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Monday, 18 June 2012 - Yet another chapter begins...

New York here I come, but not before a couple delays. My flight out of San Antonio was delayed by thirty-something minutes due to a data link failure between the baggage crew and the plane, meaning the pilots weren't able to be sent some vital piece of documentation detailing the weight distribution of the plane's load. Instead they had to revert to entering numbers manually into the plane's computer, while we all waited around and got increasingly pissed off. We eventually made it to Atlanta, Georgia where I changed to my New York flight. After taking my seat I noticed a bunch of engineers loitering under the wing discussing something, and shortly thereafter they removed one of the plane's wheels hehe. Apparently there was a fault with the brakes which they felt they could repair in about 20 minutes. Ha! 90 minutes later and we're still sitting there, once again getting increasingly pissed off. Above-right is the replacement part they brought out. After a lot of dicking about they'd gotten the old braking system off and the new system on, and then seemed to have a hard time getting the damn wheel back on hahaha!				Amidst all that excitement I managed to spill my popcorn everywhere. I had half a bag left over from the other day that I thought I'd bring in case I got hungry, which I did with all this waiting around.

Anyway, we made it off the ground and a couple hours later were flying over Manhattan - good stuff! Where I'm going to be working is pretty much smack in the middle of the shot on the right, just a few blocks south of Central Park there.

Looking over somewhere further north of Manhattan before we swung around to land, and test out those new brakes.		As we were coming in I noticed about half a dozen golf courses scattered around - must be a big pastime up here.		The brakes worked fine, I made my way into town (with two friggin' heavy bags), and set out in search of food. My first meal: McDonalds hehe. Given there are close to 100 Mickey D's in Manhattan alone, it kind of felt appropriate :) Pointed out above will be my work building as of two weeks from now: UBS on Sixth Avenue. This is my third time in New York (see here), and all I really want to do now is whip out my big camera (these shots were all taken with my little guy), run around and go nuts! But that'll have to wait. Priority number one is hunting out a suitable apartment for Kristina and I (for when she comes up in October).

Wednesday, 20 June 2012 - In one piece, more or less

Recall about a week ago I packed my bike (along with a ton of other crap) ready to be couriered from Kristina's house up to New York. Well FedEx delivered it today, looking like it'd been fucked by a train. As I positioned it for these photos, things fell out of it! So I wasn't exactly filled with confidence as I tore it open that everything I had packed would still be in there, or in one piece.				But, to my surprise, I don't think I'm missing anything (at least not that I've noticed), and aside from one or two little scrapes the bike appears to be undamaged - phew! Those couriers man - bloody cowboys!

Thursday, 21 June 2012 - You have the right

Yesterday and today the temperatures in New York have been on par with Texas - in the high 30s (Celsius - I don't work in Fahrenheit yet :) Fire hydrants all over the show were pissing out water which attracted throngs of people wanting to cool off. In Texas they just seem to deal with it hehe.		I spent the day out on the bike again in search of apartments. I'm looking for nice places that would be suitable for both Kristina and I long-term when she comes up later in the year, as well as cheap dumps to tide me over while I keep searching (work isn't going to cover my hotel expenses for long). One of the dumps I looked at turned out to be in an area where I was the only white guy for miles around hahaha! The mural on the left kind of speaks for itself, with the words "You have the right to watch and film police activities". Out of shot it goes on to explain what to do if you feel you've been the victim of unfair treatment by the po-lice hehe. I don't think I'll be moving here ;) The shot on the right is the other extreme - bloody nice digs but not an option for me as I later learned since I don't have a credit history in the US.

Sunday, 24 June 2012 - Gay pride!

The last Sunday of every June sees millions flock to New York's Fifth Avenue and beyond to witness this: the annual New York Gay Pride Parade. Officially it's called the LGBT Pride March, with LGBT standing for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender. That being the case and this being New York, you can imagine what you might see in this parade hehe. The Pride Parade started in 1970 to mark the anniversary of a riot following a police raid of a gay bar in southern Manhattan in 1969 - a time when sexual minorities were persecuted.				I happened to be enjoying the show right under the enormous 102-storey Empire State Building. I went up to the top of this last time I was in New York

I only had about ten minutes to watch as I was between apartment viewings (which I'm still in the midst of). But I saw enough during that time to make me almost wet myself laughing and convince me to come back next year.				Oh yeah, work it boys, work it!

He appeared to be enjoying what he was seeing ;)		She evidently wasn't gay enough (not enough flags), and got sent on her way.		So yes good times, and never a dull moment in the big apple!

Wednesday, 27 June 2012 - Busy, busy, busy
I arrived in New York last Monday, started apartment hunting last Tuesday, and today I handed over a cheque (or 'check' as they spell it here) for the security deposit and first month's rent on an awesome apartment in Queens just over the East River from Manhattan. Sweet as! I'm pretty stoked about that because my number one priority and number one fear was finding a good apartment both for me right now, and for when Kristina relocates herself up here too in a few months. Much like London (or anywhere else I guess), there are no shortage of cheap dumps around the city that could have sufficed in the short term, but I really wanted to avoid that. The problem is that my company was willing to cover my hotel stay for up to a month at most, so I only had the luxury of choice for so long. I was looking for something spacious (given there are two of us) and in good condition with all the mod-cons, a decent neighbourhood in a good location for commuting to/from my job in Manhattan, roommates I can grab a beer with as opposed to roommates with who I merely exchange pleasantries once in a while, and something that wouldn't break the bank. I've lost count of the number of places I've seen over the last week, but none of them ticked all of those boxes except one which was I think the third place I looked at and became the benchmark by which I subsequently compared everything else. That place is plonked right in the heart of an area called Astoria, and it's where I'll be making myself at home right after I get back from London. Oh yeah, I'm going back to London on Saturday for a week - work related stuff (technically I'm still employed in London for the time being - long story!).

With all that crap sorted, I've so far spent this week being a tourist in my new home. I've decided to put together a compilation of time lapse videos of various spots around Manhattan, and set about capturing as much as possible this week before starting work again next week.

Yup, this is what I've been doing for the last three days - setting up my tripod, fire up the camera, and hoping no one bumps the damn thing (including me).				I had about ten locations in mind that I wanted to capture. From the chaos of the streets...

...to the peace of Central Park.		This is part of Strawberry Fields in Central Park, a memorial to John Lennon located directly across from the apartments where Lennon had lived for the later part of his life and where he was murdered. Tourists visit this area in droves, and I thought it'd make a good time lapse too.

Just one small area of the mammoth 341-hectare Central Park.

I stalked people eating lunch in Madison Square Park...		...and people eating dinner in the Rockefeller Center. I got told off for using a tripod here - apparently that's naughty. So I told the security guard his colleague had made an exception for me since I'd be quick (a complete lie) so he left me alone hehe.
I also captured rush-hour in Grand Central Station (no tripods allowed here either apparently)...		...and the general mayhem and energy of Times Square. It's going to take me a while to process all the time lapse images and tie everything together, but it'll be bloody good when it's done!

Friday, 29 June 2012 - Back to London

This is the view looking southwest from the roof deck of my soon-to-be apartment building. The Manhattan skyline is off in the distance (actually a lot closer than it looks here) - pointed out is the Empire State Building. Incidentally, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world for 40 years from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972. Following the September 11 attacks, the Empire State Building was again the tallest building in New York (although it was no longer the tallest in the world). It was once again demoted to second tallest building in New York on April 30, 2012, when the new One World Trade Center reached a greater height.

Some more of the view. More on my apartment when I actually move into it next weekend after I get back from London. I fly out tomorrow for my first week back at work in over ten months (I've kind of forgotten what it is I actually do ;) Thereafter I'll be based in Midtown Manhattan, just south of Central Park. Nice one!

Sunday, 1 July 2012 (London, United Kingdom) - Get back to work

I flew into London early this morning after a sleepless six-hour overnight flight. The chick in the window seat next to me had my big guy shoved in her face (my camera that is) as we flew in and over Central London. If you know what you're looking at you'll spot the London Eye, Westminster Palace, and of course the dirty ol' River Thames. When I left last August I really didn't expect to be back again so soon, and when I was walking through Heathrow and rattling along on the Tube etc. it all felt as though I'd just been on one really long holiday (which is actually kinda true) and all very normal. What doesn't feel normal is being here in a hotel - I feel like I should be back in my old flat. With the Olympic Games starting here in just 26 days the city is really in the midst of Olympic fever - it's everywhere you look. Otherwise it doesn't look as though too much has changed. Anyway, I'm back for the week for work reasons (my first day back in ten months is tomorrow) and I fly out again for New York on Saturday.

Like I said, not too much has changed ;)

Tuesday, 3 July 2012 (London, United Kingdom) - Counting down

After work tonight I jumped on the bus I used to take to and from work on days like this (when cycling would have been an excessively wet option) to have a quick look-see around old London town.		It's kinda hard taking photos from a moving bus when the light is fading and you're having to avoid bird shit all over the window, but anyway the last time I saw the Olympic countdown in Trafalgar Square here it said 340-something days I think.

Regent Street and Oxford Street had every competing nation's flag hanging from the sky. Very cool! Everywhere you look, Olympic fever is in the air, along with a lot of showery shitty rain.		My former stomping ground, and my bedroom and living room windows out of which many an object or food item was discarded, including an old printer and laptop hehe. Good times :)

Wednesday, 4 July 2012 (London, United Kingdom) - What's wrong with this picture?

iPhone - never enter the bush without it.

Sunday, 8 July 2012 - Making a room a home

After a week of persistent gloom and showers (including flooding in parts of the country) I flew out of London yesterday afternoon on the top deck of this big guy. The shot on the right is overlooking New York somewhere which was pretty gloomy itself. Today however it was sunny and 30-something degrees (Celsius of course :) and I spent it setting up my new room in my new apartment which included numerous trips to discount stores, hardware stores, electrical stores, and of course IKEA (I needed a lamp hehe). I did want to put some photos up of the room and the apartment but both are a complete mess at the moment. I'm taking over the room of one of the existing tenants so my crap is everywhere, his crap is everywhere, and it's shits and giggles all round. So this week will be all about setting things up the way I like 'em, oh and work - I have to remember to go back to work ;)

Wednesday, 11 July 2012 - Working in the Big Apple

This is the view from my 37th-floor office area right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.				And this is the view looking back up at it!

My building is on Sixth Avenue in one of two main areas of Manhattan that are chock full of skyscrapers (the other being the Financial District in Lower Manhattan).		I wonder how often New York has earthquakes.
In amongst all that concrete, glass and steel, there's still room for some awesome roadside eateries.		And some (apparently awesome, based on that queue) roadside fast food. Given how many of these things are around, I ate a lot of this while I was apartment hunting a few weeks ago - not bad :)
My building is seven blocks south of Central Park which makes for a good meander during lunch.		Horse-drawn carriages are a popular way to check out the park for tourists. It was at least 30 degrees today again and these poor bastards have to stand around and work in it. The animal lover in me doesn't really agree with that.
From the world above...		...to the world below. The New York Subway can be just as much of an adventure hehe. I'll no doubt have plenty to say about that down the line (pun intended).

Friday, 13 July 2012 - Another shrimp on the barbee

My roommates have a gas grill out on the rear balcony, and we were in the mood for a cook up. It doesn't look as though they've cleaned it, ever, but she works a treat and I got to show off my BBQ'ing skills. Still got it ;)

Saturday, 14 July 2012 - Pool party!

Booya! My roommate Jeff's mate Tim (white t-shirt and cap) just bought a house with his brother out on Long Island a month or so ago, and decided it was time to christen it. Much of Long Island is suburbia, which makes a nice change from the hustle and bustle of New York City. Long Island's dimensions are approximately 190km east-to-west and 30-something kilometres north-to-south (long island indeed) which makes it larger than the nearby state of Rhode Island. So anyway it was a very boozy afternoon with lots of beer pong, BBQ'ing, shits and giggles - not a bad way to spend my first proper weekend in the big apple :)

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