NYC Travel Day4

Hey, these are what I've got at the thrifty shop yesterday.

Today, I'm going to cross the Brooklyn Bridge by foot.
Umm, summer breeze from the river makes me so happy.

Street, oh no, bridge vender. I almost bought it...

Hi Brooklyn Bridge, here I come !!
For me, this was so NY-like.

Going to DUMBO !! This is one of hip areas in NY these days.
Let's just hang around !!

Speaking of Brooklyn, most of you guys picture this shot, don't you? I was really happy that I could take the pic with a school bus. Lucky.

Why don't I stop by?!

This was FANTASTIC !! Love it here all !!

Music played in the shop was also great.

And the sounds were so comfortable.

I wish I had a LP player in my crib...

I walked back to Manhattan again with eating extremely cream cheese filled bagle.

In Japan, normally it's considered rude and some people find it disgusting, but I like eating with walking, actually.

What's wrong with that ?

Isn't it nice to enjoy food and scenery at the same time, just like being on board of dining car?!

On the way back, I dropped off at Bleeker's street

and bought what I'd wanted.

It's WESC headphone !

I know there's an outlet in Tokyo, but it's smarter to get it in the States because of the exchange rate these days.

I finally understand how to use this verb, "curb".

NYC Travel Day3

I joined a half-day organized tour for listening to gospel music at a charch in Harlem.
Taking photos is strictly prohibited during the worship.
So I don't have any of it.

You might know I sometimes get emotional so easily and this was the time.
I have no idea on how to put the right words for my feelings. but my eyes were watering, listening to sacred songs. And I was humming with them as you could imagine.
I could do that without the lyrics since the same phrase were repeatedly sang.
A piece of cake for me, doing this everyday on my commute, hehehe.

Honestly, and personaly, I don't think being religious is always good, but people here seemed to be proud of what they believes in, what they do every day. That impressed me.

The chorus members were all men.
Speaking of gospel, you picture big mamas singing so vigorously and emotionally.
So I'd like to see a mix or women only next time.

After having a quick stop in front of Apollo theater, we were headed to a famous charch.
I don't recall the name of it. Because my curiosity were put only in Harlem.

Here are some weird pics in the charch, but I love them.

Found a squirrel!! It wouldn't run away even when people get closer and closer.

The tour was finished at Hilton hotel in the Midtown.
No interest for here. Even must-go (maybe...) museums don't attract me.
I crossed the bridge by the subway and got to Williamsburg, where Damian gave me amazing vibes last night.

Looks like you might be able to find an amazing gadget, doesn't it?!

Umm, every single shop is tempting for me.

I wish I had a record player...

Even trash boxes have one sense.

In the shop, there was slope (idk how to call in this industry) for skateboarding.

It's embarrasing to say, skateboarding is one thing that I'd been trying.

Don't say, "No way, Jose !!" It's true.

According to the map, there's Brooklyn Beer Brewery near here and they open the door on weekends.

Umfortunately, I didn't have time for visiting there. Why don't I try Brookly beer here in Tokyo.

I know the place serving it in Shinjuku.

I bought converse shoes here with only $16.00. Cool !!

"The G-spot does exist!" "Have you found yours?"

I promise you, Williamsburg, no, I swear,

I'll visit you sometime soon !!

NYC Travel Day2

Goooooooood morning, NY !! (Just like "Good morning, Vietnum xD)

Now you understand why I said everything was equipped.

Rice cooker !!

At the last trans-Pacific travel,

I was totally exhausted and I learned the lesson.

Japanese food would work for reducing travel fatigue.

So, I all the way to brought some rice, miso-soup and packed salmon this time around. And I was right.

Umm, it's a kind of cliche, but let me say this ...

how come does it taste so much better

when you eat your own food abroad?!

My biggie event, which is exactly the reason what brought me here, starts in the evening.

I was headed to downtown in the morning just for hanging out.

Coming back to the condo and having a little break,

I left Manhattan for Williamsberg, Brooklyn!

Once I came out of the town from the subway, I fell in love with here.

No skyscraping buildings, no cloth giant chain stores, but looking nice and cozy cafe, restaurant and the second-handed shops of any kinds. Love them!!

There was already people's stream runnnig, leading to the venue.

I just joined and followed it. On the way, I spoke to a black guy, asking the direction.

Honestly, I was looking for someone to enjoy the live with

and I was quite sure that he would go.

His appearance clearly said so, wearing Jamaican T-shirt and accessory.

I was chichatting with him and his buddies

while lining up for the entrance.

The line was freaking long somehow and they were enjoying ganja. So Jamaican?!

You can see Manhattan over there. It was beautiful moment, the John was unacceptably dirty, though...

The performance was totally VIBES!! I danced like crazy all through the live, surrounded by pot here and there.

I wish I had iPhone or a cutting-edged digital camera.
People seemed to be taking pics and recording as they liked.

Mine was totally useless, S**t !! This is the only thing that I disappointed.



Damia~~n, you so cool !! It was worthwhile.

I was intoxicated with your almost-ground-reaching dread hair.

NYC Travel Day1

Long before I flied to NYC this time,
there was one thing to be fixed firmly.
It's where I'm going to stay in Big Apple.
I happened to locate it on the Internet
and now I realize how lucky I was...
This was the best ever in my trips around the world.
Everything that I need was perfectly equipped,
even some that I've never expected to be.

12 hour-flight was OK, but the access to this condo from Newark was more exhausting that I had imagined. Actually I was beat when I got here. But I had something planned that night.
That blew off my tiredness. It's off-broadway musical, " NAKED BOYS Singing!" !!

Don't you get this wrong !! Yes, it's literally "NAKED". They didn't put on anything.
You wanna try? Just come and visit NYC.
This is what you can never see in Japan, but here in the U.S. That's why I've got the ticket.

There was one hot guy among 5 and I gave it a thought all through the show, like, what brought him here? Is it his real job to make a living? Is this truely what he wants to do? and all that. Of couse, gazing at his what-you-know... Hahaha.

New York, I Love You

Some already know that I'm going to NY this summer.

I repeatedly watched SATC and now I'm into Gossip Girl, but that's all that I know about the city since I've never stepped into Manhattan.
I'm thrilled to expose myself to "real" New York.
Like this way, NY is looming up to me. That's one thing I decided to watch the film.

This contains 10 different relationships of New Yorkers.
I was not really inspired from any of them.
I just felt a sense of "melting pot" at least, though...

Now I'm gonna learn something more practical, like subway riding, surroundings of my point of stay...

Launch Spanish learning!!

One thing that rejoiced me the most in 2009 occurred in the Big Apple when I had to stay overnight for my connection flight to Tokyo from JM.

I immediately noticed my taxi driver and his assistant guy were Hispanic by a language they were speaking each other.
I really wanted to talk to them in Spanish while my vocabulary was extremely limited.
My brain was desperately struggling to find Spanish words that seemed cool and would make them laugh.

In time the car stopped in the front of the airport hotel we were going to stay.
I was, like being stading on the edge of a cliff, no time left at all, and finally this poped up out of my mouth in a loud voice when I was just about to put my one foot on the ground from the car.

" Muchas gracias! "

They looked a bit surpriced but gave me biiiiig smiles !!
What an experience !
I was so exhausted and a bit under the weather, actually.
But it's gone, it has, totally!!

Come to think of it,
I might had fogotten pleasure of making myself understood in a foreign language even if it was just a greeting word...

Like this way, I've just taken up learning Spanish.
Luckily, I have a tutor, Linda. Totally indivisual contract.
My English, it was crazily a long way to come up to here,
so I'll take it slow.
Hope to understand survival travel Spanish by this fall.

BTW, the first thing I did once stepping into the room was, Chinese delivery order !!! Almost every American TV drama has a scenes of munching away paper-made boxed Chinese on the bed or couch... so I wanted to try.Hahaha.
It was yummy and I was happy.