Wahooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I love it! I won't stop using my actual Holga though - there's something really exciting about not knowing how the real film's going to come out when it gets developed... but as a cheaper alternative (and a faster option) this little app is pretty blummin' brill!
Last night, after spending part of a very hot and buggy afternoon in Central Park, Abi and I went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D! It was absolutely fantastic, all the old characters were in it - some of the characters from Toy Story 2 weren't in it, but they'd written them out cleverly. The story line was brilliant, and funny, and sad, and heart warming and it was just as good as the first film.
This poster wasn't supposed to be interactive - but someone had to go and interact regardless!
The stage used to be positioned so that Manhattan was the backdrop for the musicians, but this year they moved the stage, so the musicians get to look at Manhattan instead (also so everyone's not looking into the sun I imagine).
Grizzly Bear were the second support act (we missed the first), they're from Brooklyn so a lot of people were pleased to see/hear them. We decided to get ourselves some Brooklyn Lager and a hotdog (and a pulled pork sandwich) and sit on the grass looking out over the river. It was so relaxing and a perfect way to spend a summer's Sunday evening.
As Band of Horses played their set, we kept turning around and looking at the skyline, watching as the lights slowly started glowing from the buildings and as the Empire State Building took on a completely different feel as it became bluer and bluer...
Band of Horses sounded absolutely fantastic - just as good as their records, if not better - I'd been wanting to see them live for the past 18 months or so since I first heard their stuff and I can't think of a better, more unique venue to see them at.
I saw this massive squirrel on my travels.
I've walked past the building quite a few time before so it was nice to have an excuse to go in, there was a great atmosphere and the food was yummy. The litre glasses were a wee bit heavy though - I should have asked for a straw.
We went from Germany to the beach - Ben and I walked round the corner to the Surf Bar (one of my favourite places) for another couple of drinks, sitting in the sun surrounded by sand and plam leaves.
It's a great little place tucked away down one of the streets off Bedford Avenue, we got there at the right time too, it started getting busy not long after we sat down.
A piano! I don't know how it go to be in the park, but it's there now, free for everyone and anyone to play, and as Ben and I walked back through the park a little later that night someone was sitting in the dark playing (not a very melodic tune though).
Then we went for another couple of drinks and a curry at Curry Heights. It was rather tasty but not as good as the ones you get back at home, Max's in Bakewell is much better!
I hope your parcel arrives soon!
Abi had been there a couple of times before, and had I'd been before when Jonny was here, the views of Manhattan are fantastic, but the drinks are a bit pricey and the people there aren't very nice - all the customers were arrogant, trashy, greasy looking people. So we had a quick drink and went on to somewhere else...
The Empire State Building looked incredible impressive and dramatic with the flood lights shining through the clouds forming above us - it felt like we were in the middle of a Batman comic. So despite wondering around trying to find somewhere to go, we managed to discover somewhere new and friendly to go.
Steven, Karen and Ben were all keen too see Coney Island while they were here, so on Tuesday evening, after work we got the Q train down there to have a look at the new Lunar Park and have some hotdogs.
Shoot The Freak is a game on the boardwalk, in between two of the buildings is a pit full of obsticals for the 'freak' to hide behind. At the top of the pit is shooting gallery with paintball guns ready for people to have a go at taking shots at the 'freak' - the freak is just someone wearing protective clothing that runs around trying to avoid the shots. It was a little bit strange, but Ben insisted - I think it's safe to say that not one of us got anywhere near to shooting the freak... I think the guns were faulty! Nothing to do with the people shooting the guns of course.
The Lunar Park has got some brand new rides and games an has a fancy entrance - it still feels a little bare, but I think they're still adding to it... I expect by July 4th it'll be all finished ready for Tom's arrival!
Then Ben, Steve and I braved the Cyclone rollercoaster. Tom and I went on in last year and I promised myself that I wouldn't do it again because it hurt quite a lot... but I bowed to peer pressure and subjected my knees to a crushing and my sides to a good bashing on the old rickety rollercoaster. Luckily we all escaped without any major injuries, the only fatality was Ben's sunglasses that came flying off on the first corner (luckily they were knock-offs from Malaysia).
Our final stop was Nathan's hotdogs, we book-ended our visit to Coney Island with some more super healthy meaty treats before getting the train back to the apartment.
It was great seeing Coney Island at night, it had a very different feel and I have no doubt there'll be more blog entries about Coney Island yet to come this summer...
This looks like one the most complicated and decorative ones yet...
Absolut have collaborated with Spike Lee and have brought out a red apple and ginger flavoured vodka in honour of Brooklyn. Absolut are going to donate $50,000 to the housing projects in Bed-Stuy, so it's all for a good cause.
Steve and Karen were keen to go to a Jazz club on evening and I'd heard some lovely music coming out of here a couple of times so we thought we'd give it a try, it didn't disappoint either - the music was great and the food was DELICIOUS! (Abi and I had an amazing steak with a little risotto. Mmmmmmmm...)
(This picture of the inside of Crif Dogs is nabbed off t'interweb)
Looks like a normal diner, with a normal phone booth (those small double doors on the left)
(This is nabbed off t'interweb too, my phone didn't take good photos in the dark)
It was all broken glass mosaic, and there was this little sign above the sink...
It was great fun - after a couple of drinks we made our way back through the phone booth and headed next door to Jule's Jazz Bar for something to eat...
On Sunday afternoon we took a trip to the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store in Park Slope. I'd only been here once before, waaaaaay back in February last year for Tom's birthday - Steve's been wanting to visit the store ever since I told him about it, so it was quite a special occassion for him.
Inside the shop are floor to ceiling shelves full of fantastic products - well, they look like products but they're actually empty boxes and empty tins. They have cans of X-Ray vision, the speed of light, tins of doom and gloom, tins of antimatter and gravity, they sell cloakes and disguises, they sell secrect identity kits and good vs. evil maps of New York, they have all sorts of fantastic items...
They've created their own brands, ranging from FantastiCo which is your more entry level superhero supplies to The Aardvark Bros. which is your more top-end specialist goods. All the copy on all the packs is fantastic, all the little details have been thought about and it feels like they've had a lot of fun coming up with all the ideas.
There were some small children in the shop when we were looking around. They were recieving the full Superhero make-over treatment, picking out capes, learning how to pose, coming up with names, working on their flying techniques (with a fan blowing their cape around) and looking for gadgets, they were having loads of fun... so was Steve, he was stocking up on antimatter and doom as presents for people.
