Paul Weller...

On Friday night Ben and I went to go and see Paul Weller (on Broadway!)...

It was the first of two nights at the Best Buy Theatre on 42nd Street, right off Times Square. It was a pretty swanky venue, it felt a bit like we were going into a cinema, going down the escalators into a carpeted lobby and bar area and then walking into the actual gig room - where there were cinema-esq seats at the back and big modern chandeliers... it was pretty posh.

It was a surprisingly intimate gig space too, especially for seeing someone like Paul Weller, who normally does pretty big venues in the UK... I think we're lucky being here and going to see UK people in smaller venues. We'd never get to see someone like Noel Gallagher in as small a venue as we did here.

The crowd seemed predominantly middle aged ex-pat men, I have a feeling I may have been the youngest person there, but it was a nice crowd - no leery drunken, football holiganish behavior to be seen... phew!

The first hour of the gig was Paul Weller's new album, played beginning to end, no talking in the middle of songs (and no 'Hello' either!), it was just like listening to the album live really... and as it was a new album people didn't know all the songs, so it was a bit of a strange atmosphere (I got a wee bit bored really!). It sounded good though, he had a string quartet and his band are great (the guitarist from Ocean Colour Scene plays for him now).

Then, after the last song he said 'Thanks, see you in about 10 minutes'... and there was an interval! I don't think I've been to a gig where there's been an interval before... but it was good, because he came back on and did a little acoustic set...

Him and the rest of his band all played guitars and did a 30 minute acoustic set, playing some of his older solo songs... they sounded fantastic and the crowd were far more responsive to the stuff they knew... it felt like the proper start of the gig.

Half way through the acoustic stuff he said 'We've got a long night ahead of us...' and he wasn't wrong, he ended up playing for 2.5 hours! With two encores!

After the acoustic stuff they started the electric section of the gig...

There were a few songs I'd never heard of, and some pretty lengthy instrumental/guitar solo bits, but he played some songs like From The Floorboards Up which sounded great.

He played a few Jam songs, including In The City which apparently he never plays. He had played a tiny gig at what used to be CBGB the night before on the anniversary of the Jam's first US gig and so had dusted off In The City especially...

Then the bass player played THAT riff, that everyone was waiting to hear...

It was a good night - I think he could have skipped the first hour, but hearing him play You Do Something To Me, Out Of The Sinking, From The Floorboards Up and of course A Town Called Malice was absolutely amazing and he sounded great too!

More Mass Presence...

The Po-Po were out in force again yesterday afternoon - this was the view from our apartment window!

They didn't really seem to be doing much, but there were 9 cars and a huge surveillance van all parked up along the road outside the church.

Sitting In The Corner...

Mother's Day...

It was Mother's Day today here in America, so everyone was out in their Sunday best in our neighbourhood. The shop across the road had a bevvy of delightful looking Mother's Day gifts on offer, all out on display outside the shop...

I hope you don't mind Our Mam, but I didn't get you any of these presents.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat...

Gently round the Central Park lake...

This morning we fulfilled a wish I've had for the past three years - we went for a row in Central Park!

Every summer we walk passed the lake and see people out of the boats, and every time I really want to go - but the queue's always really long. This morning we got up and got out and beat the crowds and had ourselves a little midday row.

There was barely a queue, so we just walked up and hopped in a little rowing boat and pootled around in the water for an hour - with Miss Turner as the Navigator and me being the Captain(ish)...

 It was so perfect!

The weather was absolutely amazing, and it wasn't too busy, we could hear faint New Yorky music in the distance from the buskers in Central Park, and we were surrounded by trees and posh Skyscrapers, with ducks and geese, terrapins and toads all coming out to say Hello as we rowed passed.

It was pretty blummin' hot though and a few people had parasols. There was a little island in the middle of the lake that had a sprinkler jetting out water, so the people who were really hot rowed over to get sprayed down with cool water.

It felt like we were on holiday - it was so relaxing. In a funny way it felt like we were at Disney!

Afterwards we went to the Boathouse for a tasty burger (we'd worked up quite an appetite) and went to sit in the park and enjoyed the sun.

 Then we walked passed the toy boats on the other boat lake before heading back to Brooklyn...

It was such a wonderful day - I love Central Park and I was so happy to finally go rowing with Abi. It's another thing that's been on my NY To Do List that I can tick off now.

Nights & Weekends...

This morning/afternoon Abi and I had some absolutely deeeeeeeeeeeelicious brunch at Nights and Weekends...

Nights and Weekends is a newish restaurant owned by the people who own 5 Leaves (which is just across the road) and is, as the name suggests only open at nights and weekends.

It's a tiny little place in a great triangular building in the middle of two roads - so they've had to be creative with how they use the narrowing triangular space inside. The kitchen is so tiny, right at the tip of the triangle.

As the kitchen's so small they only have a little menu, but some of the stuff on there sounded amazing. Abi had the fish tacos and I had a croque senora - a spanish version of a croque madame, but instead of ham it had to most tender, spicy pulled pork. It was SO good - I could have eaten it all day.

As there's limited space inside the bar, they've cleverly put fold out seats on the outside of the building by the windows behind the bar - so you can sit up at the window and get served drinks.

Considering how good the food is and that it's owned and ran by the same people who run 5 Leaves, and how close it is to 5 Leaves, it wasn't that busy... all the tables were full, but there wasn't a line of people waiting to sit down, like there always is at 5 Leaves.

It's such a great place, the food was amazing and the service was fantastic and the staff were so friendly... we'll definitely be going back soon!

Bedford Avenue Car Dealership...

We witnessed some men selling toys off the back of a lorry roof of a car on Bedford Avenue...

It looked like they were having a fun time hanging out on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

The View From The River...

The view from the Williamsburg Waterfront Park is quite quite lovely!

Matchy Matchy...

Out & About...

Some bits and pieces we spotted out and about Williamsburg this afternoon...

Happy Birthday Our Mam!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR MAM!

I hope you have a LOVELY lovely day today!
(I hope the postman's been this morning.)

Not long now until you'll both be here for a Brooklyn Adventure... I can't wait!!!!

3 Years!

I've been out here in New York for THREE YEARS!!!

Blummin' eck - this past year has flown by.

Spotted...

I saw Alec Baldwin outside the Coffee Shop on Union Square as I walked into work this morning.

Feist...

Last night Abi and I went to see Feist perform at a sold out Radio City Hall!

It always feels so special going to see people perform at Radio City Hall, walking through the doors is a bit like stepping back into old time New York or something. So seeing Feist there was a real treat.

Each time I've seen Feist it's been in a pretty amazing venue and she's been amazing too - and last night was no different. Playing with an orchestra as well as her usual band, the sound was awesome.

She did a similar thing to when she played at BAM, in asking people to come up on stage and dance around during a few of her songs... unfortunately we couldn't make it down there as were on the 2nd balcony - but it looked like everyone was having a lot of fun, well, until the security guards started ushering people off the stage and took away the steps so no-one else could get up there.

She changed up a few of her more popular songs, so they sounded completely different, but just as good as the versions on the records - and some of the newer songs sounded even better live we thought. She's got an incredible voice.

We had great seats, right at the very front of the second balcony, so we could see the stage and all the people down in front and not have anyone infront of us...

(this was taken after the gig had finished... it was sold out... really!)

Sometimes I go to gigs and no matter how much I enjoy them, they sometimes feel like they've been going on for quite a while, but this time it felt like it was over in a second - she played for a long time too, but the time just flew by. I think we could have sat there all night listening to Feist.

It was a blummin' great gig and a special night at Radio City - I can't wait for our next gig now!

Yellow Van...

The Breslin...

On Friday evening we had a 4-way leaving party for some folks at work and to say goodbye (and celebrate in one instance) we all went for a big meal at the Breslin.

The Breslin is the restaurant at the Ace Hotel, it's got an bit of a British inspired menu, with scotch eggs and Ribena cocktails, and it's the place that does the most delicious chicken sandwiches in the whole entire world!

As well as amazing chicken sandwiches and incredible (warm) scotch eggs, it also offers a whole hog roast! So it seemed only right that for such a big leaving doo, we had an equally big meal...

It was a mighty fine pig, served with potatoes roasting in pork fat, collard greens and brocoli raab and the most humongous pile of caesar salad I'd even seen in my life. They certainly don't scrimp on the portion sizes at the Breslin!

The pig was, without doubt, the most amazing roast pork I have EVER had. The crackling was AMAZING! I somehow managed to bag the super crackling from the hind leg on my plate, so I had more crackling the meat... but I didn't mind!

They bring the pig to the table and carve it up in front of you, it was expertly done and it made it so easy to just help ourselves to huge platefuls of pork.

When they were carving it, they took off the head, and took it away to carve up separately - so towards the end of the meal they came back with the head in various bits, the cheeks, the tongue, the snout, the eyes (!) and the brain (still in the head!). It's a good job they didn't do all that at the beginning of the meal because it put me off my food a bit. I decided that eating pig's snout and brain once in my life is probably enough - so I didn't repeat what happened at Tet's Superbowl Party.

After we could no longer look at another piece of pork, we got to sit upstairs on a balcony overlooking the dining room and have some drinks. Not long after leaving our table (the chef's table!) another group were ushered in for another pig... theirs didn't last long, they must have been VERY hungry!

The Ace Hotel is a fantastic place - the lobby is so cool and brilliantly decorated/designed. It doesn't feel like a hotel lobby at all, it's an odd cross between a coffee shop, a bar, a library, a hunting lodge, a lounge and a nightclub...

 There are so many nice touches around the place!

After we were done at the Ace Hotel we went down the road to 230 5th for a few rooftop drinks with a view...

It was VERY busy up there, and where-ever you stood you seemed to be in someones way so Jonathan went off to ask if we could have a table. I already knew that 230 5th was pretty pricey, but I had no idea how pricey it was until I heard the waitress tell Jonathan that tables were bottle service only, and to have a table for 13 people there was a two bottle minimum... I thought bottle service was something like just bottles of beer - but no, if you wanted a Jack Daniels and coke you would have to buy the entire bottle of Jack Daniels... at $250 each!!!!!

Jonathan being Jonathan said OK and we all went and sat down and waited for a bottle of Champagne and a bottle of Bacardi to be brought out to us, sparklers and all!

It was ridiculous really, we all had the champagne but hardly anyone touched the Barcardi and it ended up being smuggled out in someone's bag... hopefully it'll find it's way into the drinks cabinet at work!

It was a fun night and it was good to get everyone together - but it was an incredibly extravagant night... I don't think we'll be seeing a leaving doo like again that any time soon!

Silver Chrysler...

Booze Up In The Library...

Last night a few of us from work went along to the New York Festivals Awards at the New York Library...

We were up for a couple of awards for work that the folks in Leeds had done, but I was far more excited about going to an event at the Library. I'd never been to the Library before so I was really looking forward to seeing inside the very grand building...

It looked amazing!

There was a free bar, and delicious canapés - they had scallops on cauliflower pureé (just like Tom makes!) and little hash-browny things with little pieces of steak on top... Mmmm mmmmm!

There was a fantastic little jazz band playing under the arches - they sounded fantastic...

After a couple of drinks and a LOT of scallops, we were ushered into another very grand space for the actual awards ceremony...

 It was really inspiring to see all the award winning ads and marketing campaigns from around the world - there were some really amazing, and some very moving pieces. Unfortunately we didn't pick up any gongs, but it was a great night and such a special venue to be in.

I'd love to see more of the library - where all the books are and the study desks and stuff. Maybe we'll go back during the day some time soon... who knows, maybe the scallops are there all the time?

Natty Knitting...

Some more wonderful wooliness outside the knitting shop near work.

The Shins...

Last night I went to go and see The Shins play at Terminal 5...

It was the second of their three night stint in New York - and they were absolutely amazing!

I've wanted to see The Shins play live for aaaaaaaaaaaaaages, and until recently they'd not been playing many gigs - they did a one off gig in New York last year that sold out instantly, so I was so glad to finally get to see them.

They played all my favourites - which is always good - and everyone was singing along at the top of their voices. The band looked like they were having a fun night too. There was a really great atmosphere.

As I got to Terminal 5, I found my spot at the side of the stage and looked around only to see Stefan Sagmeister standing in the crowd just to my left! What a coincidence... I told myself that if he was still there by the end of the gig, I'd go and say Hello, but he'd moved by the encore... Oh well.

It was a really great gig and I'm glad I went - I wasn't really in the mood to go, especially on a Monday and especially after still being a bit pooped from our Boston adventure - but it was a really fun night and a perfect way to end a fantastic and busy month.

Roll on May!!!