Every now and then I get a reminder that my American friends and I did childhood very differently. Few know who Count Duckula is or the honor that comes with owning a Blue Peter badge, and none understand the joys of a Caramac bar. And it seems I missed out on traditions too; after they …
Read MoreTag / New York
October 9, 2013
…saw Madison Square Park’s tree sculptures
I had a date with Katia after work tonight so I had to scuttle to a new thing ASAP. Thankfully this is Manhattan, so finding a great, quick experience nearby wasn’t too hard. Madison Square Park has a new outdoor art exhibit and I wanted to see it before it started getting dark out, so …
Read MoreOctober 7, 2013
…was the queen of King Pong
The title of this post is a little deceptive. I did play table tennis at King Pong, but I still need a bit of practice before I rule. After work, Ryan and I headed to SoHo for an hour-long game at the ping pong club and it looked pretty serious when we got there – …
Read MoreOctober 6, 2013
…visited Socrates Sculpture Park
I think I’ve found my favourite park in New York: Socrates Sculpture Park. As well as giving plenty of green space, the park in Astoria, Queens exhibits sculptures and multimedia installations. Nearly 30 years ago, a sculptor wanted to build the park on what was then a former landfill, and a group of artists and local youngsters helped him. It was …
Read MoreOctober 4, 2013
…tracked down a Banksy
My fellow countryman Banksy is causing a daily frenzy on the streets of New York. The artist has started a month’s ‘residency’ in the city, and every day this month, a new work will crop up somewhere – causing fans to sprint through the streets to be the first to see it. Today I tracked …
Read MoreOctober 3, 2013
…spotted an animation from the Q train
Ryan and I were traveling on the Q train from Brooklyn to Manhattan tonight when he told me to look out the right-hand-side window. Before I knew it, I was looking at a colorful animation created by panels on the walls underground. Check out the video: As you can see, we slowed down halfway through, …
Read MoreOctober 2, 2013
…walked around the Harlem Meer
I was right about needing to make the most of summer and the outdoors before autumn came, because today I was caught out. I had trekked 100 blocks north to check out Central Park’s Conservatory Garden, lured by its lush lawns and dusk closing time. But when I got there, this was all I could …
Read MoreOctober 2, 2013
…learned about New York’s best unknown buildings
One of my favourite things this year has been discovering New York’s secret oddities, from clocks in sidewalks to ghost subway stops. So when I heard the Brooklyn Brainery was hosting a talk about New York’s best under-appreciated buildings I thought I could hit two birds with one stone – going to my first ever architecture …
Read MoreSeptember 30, 2013
…joined the crowds at Atlantic Antic
You’d have thought that the horrifying San Gennaro would be enough to put me off street fairs for life but this weekend, the city’s biggest street festival was in town and I couldn’t resist. Atlantic Antic is the oldest (it started in 1974) and largest (it has 500 vendors along one mile) street fair in …
Read MoreSeptember 29, 2013
…took a trip to Governors Island
If you look at a map of New York City, there are a few islands dotted around Manhattan. I’ve already been to Roosevelt Island, if you remember, and today I ventured to another: Governors Island – which was good timing because this is the last weekend of the year that it’s open. This is where …
Read MoreSeptember 27, 2013
…went to the Dumbo Arts Festival
Today I headed to Dumbo for the third time this week. So I know my photographs are getting a bit similar – but let’s be honest, can you ever get too much of this skyline? I went there to check out the Dumbo Arts Festival – a free three-day festival scattered among the streets and …
Read MoreSeptember 26, 2013
…visited Photoville
In the past six months, somehow I’ve become a crier. I used to let stories I wrote at work wash over me, but now I’m forever fumbling for the tissues. One of my news editors even told me recently that she can tell it’s a good story if she hears a sniff from my desk. I’m …
Read MoreSeptember 25, 2013
…shopped at the Union Square Greenmarket
I keep meaning to make a pie with the apples Ryan and I picked at Stone Ridge Orchard on Saturday. So today after work, I nipped up to Union Square to get some extra ingredients. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the Union Square Greenmarket sells fresh and local produce, baked goods and flowers until 6pm. I …
Read MoreSeptember 25, 2013
…found the city’s last gas lamp
After work, I scuttled a few blocks north to a tiny unassuming corner of Greenwich Village: Patchin Place. Like all the other quaint streets in this part of the city, there are gorgeous red bricks, snug coffee shops and rubbish-free sidewalks. But it also has something no other street here has: A gaslight lamp. The …
Read MoreSeptember 23, 2013
…watched the sun set from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade
It’s getting darker earlier, and soon enough it’ll be pitch black when I leave work. Today I checked sunset time – 6.51pm – and realized I’d better make the most of dusk while it still exists. And what better way than with the city skyline? After work I jumped on the F train to Jay Street …
Read MoreSeptember 22, 2013
…visited the world’s largest kaleidoscope
For a small mountain town, Phoenicia has endless outdoor activities. Today, as well as trying some of these, Ryan and I decided to visit one of its top indoor experiences too: The world’s largest kaleidoscope. Yes, this sounds a bit bizarre – and I had no idea how good it was going to be. The 60-ft Kaatskill …
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2013
…picked apples in Stone Ridge
I’m in the countryside upstate so it only feels right to do very wholesome outdoor activities. And you’re overwhelmed with choice up here; Phoenicia and its neighbouring towns are crammed with trails, lakes and pick-your-own farms. Despite our bottles of wine last night, Ryan and I were up bright and early and headed to the …
Read MoreSeptember 20, 2013
…drank local wine in Phoenicia
I love the city, but I’m also not adverse to escaping every now and then for more greenery and less hubbub. And it’s easy; there are just so many places just a few hours away upstate that offer this respite. So after work today, Ryan and I hopped in the car and headed to Phoenicia, a teeny …
Read MoreSeptember 19, 2013
…got the dirt on the Earth Room
New York is full of bizarre things – sheep sculptures at gas stations, zombie parades and loos with transparent walls – but none as bizarre as what I encountered today: A room filled with nothing but 280,000 pounds of dirt. At lunchtime, Hayley and I headed a few blocks north to the Earth Room at …
Read MoreSeptember 18, 2013
…visited the waterfall at Greenacre Park
I wore tights for the first time this week and switched to hot coffees. Autumn appears to be winning. This means I need to cram in as many outdoor new experiences, activities and visits as I can – sharpish. So tonight I took advantage of New York’s great outdoors – by visiting a city center waterfall. After work I …
Read MoreSeptember 17, 2013
…traveled to a ghost subway stop
The subway platform for the 6 train at City Hall used to be one of the most opulent in the transit system’s underground maze. The station, which opened in 1904, was dripping with chandeliers and decked with colored tiles – and some of Manhattan’s richest residents would venture to its vaults after dinner just for …
Read MoreSeptember 15, 2013
…watched a Japanese drum show
Doing a new thing every day makes sure I never forget that I have world-class talent right on my doorstep. And today – when I saw an amazing Japanese drum show – I was reminded once again. I jumped on the 1 train with Ryan and headed to the Taikoza Live show at the Peter …
Read MoreSeptember 14, 2013
…identified trees in Carroll Gardens
New York City isn’t all skyscrapers, office blocks and coffee shops – believe it or not, there are actually a few trees here. But before today, I rarely looked at them – and definitely had no idea what they were. This morning, Hillary and I headed to Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn to wander the beautiful …
Read MoreSeptember 13, 2013
…feasted at San Gennaro
Last year when I lived in Little Italy, there was nothing I dreaded more than the Feast of San Gennaro. Every year for 10 days, the festival fills the six blocks stretching from Prince Street to Canal Street – and my recollection of it is noise, tackiness and stinky, greasy food. Of course, living there, …
Read More
Recent Comments