Summertime...

We went to see 500 Days of Summer last night, it was a great. It felt a bit Juno-ish in parts, a bit like Amelie in other bits... it had some great music in it too... I feel like a bit of a film critic putting this on the blog, so Pigeon Post gives this film 4 Stars :)

S'mac!

We just went to a little place called S'mac for lunch... it just does macaroni cheese!

It does all sorts of styles, I had Buffalo Chicken one (spicy bits of chicken and blue cheese), Abi had Cajun one (spicy sausage, peppers and Pepper Jack cheese) and Malvina had the Parisienne one (brie and rosemary and shrooms)... it was rather tasty. I think Abi and Malvina's were the best, mine was a wee bit toooooo spicy.
They came in these lovely little pans, with handle-oven gloves (or willy warmers!), placed on a little wooden board. It was great. The interior of the place felt like being inside a dish of macaroni cheese, it was all yellows and oranges and warmm with groovy plastic chairs...

TOMORROW!!!!!

Mops and Pops will be here TOMORROW!!!!!
I can't believe it... I can't wait! It's been 3 months already. I hope the rain goes away for the weekend, the forecast is good so far (touch wood)... so fingers crossed.

Typical...

Bar-illiant!

We were walking past a wine bar yesterday evening and noticed this incredible interactive bar top... you could scroll through the wine list, see the virtual bottles, click on them and bring up the information about them and then order!

It was done in the same way as the fantastic tables in the Beatles Revolution Bar in Las Vegas, projecting the images from the ceiling, but it's so incredibly clever.

I think the staff might have been a little annoyed because Abi and walked in, played with the menu, took some photos and then left without buying a drink - but it looked a little pricey!

Sweet Heart...

On Saturday morning we went for breakfast at this little place just round the corner from my apartment, they do a breakfast platter (2 eggs any style, bacon or sausage (or both if you're me) and home fries with a Mimosa) for $10... bargain. Abi's strawberry was a perfect heart!
(I had no idea what a Mimosa was, I think it sounds a little more exotic than a Buck's Fizz.)

When it Rains...

It bloody POURS!
We got caught out in the rain yesterday afternoon, luckily we ducked into a shoe shop (the shoe shop must have been pleased beacuse Abi bought a pair of very nice Camper shoes) but at it's heaviest the sheets of rain we coming down so heavily you couldn't see the other side of the street! As you can see...

This isn't fog... it's rain... thick sheets of New York rain. It said on the news that a tree was uprooted in Queens by the strong winds - it was almost a hurricane. All the umbrellas over the Hot Dog stands were blowing inside out and the doors of the shop were flying open, it felt like we were in Twister or something. It's feeling incredibly tropical in New York at the moment.

Ohmmmmmmmmmmmm...

We saw George Doors in Green Acre park!

Green Acre Park...

Yesterday morning Abi and I got some breakfast and sat in Green Acre Park. It's just down the road from the hotel Abi's staying in (we wangled it with work, the inflatable bed wasn't really doing our backs much good!), it's 'a private park for public enjoyment'. It's such a hidden treasure, it had beautifully colourful flowers and plants, huge green trees, a fantastic waterfall, tables and chairs and a little refreshments stand... it was a little oasis really.

Nice Wheels...

Some lovely Williamsburg Wheels...

Highline Park...

Abi and I walked along part of the Highline Park yesterday afternoon...
It's such a brilliant idea, turning a disused train line into a park - it's great, it's so lovely to be able to stroll along the walkway above the Meatpacking District, looking down at the river on one side, and all the bars and restaurants on the other side. It wasn't too busy either, it was very relaxing and the weather was perfect too.

Meaty...

Yesterday afternoon we went over to the Meatpacking District, to see the Highline Park. We had a stroll around to look at all the fancy restaurants and bars - it always feels like walking through a film set around there...

We saw this brilliant Street Sweets van - all the design and typography all over it was fantastic... unfortunately they were shutting shops as we turned up, but they had lots of lovely croissants and muffins and things...

5 Leaves...

Last night Abi and I went to a lovely little café/restaurant in Brooklyn called 5 Leaves. We wanted to go last time Abi was here, but we didn't have time... it was fantastic. We got there quite late, but it was heaving - it's only small so there was a cozy atmosphere. It's on the corner of McCarren Park at the end of Bedford Avenue, so it straddles Williamsburg and Greenpoint. One of the main reasons I wanted Abi to see the restaurant is because it was part owned by Heath Ledger (and to say Abi's a fan would be an understatement!).

The food was deeeeeeeeeeeelicious! I managed to restrain myself and not have Devils on Horseback, instead we shared some scallops, the Abi had a scrumptious steak and I had some salmon and citrussy noodles... YUM!

First Ever!

Yesterday was my first encounter with a $1 coin! Abi just happened to have two in her purse... she kept it quiet, but now I'm the proud owner of a shiny $1 coin!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Unfortunately this week has been horribly busy - all plans of doing things in the evening with Abi went out the window and we weren't getting back to the apartment until 9.30/10pm this week. So apologies for the lack of bloggage, but they would have been pretty dull posts anyway...

Yesterday lunch we all went to the Brooklyn Diner, it was a posher diner than the ones you see on telly, apparently a lot of celebrities have eaten there (including Robert Plant). Mark and I couldn't resist testing ourselves and ordering the '15 Bite Hotdog'... in America an bite must equate to an inch, because the thing was HUGE!



We refused to have any pudding, but the waiters gave us some of their famous cheesecake (on the house!), I could only manage on fork full... Abi and Malvina did the rest!

Brooklyn BBQ

I think this is the first Saturday I've not left Brooklyn, it's the first Saturday that I've not gone on the subway into Manhattan, it's the first Saturday that I've barely left the apartment... but it's been a rather lovely day.

After doing about 7 or 8 loads of washing in the basement, and making sure my room was dust free and clean for Abi's arrival tomorrow, I was feeling pretty pooped... Jae popped his head round the door to ask if I'd like to join him and a couple of his friends for a BBQ on the roof. I went with Jae to the fish monger round the corner. I didn't even know there was a fish monger around here, let alone a couple of blocks away - and the best thing is, they do FISH & CHIPS! Admittedly, they didn't look quite up to Bakewell's standard, but I'll sample them soon - it's only fair. I think I'll be going there for some tasty prawns in the future.

We got shrimps, scallops, halibut and red snapper! Jae and his two friends are all Korean, so they treated me to a traditional Korean chicken stew which we had after the skewered shrimp and the rest of the fish, with sticky rice and Korean Wild Berry Wine (and Brooklyn Beer!). It was delicious and his friends were so friendly.

They were telling me that there are some great places in China Town to get really cheap food like delicious dumplings (6 for $1), so I think I'll be venturing out there very soon.

It was so nice to sit on the roof, having a BBQ, chatting (about Top Gear, they love it here!) and sipping fruity wine - it was a lovely afternoon, it was great to get to know Jae a bit better too.

Now I've got to get back to sorting out my room a bit more!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

There have been a few changes at work this week, so to cheer us up they're sending over some friends from the Leeds office... heaven knows why they're sending Abi?! :)
As of Sunday Abi'll be working here for a couple of weeks, just in time to say Hello to Mops and Pops! It'll be fantastic that the four of us can be in New York at the same time...

Ferret In A Basket...

Lights, Camera... ACTION!

This evening after finishing on the shoot for the day, Judd and his wife invited me out for dinner. We went to an amazing tapas restaurant and had lots of extremely tasty dishes - I think the Devils on Horseback were my favourite (although they were called something like Piggy Bareback Dates or something like that)... I think any restaurant that serves Devils on Horseback is onto a good thing. We also had Sangria, I think that was the first time I've had Sangria...

Judd then walked us through Washington State Park, through the village, onto Bleeker Street and to a place called Rocco's where they served Gelato and Italian Ice. We had coffee and ice cream for pudding.

It was really lovely to be shown some more of the village by people who really know the place, there are some incredible little shops around there. Some of the architecture of the apartment buildings is fantastic too, especially near the University buildings.

When I got back to the apartment I noticed all this going on right outside my building...


I'm not sure what they were filming, but it was great seeing all the equiptment about, I asked someone else who was being nosey if they knew what was being filmed and they said something about Boy Vigilante but I can't find anything on Google... Watch this space!

I went up onto the roof to get a better view.

Mozart in Manhattan...

This evening The New York Philharmonic gave a free concert in Central Park. It was fantastic.

There must have been hundreds of thousands (well, nearly) of people who'd got their blankets an picnic baskets, bottles of wine and cheeseboards, balloons and flags, deck chairs and tables out, covering every square inch of the Great Lawn in the middle of the park.

The orchestra had a brilliant view of the skyscrapers as they played, and the sun set in the middle of their performance - it was beautiful.

The night started with Alec Baldwin comparing the evening, introducing the Mayor of New York (who got rapturous applause), who then introduced another important person, ex-senate or something like that... The three of them commented on it being 'The best weather, on the best evening, in the best park in the world, in the best city in the world, with the best orchestra in the world playing for us all - and that's why we love New York City!' It was pretty moving to hear so many people be so proud of the city they live in...

It also reminded me that WOW, I'm in New York. I'm sitting in the middle of Central Park, about to listen to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra play for FREE! and I live here! It's incredible.
There are some days (I blame it on work) that I think I forget how incredible this opportunity is, but today really reminded me how great and exciting New York really is. I love it.

The evening ended with a big firework display at the back of the lawn, it was a perfect back drop to have the buildings in the background, with all their lights flickering. It was such a clear night, and there was no wind so the fireworks were so clear.

I think tonight might have been the first night I saw stars in the sky - I was told there weren't any stars in New York... seeing the Saucepan (or the Big Dipper one) made me feel closer to home because that's the one I can see from my bedroom window.

Up, Up and Away...

This evening I finally got to see UP in 3D! It was absolutely fantastic, as Pixar films always are. It was a lovely little story and it was surprisingly moving (Abi - I'm sorry, but I cried a little bit! Don't worry, my 3D glasses hid the evidence)... I'm not sure when it's out at home but GO AND SEE IT! I want to see it all over again, I loved it.

Bastille Day in Brooklyn...

I didn't realise it was a big deal over here, but in a little corner of Brooklyn there was a grand old street party happening. Lola had invited me along, but annoyingly by the time I got there she'd gone back to Manhattan and chosen not to tell me (!), so I just mooched about on my own for a bit, got myself a beer and a rather tasty baguette with a sausage and frites inside, doused in some spicy, peppery Mary Rose sauce... yum!

They'd blocked off a couple of blocks of the street and had made these petanque pitches...

There was a fantastic band, playing swing music - there was an ever increasing crowd over extrememly well dressed people dancing infront of them... there was such a great atmosphere, everyone was so happy. Some of the people looked fantastic - so dapper!

The tuba player was my favourite... bloody brilliant beard.

Just your average Brooklyn gilouteen knocking around in the middle of the street.

Little Holiday in Fort Greene...

I've had a rather splendid little holiday in Fort Greene, I thought I'd put some photos up of the area... it's now on the top of the hit list for places to live. It's got lots of lovely restaurants and places to have breakfast, leafy tree lined streets, green parks, cars blasting out 'How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You', flea markets at the weekend, lots of young families, lots of people walking their little dogs, lots of groups of friends sitting outside having diner together...

Rather lovely.

Empanadas...

This is what I thought was a Cuban Cornish Pasty... they're Deeeeeelicious!