que pasa Ny?...Que pasa NY?”
~John Lennon
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| "All We Are Saying Is Give Peace A Chance" |
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| Fountain In Central Park |
As I wake up, having a nice cuppa in a friends flat in
Brooklyn I’m suddenly overwhelmed. Why, you might ask me. Well, cos as much as
there’s non stop action for the city that doesn’t sleep, to be honest, it’s
hard to decide where to go & what to do. Do I want to hit a museums’,
galleries, antique shops, parks, the endless selection of restaurants, the
cinema, the department stores, yoga, mediation, which friend do I have time to
squeeze in for a visit, yada yada yada the list is endless.
If you want to play tourist, well
there’s the whole let’s go to Time Square, Broadway, Macy’s, Saks,
Bloomindales, Tiffany’s, etc & shop till you drop. Honestly, that is not
me. Maybe at one time that was part of the program, but not any more. As I
first started backpacking while in Australia, I was like “there’s more to life
than this”.
Don’t get me wrong
that going into stores to snag a deal is awesome & amazing, let’s leave it
to that, but then there’s the whole temptation issue.
Do I really need this is what I’m asking myself. Really, do
I need it when I know that I can do better online or at TJ Maxx or
Marshalls.
Also, since I’m doing
this whole expedition as you could say on a budget, than that answers my
question that I do not need the item. Don’t get me wrong that by saying not
spending the money to treat yourself now & then is not healthy, cos it is.
It’s good to go out & play once & a while to find your spark of
creativity. However, in this city there is just so much to do that I don’t know
where to begin most mornings besides just letting my wanderlust guide me. I
could use the
Lonely Planet as my
“bible” so to speak as what I have to do exactly, but I don’t. I really like
the copy of the one that I have cos it has an excellent map for each of the
sections of Manhattan. That’s what I use it for & not to forget the handy
public transportation maps in the back. The photographer in me wants to go
everywhere, but I got to remember that advise of some of photographer friends
is to watch the situation unfold & work it. With that guiding principle in
mind, I just got to leave the moment as it is & capture what’s unfolding.
For the most part New Yorkers are very friendly & helpful;
even though the stereotype might get the bad wrap. I find that people are
willing to help when you least expect it. I haven’t had an issue. However, it’s
wise to look both ways when crossing the streets cos New Yorkers are very
aggressive drivers. The traffic is insane & it’s just as easy as going out
walking than jumping in a cab.
Well, I started this morning by saying to my friend that I’m
off to
Central Park. In deed I was, but for those who really know me would
understand where I was off.
I got
off the Subway at 72
nd Street West & made my way over to the
park. I knew where I was of course, I just had to look for the Dakota Building
to find my bearings. I made my way to
Strawberry Fields
& there was no one there to begin with that made this even more enjoyable.
I found a great sense of peace here cos I could feel John’s presence & know
that I was in a peaceful spot. I was disappointed that the Imagine memorial was
not decorated in flowers like it was on my first visit.
It was very cool to photography the
memorial without any people near it. I basically was the only one for a few
minutes before I got swamp with tourist & that was my queue to get out of
there. Visiting the site is a good reminder that we need to work on peace in
our world not war. As the John & Yoko campaign “WAR IS OVER, if you want
it.” I did a wee bit of exploring in Central Park though too. I accidentally
found the Central Park Zoo & walked threw it. My only wildlife viewing,
besides the pigeons was the sea lions at the zoo. I did get a wee bit of
exciting. I do love sea lions. I made it to the Mall & to Bethesda Terrace
to catch a glimpse of the famous fountain. I quite enjoyed my morning in the
Park. However, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to see it all in one day cos this
place is huge, but it was nice to escape the business of the city for some
solitude.
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| Otafuku |
I decided to make my way down 5
th Avenue for a
wee bit of shopping on the shoestring by going to the Gap & Uniqlo to score
some bargains. I did purchase items that were on sale, even though I was
tempted with all of the regular price items.
There can be deals to be found, but you just got to seek out
the goodness. After shopping, I made my way down to the East Village to find a
restaurant that my friend recommended to me this morning. I was in search of my
favorite Japanese food, well one of them. I went to
Otafuku ,
but I didn’t realize that it was a hole in the wall take out place on 236 E 9th
Street.
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| Okonomiyaki & Takoyai Oishi Desu Yo! |
The restaurant can hold
only three people inside of it before it gets overly crowded; it’s very small
indeed. I was happy to eat both okonomiyaki & takoyaki.
Ah, yes, I was in heaven! I was
reminded of all the times that I would venture after school for a snack around
from my school behind the 100 Volts electronic shop in Matsue for takoyaki. Ah
very good food for barley any money, jackpock for me. I did speak a wee bit of
Japanese to the guys working there & chatted with them for a bit. I just
sat out side on the street eating my lovely octopus & squid tasty delights.
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| Coney Island |
I decided to escape the
city for a bit this afternoon by taking the train all the way out to Coney Island. I
enjoyed taking the train to see how the rest of Brooklyn looked & to take a
walk along the board walk to walk off my lunch feast. It’s known for being a
Russian community besides being a getaway for city goes for the beach & the
famous Luna Park. I swear that every coastal seaside community well most of them
that I have visited in the world have their own Luna Parks. In a way it
reminded me of Old Orchard Beach back in Maine & St Kilda in Melbourne,
Australia. I had to laugh when I saw fake palm trees on the beach too. Overall I enjoyed my visit. It was nice
to set foot on the sand once again & to look out at the ocean from a
beach. I concluded my day by
making my way back to the city to take a stroll in Chelsea. I found the big
Whole Foods in Union Square & that was nice to go to. I did take a peak at the famous Hotel Chelsea
where Sid Vicious from the Sex Pistols killed his girlfriend, Dylan Thomas, Madonna,
Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead & many more musicians,
writers & artists have stayed here. There’s a rich collection of art in the
hallways from many famous artist.
It’s a great place to walk by in Chelsea & to feel the vibe of this artistic
community. I did have another nonstop packed day. I ate some tacos at Super Taco Express for
dinner & they were just alright. The tortillas were good, but I wasn’t too
impressed with the rice. I’ve had better in Baja, but worked to get something
on the cheap when your on the go & can’t be bother to make up your mind cos
your extremely knacker. Well, I’m just unwinding in Brooklyn with my feet up.
Your probably thinking how I can do all this, but it’s just easy to be on the
go & living in the moment. Another nights out Brooklyn & I think I’ll
be sleeping well...
