So far this year, I’ve managed to track down some impressive works of hidden art – art which thousands of people no doubt walk past every day without knowing they’re so close. Today I found another piece I’d never realised was there before – although this one was a little easier to spot. After work, …
Read MoreCategory / Free Stuff
August 17, 2013
…swam in the Atlantic Ocean
This morning, I was trying to remember if I had swam in the Atlantic Ocean before, and – can you believe it – but I haven’t. Definitely not from this side of it, anyway. About five years ago, I roadtripped throughout the East Coast of the U.S. and although it was summer, the weather was …
Read MoreAugust 14, 2013
…rode Macy’s wooden escalators
Tonight I headed to Herald Square to visit Macy’s – not only my first time in this mammoth store, but also my first ever spin on its historic wooden escalators. Macy’s at 34th Street is the largest department store in the city, taking up an entire block and stretching across ten floors. In 1902, it also …
Read MoreAugust 11, 2013
…held a butterfly
Ryan and I were on Long Island again today and, at the suggestion of his friend Brian, went to check out a nearby butterfly zoo for my new activity. We found the one-room ‘zoo’ nestled between shrubs and statues at the Main Street Nursery just outside Huntington. While it was much smaller than I’d imagined, …
Read MoreAugust 10, 2013
…built sand dunes in the Rockaways
Right at the start of the year, I went to Red Hook to help with the clean-up in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Eight months on and some communities are still getting back on their feet. Today I headed back to another Sandy-ravaged area to help out again, but in a very different way. Ryan, Meghan …
Read MoreAugust 8, 2013
…watched a Shakespeare play in a parking lot
Every summer in New York, hundreds of people queue to get their hands on a free ticket for ‘Shakespeare in the Park’, a professionally-acted play held in Central Park. Tonight I went to Brooklyn’s equivalent: Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. Ryan and I headed to the car park on the corner 5th Ave and 17th Street in South Slope …
Read MoreAugust 7, 2013
…touched the Berlin Wall
New York is packed so tightly with art and history that sometimes it’s easy to overlook a real winner. Tonight I popped up to Midtown to see one of these giant gems: A section of the Berlin Wall. The fall of the Wall is actually one of my earliest memories. I was only three at …
Read MoreAugust 5, 2013
…visited New York’s narrowest house
On the way to dinner tonight, I took a mini detour to Greenwich Village for a peek at the city’s narrowest house – a house so small that it’s only half an address: 75 1/2 Bedford Street. At only 9.5 feet wide, the puny pad is very New York. When I went to Colorado earlier this …
Read MoreAugust 3, 2013
…danced in Prospect Park
Tonight I took advantage of one of New York’s brilliant free summer activities – a huge concert in Prospect Park. To start, Ryan and I joined some others for a picnic on the grass outside the main music area. It was close enough to snack, drink and chat while listening to the concert – at that point Dan Deacon – …
Read MoreJuly 28, 2013
…watched a pogo stick competition (and witnessed a proposal)
When I went to the air guitar competition a couple of months ago, most of the intrigue was learning that it was an actual thing. And today as I went to the annual world championship of extreme pogo, I had exactly the same feeling. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in learning that there are actual …
Read MoreJuly 27, 2013
…browsed the Brooklyn Flea
When I was little, Mummy and Daddy Warren always wanted to visit antique shops. My big sister and I would groan as we were pulled into yet another shop cluttered with higgledy piggledy chairs and chipped chandeliers. I don’t know when it happened, but at some point, somehow, I got it. Even though I rarely …
Read MoreJuly 21, 2013
…took a (2am) dip in Lake Michigan
After Bree and Brad’s beautiful wedding ceremony last night, Lizzie, Paul, Ricardo and I decided to keep the party going – and they decided to give me a hand with today’s new experience in the early hours of this morning. We walked west to the beach for a dip in Lake Michigan – a freshwater lake …
Read MoreJuly 17, 2013
…watched a free concert in Bryant Park
So far I think I’ve made the most of the city’s best-known parks, from Central to Prospect and Tompkins Square. But one I’ve entirely overlooked is Bryant Park. The reason for this could be because it’s in Midtown. I hate Midtown. The sidewalks are swarming and the heat right now means the whole place reeks of …
Read MoreJuly 14, 2013
…cooked with homegrown produce
I feel like I’ve had a truly rural visit to England this time around – taking in the Sussex hills while chugging along in a steam engine and visiting a vintage tractor show – and today I concluded the trip with another countryside classic: Picking and cooking with homegrown produce. I’ve been in New York …
Read MoreJuly 12, 2013
…travelled by steam engine
I’ve nipped back to England for a long weekend to surprise my sister, who’s visiting from New Zealand. One look at the rolling hills of West Sussex and New York feels a million miles a way. My family lives in a rural Sussex village called Kingscote. ‘Village’ is a bit of a stretch; all it …
Read MoreJuly 8, 2013
…marvelled at a reading in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Tonight I hopped on the F train to Dumbo for a reading in Brooklyn Bridge Park. I expected to listen to some sedate paragraphs while lolling about in the grass but I got much, much more – a spectacular view of Manhattan, a masterclass in animation and that ‘I love New York’ warmth. The reading …
Read MoreJuly 4, 2013
…watched 4th July fireworks over the city
The U.S. has been very good to me. She’s introduced me to brilliant people, given me some unforgettable experiences across 33 states and let me live in the best city in the world. So tonight – the 4th of July – I raised a beer (Bud, of course) to say thanks. Obviously I heard a fair …
Read MoreJuly 1, 2013
…had Pride in NYC
Being in the U.S. this week to see the historic moment that DOMA was thrown out by the Supreme Court (opening the door for same-sex couples to receive equal benefits as straight married couples) was so exciting. And this weekend, there has been a chance to celebrate it: Pride. During the Pride March last year, my …
Read MoreJune 28, 2013
…took a dip in the Washington Square Park fountain
I’ve had a pretty stressful day and needed to unwind on the walk home. As I scuttled from SoHo to the East Village, I spotted that the Washington Square Park fountain has been switched on for the summer. Last year, I’d look on jealously as children waded through the water. Today I decided I should …
Read MoreJune 24, 2013
…danced on a xylophone
A couple of weeks ago when I headed to Battery Park for Memorial Day, I spied a human-sized xylophone on the ground – nine massive bronze steps to jump on and make music. Today I headed back, envisioning a ‘Big’ keyboard scene for myself. Of course it wasn’t that simple. But as I hopped across …
Read MoreJune 23, 2013
…kayaked on the Hudson
It’s summer! So today Ryan and I headed to the Hudson to kayak – and to get some pretty horrendous sunburn. The kayaking is held at various points along the Hudson – and although it’s free, there was not a queue in sight. Of course, don’t do what I do, which was dress for winter. …
Read MoreJune 21, 2013
…trekked to graffiti Mecca
Tonight after work, I jumped on the E train and, to my surprise, was in Long Island City only 25 minutes later. It was my first trip out there and worth it to see one of New York’s hidden gems: 5 Pointz. 5 Pointz – a nod to the five boroughs – is known as ‘graffiti Mecca’ …
Read MoreJune 20, 2013
…auditioned for The Bachelorette
Guys, I’m single and I’m in New York (which I’m realising is a pretty horrifying place to date). There’s only one thing for it. I need to go on The Bachelorette. Okay, this isn’t very true and I’ve never actually watched an episode. But there were open auditions at ABC’s studios in Midtown tonight, so …
Read MoreJune 17, 2013
…groped the Naked Cowboy
Forget the Empire State and the Statue of Liberty, a real New York sight to behold is the Naked Cowboy. This semi-clad stalwart of Times Square is a tourist favourite and yet I’d never before clasped my eyes on his instrument (he plays the guitar). His real name is Robert John Burck and he’s been doing this gig since …
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