Under The Bridge...

(This Saxophonist was playing under one of the bridges in Central Park on Sunday)

Sunday Afternoon in the Park...

This afternoon we made the most of the little sunshine we've had this weekend and headed to the park to see some of the blossom. The sun seemed to come out extra strong once we got there, it was lovely...

We didn't walk around too much of the park, as we wanted to get to Whole Foods to get some food for tea (we had roast chicken!), but there was some beautiful blossom around - and some really lovely white daffodils. If the weather's nice during the week it'd be nice to get to the park in the evening and walk around a bit more...

There were loads of people in the park - out walking, running, playing baseball, walking their dogs, playing kick ball... I love Central Park at the weekends, we're really looking forward to the lovely hot summer weekends when we can go to the park with a blanket and our books and spend the day there - eating hotdogs all day.


It was a very relaxing way to spend the afternoon - it's been a very busy week or so, so it's been nice to do bugger all today and just mooch about (and the roast chicken that Abi's just cooked was absolutely delcious and has made this a really great Sunday!)

Junk...

After brunch we went round the corner to the Junk shop, Abi and I were feeling all inspired after watching a programme about a family who do up houses around Manhattan - in the programme they went over to Brooklyn to the flea market and bought some cool old stuff for their house, so we thought we'd look and see what we could find...

This is my new, old, $50 guitar - it needs a bit of a clean and some new strings (and I need to flip the nut over to make it left handed) but I think it's a little beauty - I'm going to try and find out how old it is.

We also found this FANTASTIC old Coca Cola crate - it also needs a bit of a clean up but it's now home to all our booze (which all remains unopened apart from the Jack Daniels - so it's not as bad as it looks!)...

We can't wait to go to the flea markets and see what else we can find .

Brunch in Brooklyn...

Well, due to strange volcano's erupting and ash flying out and making it's way over Europe, Jonny's stranded in New York (I can think of worse places to be stranded). He was due to fly out on Thursday, his flight was then pushed to Friday, then Saturday night and now it's looking like he'll be flying out on Wednesday afternoon (fingers crossed).

So we used his delayed departure as a good excuse to go for brunch in Brooklyn on Saturday... I say brunch, it was pretty late for just standard lunch, it was about 3 o'clock ish when we turned up at Acqua Santa on Driggs Avenue (just opposite the Argentinian Restaurant from the other day).

I'd been wanting to go to Acqua Santa for AGES, Julia had a matchbox from there in the bathroom at my old apartment and I'd walked past it lots of times last summer and thought how lovely it looked in their courtyard bit - I'd really wanted to go with Mops and Pops (so maybe next time you visit we could go?!).

It was just as lovely as I'd hoped it would be, we sat in their 'garden' which was a glass roofed courtyard area, with a trelace roof with grapevines growing all over it. All the chairs we white iron, they all looked different but had all been upholstered in the same aqua green material so they all matched.

They had a very good little brunch deal, a mimosa, a main course, a pudding and a coffee all for $20! Bargain.

It's a lovely restaurant, it felt really calm and relaxed - I think Abi and I are going to try and go back there one evening, we've walked past at night and it looks beautiful all lit with candles and fairy lights.

230 5th Avenue...

After stuffing our faces with pizza we got in a cab and went up to 230 5th Avenue. We showed our ID to the man on the door, and walked over to the lifts, got in, pressed the button for the 20th floor and zipped up... When we got out onto the 20th floor a lady asked us if we'd like a table, which we did, so she asked us to follow her up some steps and through a door, so we did. As we walked through the doors, this was what greeted us...

It's a rather swanky roof top bar with the most fantastic views of the Empire State Building (and all the other surrounding buildings). The terrace was filled with patio heaters and tall tables and chairs and the walls had lots of twinkly fairy lights in them. There were rails full of red robes for people to wear if they get too cold, and each table had a blanket by it too.

(You can see the robes to the right)

It had a very interesting and varied mix of customers, some old, some young, some yuppie types, some tourists, some classy looking, some sleezy looking... and us. We all ordered different cocktails - Jonny had a Raspberry Mojito (which tasted like the ground), Abi had a Go Man Go (a bright yellow Martini made with Van Gogh Mango Vodka - hense the name) and I had a Cherry Coke (Coke and Cherry Vodka) - all of which were yummy.

Wednesday Night...

Wednesday night was supposed to be Jonny's last night here in New York, so we went out for some pizza at the famous Lombardi's Restaurant (where Tom and I went) in SoHo. We were going to have a team evening, but Malvina and Amelia dropped out (shame) so it was just the three of us again.

Lombardi's makes delicious pizzas in their stone-baked ovens, you order a 14" or and 18" and then choose which toppings you'd like them to put on for you, you have as many or as few as you like, we decided to have a lot of meat on ours - and here it is...

Beautiful.

Eisenberg's Sandwiches...

On Wednesday, Jonny and I walked up to Eisenberg's on 5th Avenue for one of their tasty sandwiches. Last time I went I had a humongous Meatloaf sandwich - it was absolutely delicious. This time we both had one of their hot pastrami sandwiches, which looked a little something like this...

Not quite as tasty as the Meatloaf sandwich - but mighty fine all the same.

On My Way To The Office...

I don't think seeing this will ever get old...

El Almacen...

Last night Abi and I took Jonny to Williamsburg for a little look around - we were going to go for some pizza at Fornino, but when we got to Brooklyn we changed our minds and decided to try something different.

So we ended up going to a place called El Almacen, an very unassuming looking place of Driggs Avenue (the road that runs parallel to Bedford Avenue). It had a rusticy well loved sign outside, and beautiful lettering painted on the windows and from what we could see through the windows it looked lovely and cozy.

(I didn't take this photo, it's off t'interweb)

We went in and soon realised that it was an Argentinian restaurant, with everything on the menu being in Spanish and the Argentinian beer and wine. We went from being not very hungry to being starving after reading the menu - it all sounded delicious.

Abi had chicken enchiladas, Jonny had chicken roulade and I had a paella, we all tried a little of each others and all of them were DELICIOUS!

It was a lovely, warm and inviting little restaurant with rickety tables and wobbly chairs - none of which matched each other, all the decorations were old, with old butchers equiptment, old bakers baskets hanging up on the walls and lovely decorative mirrors. It had a great atmosphere.

I think Abi and I are going to try and explore a bit more in Brooklyn this weekend and try some new places that neither of us have been to before, so I'll keep you posted on what we find...

Empire Diner...

For Sunday lunch, Abi and I met up with Jonny at the Empire Diner (22nd Street and 10th Avenue - just up from the Meatpacking District) - which is a typically American looking diner that was used in the Men in Black films.

It was a beautifully hot and sunny day - I wish I'd bought some sunglasses because the sun was pinging off all the white tables. The place was heaving with everyone sitting outside getting brunch and burgers, having lunch with their friends and their dogs. It was lovely.

After we'd finished our burgers (Abi had salad?!?!), Jonny and I went off to Bloomingdales and Dylans Candy Bar and Abi went off to Topshop, then we'd arranged to meet up again for tea...

A little later on we all met up again at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square for a little tea and a couple of (ridiculously overpriced) beers. We had some mighty fine Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Abi had a Chili Burger... we've realised that we need to start eating more salad and fruit, our diet's becoming incredibly burger heavy... but we love it!

Saturday Night at the Movies...

On Saturday night Abi and I went on a date, dinner and the flicks and a stroll through Manhattan... what could be better?

Our date started in Union Square, we both met there as I'd been with Jonny and Abi had been doing some work at the apartment. Then we went up our old favourite, Wild Ginger by the Pod Hotel for some Chicken Satay and Duck Fajitas. I think it might have been Abi's 6th time of going there (3 of those times were in one week during the summer!).

Then we strolled over to the cinema, it was a bit of a walk but we walked via. the Rockefella Center and Radio City Hall. We even stopped off for some pudding from the Magnolia Bakery.

The trees at 30 Rock look beautiful at night, they have hundreds of little bulbs in the branches and up the trunks, it looks magical - and the ice rink is still at the bottom of the building, so that was lit up and looked really pretty. It wasn't too busy either, so it was nice and peaceful strolling around...

By the time we'd been into Magnolia Bakery we'd realised that we'd missed the showing of the film - so we decided to walk around a bit more, it was such a mild evening and we were feeling a bit giddy and overwhelmed realising that we were just casually strolling around Manhattan and that we LIVE HERE! It's a funny feeling that comes washing over me sometimes...

We took our little cup cakes and ate them in the middle of Times Square underneath all the flashing lights and TV screens, surrounded by all the crowds - eating cupcakes and people watching...

We finally made our way over to the AMC Cinema, near the Tick Tock Diner, we were running a little late - so we got our tickets and went straight into the cinema only to find that the only seats available were on the VERY front row!!! We sat down, cricking our necks and started to watch the adverts. I don't think we'd even watched the whole of the first advert before we walked out again - I felt so sick being that close, it was horrible.

Luckily, the cinemas in New York are designed in such a way that you can buy one ticket but go and see films all night - they only check your tickets in the lobby, and then you go up the stairs to all the screens so you can dip in and out of them all. So we decided we'd wait an hour and go and see the next showing...

Luckily, we managed to be the first ones into the cinema for the next showing and got our seats, smack bang in the middle of the room. We were feeling a little bit sleepy at this point as it was 11pm already and the film hadn't started... but eventually it did, and we saw Date Night!

It was great fun - it was a nice funny, silly film and it was set in New York so it was funny thinking that we'd just been walking around Manhattan that evening too.

We didn't get out of the cinema until past 1am and it was nearer 2am before we got back to the apartment, but it was a lovely night - and about bloody time that we actually got to spend some time together... trips to Miami has consumed all weekends up to now.

Bridge & Blossom...

All the blossom is looking beautiful around New York at the moment, I'm determined to get to Central Park at the weekend, apparently there are some beautiful tulips too...

Painted Door...

Saturday Stroll with Jonny...

On Saturday I met up with Jonny for some lunch at the South Street Seaport, it was gloriously sunny and blummin' boiling in the sun - so we sat outside and had some fish and chips and a beer. Then we made our way towards the Brooklyn Bridge...

It was lovely walking over the bridge in the sunshine, you could see the skyline of Manhattan so clearly from half way across.

When we got to the other side, we walked around the boardwalky area underneath the bridge. As ever there were lots of wedding photos being taken, lots of different parties or different sizes, lots of interesting styles of dresses and suits. There was also a veeeeery interesting wedding car - I wish I'd taken a photo of it. It was a stretched Hummer that had some extras added, they'd put an extra bit on the roof so that people could stand (or nearly) stand in the middle bit, then at the back they had some strange section that looked like the back of a boat - it had some open air seating with a canvas roof over it. I'll try and find a photo, I think Jonny took one.

We walked around DUMBO for a little bit, the cobbled streets and old factory buildings are fantastic around there and the views of the bridges and the Manhattan skyline are beautiful, it's now wonder it costs so much money to live there...

(You can't really tell from this shoddy photo (it was on my phone) but you can see the Empire State Building in between the legs of the bridge... I might retake the photo on my proper camera.)

Belated Birthday Present...

On Friday night Abi finally got to enjoy her belated birthday present - we went to go and see Florence and The Machine at Terminal 5... it was a fantastic night.

Before the gig we went for a couple of drinks with Jonny (he's been over from Leeds for a couple of weeks helping out with the project we're working on), then Abi and I went up to have a tasty burger at the Tick Tock Diner. On our way there, in the subway station we came across a fanastic group called The Meetles. They looked like a very random collection of people, all shapes and sizes and all ages, but they sounded great! They are (as the name suggests) A Beatles Tribute band, we stayed to listen to a couple of songs, they were singing Ob-la-di-ob-la-da when we arrived... I just wanted to join in, I might see if I can become a member.

Here they are (there were some other members out of shot to the right)...

After a DELCIOUS (and very affordable) burger at the Tick Tock Diner we went on over to Terminal 5 to see Florence. We'd intentionally missed the support band and seemed to time it perfectly - as we walked through the doors, Florence walked on stage...

She has an amazing voice, it was a quite haunting gig really, it felt like we were in Narnia - she was wearing big coats and furry shorts and the backdrop looked like leaves and flowers and the lighting was very dramatic. Her band was fantastic - especially the drummer and the audience were having lots of fun, jumping around and singing along. She only played for an hour and a bit, it felt like we'd only just walked in... I could have listened for another hour, it was amazing.

After the gig, we walked from Terminal 5 and walked around a bit, we ended up in Times Square enjoying some Tasti-Delite icecream (I say we... Abi). I'd not been up to Times Square for a while, it always takes me by surprise - it's such a fantastic place and it was heaving with people that night. It's a bit like Vegas really, you can never tell how late/early it is in Times Square once it's dark because it's always so busy... I love it.

Wednesday Night in Hollywood...

On Wednesday night we all went out for tea (with a couple of people from the photography studios) to a very nice Mediterranean restaurant in Hollywood (Florida) called Opa. The restaurant was right on the edge of a river (or a little lake, or something that was leading to the sea), we got there just as the sun was setting and it looked beautiful.

Our table was inside, so we didn't get to enjoy eating by the river, but the food was mighty fine and it was good fun seeing people try to Bellydance on the tables. I don't think the tables would have supported my weight so I stayed sitting down for the evening.

We order FAR too much food, but it was all delicious, seafood platters, meat platters, humous, pita breads, stuffed grape leaves, cheeses, salads... it was delicious!

Meanwhile, Back in the Warehouse...

Today was the first full day that I was completely alone at the shoot, and all things considering I think it went OK... we hit the target on the number of shots we were supposed to complete and we only worked an extra hour into the evening. I've got one more half day of flying solo, and then Amelia, Kelly and Drew get back into town.

I thought you might like to see where it is we're shooting - it's hard to capture it all in one shot, but here's a jiggly version to give you an idea...

Each set can vary from being a living room scene, a kitchen scene, an orchard scene or a spice market scene and lots other things in between. Each set has one photographer and one or two stylists on hand to make sure all the food looks as delicious as possible (which sometimes isn't an easy task). Everyone is so friendly and helpful and seems to love what they're doing and most importantly the client's extremely happy with the shots that are being produced.

So, so far, so good.

Bloomin' Lovely...

The trees are slowly but surely starting to blossom in New York - Spring has sprung! These lovely white trees are just across the road from BLT Burger on 6th Avenue (where Abi and I stopped off for a beer and some chilli waffle fries before heading back to Brooklyn on Saturday evening).

I have no idea what kind of blossom this is, but it looked beautiful in the gardens of this church on Broadway (Broadway and about 12th Street I think), the pinks look amazing.

The colours haven't come out too well on this photo, but the different blossoms and the flowers were all in bloom and it looked so peaceful. It felt like a small slice of Britian in the middle of all the Skyscrapers - I can't wait to walk through Central Park and see all the trees and flowers blooming. It's getting hotter, it's staying lighter for longer and it's getting sunnier day by day... before long Summer will be here and we can go and explore some of the beaches!

I have a feeling Spring time in New York is going to be beautiful.

Pillow Fiiiiiiiiiight!!!

Saturday was International Pillow Fight Day! Something I've never heard of, but as we rode the subway into town we noticed a couple of people with pillows getting off the train at Union Square - we didn't think much of it until we got outside... Union Square had been gated off and was being patrolled by police as more and more people armed with pillows gathered together...

Before long, they all went at it...


(Directed, Shot and Produced by Miss Abigail F. Turner)

Hundreds of people, all pelting each other with big white pillows!

A little later the pillows started to burst and feathers were flying everywhere... it looked great - but I imagine a lot of people had thumping headaches afterwards, they went on for ages!

After looking it up on t'interweb, it seems these fights happen all over the world, Ghana, Spain, Guadalupe... all over the place. I'd originally thought it was another Flash Mob advert or something, but no... just International Pillow Fight Day.

A Night at the Casino...

Today was a successful day on the shoot, we managed to get through a good lot of shots... although tomorrow I'm going to be going solo, Art Directing 4 different sets all running simultaneously! So we'll have to wait and see how that goes - luckily Drew and Wayne (the clients) have been feeling happy with the shots I've been directing so far... I think!

After the shoot today Wayne, Kelly and I went to The Hard Rock Casino! It was in a big Las Vegas style complex, with lots of little shops in a small outside mall/high street type area. It really reminded me of the shopping area we went to in Las Vegas just outside the strip - or a low key verison of the shopping bit in Caesars Palace, but outside... and without the Roman influence.

We went to get some tea at the Renegade BBQ place. We sat outside overlooking a small lake/big pond with fountains in the middle... as we were all chatting there was a sudden burst of angelic choral music and then the fountains started dancing about to the music. It a little strange watching a water display in the evening sunlight, it didn't really have the same effect as when it was dark... but when it got dark there was another one.

The second water show was a bit different, this time they created a constant wall of water out of the fountains and projected film onto it - it was a brilliant idea. They were playing songs and clips of Rock and Roll through the decades... it felt very much like something you'd see at Vegas - but it was a far cry from the INCREDIBLE Bellagio fountains.

I've been craving Ribs for a long time now, so I thought I'd have some as it was a BBQ restaurant... I wasn't sure I'd be able to manage a whole rack, so I opted for the 'smaller' half rack, which looked a little something like this...

... that's only a half rack!

After tea, we went to the Casino - stopping off at Wet Willies for an slush puppie with a twist - Wayne was a big fan and ordered a large White Russian, I had a Mighty Melon - it was like a slush puppie cocktail. It tasted great, but it was just a bit too cold and managed to give me brain freeze.

I was only really bothered about playing on the Blackjack tables, but unfortunately they all had $25 minimum bets apart form what seemed like only 2 tables in the whole casino that had $15 minimum bet limits... I must have waited for 25 minutes watching the $15 table waiting for one of the old croanies to get up and go, but everyone seemed to be on a roll and they weren't going anywhere. So I ended up running out of patience and just went and played on a $25 table instead.

At the end of the night, I came away $40 richer. I won $25 on the Blackjack table and had a last minute flutter on a slot machine and won $15 (from putting $2 in). It was really nice to spend some time with Wayne, it's been over a year since I last saw him!

It was a fun night and it was nice to feel my luck changing a bit after recent events. Hopefully the luck will stay with me for tomorrow's shoot...?!