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Archive / April 2013

April 30, 2013

…jogged around Central Park

While I might not have the Rocky Mountains in my backyard, I do have Central Park. Each time I visit, I’m always in awe of – and a little bit jealous of – the runners bouncing along the paths. So tonight I decided to be one – and to appreciate the (sometimes minimal) nature we have …

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April 29, 2013

…went to the hotel where Stephen King wrote The Shining

Last night, as we recuperated from our day of exertion, we popped on The Shining. I don’t know if any of us actually made it through the entire movie (blame the two-hour time difference) but we were inspired enough to visit the hotel where Stephen King wrote the novel. The Stanley Hotel was near our …

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April 28, 2013

…hiked a Colorado mountain (and saw elk)

After awaking to hangovers and piles of dishes from last night’s feast, we decided a bit of exercise might not be a bad idea. So we headed to a hiking trail at Estes Park that would take us to Gem Lake. On the way there, we saw these beauties on the side of the road: …

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April 27, 2013

…toured a winery (and got very merry)

Because the 12 bottles of wine we bought for the cabin yesterday just weren’t enough, we spent the afternoon sampling the local alcohol. I’ve never had Colorado wine before. And now I can understand why. First up, we went to Valley of the Wind Winery in Estes Park, where we selected five wines each for …

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April 26, 2013

…travelled to my 33rd state

I’ve done a fair bit of traveling throughout the U.S., but I’ve largely stuck to the coasts and avoided the middle. Today I went to one state so far out that such little attention was paid during its inception and it was sketched as a square: Colorado. It brings my number of states visited to …

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April 25, 2013

…lost $1 on a game of ‘two-up’

On Tuesday, I celebrated my homeland with St George’s Day, and today I joined Elektra to recognise hers – Australia. April 25th is Anzac (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day, a day of remembrance for the countries’ troops. I met Elektra at The Australian in Midtown West for a bottle of Aussie beer and a game of ‘two-up’, a …

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April 24, 2013

…went to a Vice party

Tonight I headed to the Lower East Side for a Vice party, which they threw to celebrate their new MMA section. My friend River works there, so I joined him, Noah and Taylor for some beers and dancing. This is Vice, so I was pretty petrified – mostly that I’d be too old and too uncool. I …

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April 23, 2013

…celebrated St George’s Day in New York

I’ve been going all out with my New York experiences, but today I got the day off: Today it was St George’s Day, and time to celebrate the motherland. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever actually celebrated St. George’s Day in England, but this year, being so far from home, I was really keen …

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April 22, 2013

…attended a story time for adults

This blog has always been about making the most of opportunities. Well, in a bizarre twist, it backfired a little tonight. I was standing outside the New York Library trying to figure out how to get inside for a storytelling evening when I locked eyes with a dashing young man who was having a similar …

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April 21, 2013

…went to Tribeca Film Festival

This week has been filled with a lot of bad news – bombings, deaths and freak fertilizer plant explosions. So I was keen for something to lift my spirits. Thankfully, a documentary about James Broughton, who saw himself as the spokesman for ‘Big Joy’, premiered in town tonight – and I was at the front of the …

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April 20, 2013

…hit golf balls at the Hudson River

When I met Dan and Amanda a few weeks ago, I made the mistake of telling them that when I lived in Atlanta, I used to play golf weekly – and even once attempted a few holes at Augusta. It looked like it was going to bite me in the tusch today when they asked if …

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April 19, 2013

…visited Roosevelt Island

Today I spent a couple of hours on Roosevelt Island – a two-mile-long strip of land in the East River between Manhattan and Queens – and I don’t get it. Embarrassingly, I didn’t even know it existed until about two months ago, when I met a guy at a party who worked as a teacher on …

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April 18, 2013

…went to the Chelsea Pier batting cages

After watching the Nats’ questionable form on Sunday, I wondered how hard it could really be. Tonight I headed to the batting cages at Chelsea Pier with Noah and, if possible, I put on an even worse show than I saw at the weekend. Chelsea Piers have everything – skate parks, football pitches, rooms made …

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April 17, 2013

…ate an ice cream on the High Line

New York weather doesn’t know what it’s doing. While it’s not quite warm enough for bare legs, it’s definitely about time for the first ice cream of the season. Tonight after work, Helen and I walked to the West Village and picked up some sickly sweet cups of ice cream – strawberry for me, chocolate for her …

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April 16, 2013

…had a Lower East Side history lesson

I love the Lower East Side. It’s shabby chic, so you’d think it hadn’t really been updated – apart from what’s in the shops – since its inception. But tonight I headed to the Tenement Museum on Orchard and Delancy to see author David Bellel talk about his new book, Then & Now: Lower East Side, and …

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April 15, 2013

…paid my respects to Boston at a Red Sox bar

Today has been a tough one. The Boston bombings are horrifying. They’ve shaken me like I’ve not been shaken while working on a story before. As I watched the tragedy unfold, I grew fearful for my friends running the marathon. And at work, I had the job of scrolling through graphic image after graphic image in our picture system, swiftly …

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April 14, 2013

…watched a Nats game

Any excuse to drink beer in the sun. And if there’s some baseball playing, all the better. This afternoon, Kate, Josh and I went to Nationals Park to watch the Nationals battle the Atlanta Braves. The scheduling had worked out perfectly for my D.C. trip; obviously I’m a bit of a fraud when it comes to …

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April 13, 2013

…saw the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C.

Today I headed to Washington D.C. to stay with Kate, my best gal pal from my time in Atlanta. She only recently moved here, so was keen to be a tourist with me. We headed straight for the Mall, which is bookended by the Capitol and the Washington Monument. At this time of year, the …

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April 12, 2013

…celebrated National Grilled Cheese Day

Gooey cheese squished in a sandwich used to sound like my worst nightmare, but since semi-overcoming my fear a couple of months ago, I was ready for National Grilled Cheese Day. Plus it’s pretty much America’s national dish. This is New York, so of course they have specialist restaurants for these sorts of things. After …

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April 11, 2013

…was a barista

Today I headed back to one of my old favourite haunts for coffee. But rather than doing the drinking, I was doing the making. This was something different for me, but I did really enjoy it. A lot of times, I am making my own coffee at home using my new coffee machine. I have …

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April 10, 2013

…saw buildings roll down Park Avenue (kind of)

Everyone knows the Manhattan skyline – even if, like me, they sometimes muddle the Chrysler and Empire State Building (true story). As a landscape that’s so recognizable, it’s ample ground for artists to meddle with. And tonight I went to Park Avenue between 48th and 68th to see Alexandre Arrechea’s take. Arrechea melds the buildings – such as the …

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April 9, 2013

…watched Gnawa music

After yesterday’s African food, I decided to complete the experience by bopping to some African music. But this was at an unexpected spot: Union Pool in Williamsburg, a place usually teeming with obnoxious facial hair, tattoos, and tacos. But tonight, Nass Gnawa was welcomed to the stage. The vibrant, fez-topped five put on a performance …

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April 8, 2013

…ate at an African restaurant

Tonight was my monthly goss-a-thon over dinner with Katia. Whereas last time we gave so-so Malaysian food a go, this time we hopped across a continent or two to Africa. Now, ‘Africa’ obviously encompasses a lot, so I didn’t really know what the menu at Ponty Bistro in Gramercy Park would look like. As it turns out, it had …

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April 7, 2013

…played Rebel Bingo

By the early hours of this morning, I sported some pretty impressive body ink: an anchor, a bowtie, some barbed wire – and I’m sure there was an obligatory pecker somewhere too. This was the aftermath of Rebel Bingo, a twist on the original game usually associated with blue rinses. The rules are the same …

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