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Wednesday, 8 May 2013 - Just another day in America

 
 
Yesterday, Amanda Berry here along with two other young girls were found alive and well after being kidnapped almost ten years ago by this sick prick - a former school bus driver. For the last decade he kept them locked in the basement of his suburban Cleveland, Ohio home, sexually abused them (to put it lightly), and just generally put them through hell.
 
This dude here was on every news channel and branded a hero for rescuing them, after (according to himself) kicking down a metal door to free the girls upon hearing the their screams. Several other witnesses completely deny he had anything to do with it hahaha!

 
Then today, Jodi Arias here (looking like a school teacher stuck in the 80s) was convicted of first-degree murder by an Arizona jury. Four years ago her boyfriend was found naked in the shower with close to 30 stab wounds, a slit throat bordering on decapitation, and a bullet in his head. Jodi's first story was she was never there and knew nothing about it. Her second story was that she was there and two armed intruders did it. Her third story was that she killed him in self-defence (given he was showering at the time he must have come after her with a bar of soap). Bullshit said the jury - first-degree for you, and a possible death sentence. Yup, 'twas another day in the US of A ;)

Friday, 10 May 2013 - Wokda

 
Enough said.
 

Sunday, 12 May 2013 - The date(s) is (are) set

 
At the start of last month I popped the question to Kristina, and at end of this month it's gonna happen - we're getting married. Yes, when you know, you know. You know? Well it's not quite that romantic. Because the US visa system is impossible, and I'm constantly at risk of being kicked out of the country while living from one temporary visa deadline to the next, we've decided to just do the deed so I can apply for permanent residency here (a.k.a. the marriage visa). May 31st will be the date, and the courthouse in Tampa, Florida will be the destination (since we'll be down there for a different reason with Kristina's family). Kristina and I will be as happy as this lovely couple here. Well not really - they're lesbians, but you get the idea.
 
Regardless, we are still planning a proper ceremony for next year - a destination wedding to be exact. At this stage we're looking at Playa del Carmen in Mexico, pictured here. Tentatively we'll be aiming for May 31st, i.e. our one-year anniversary hehe. So yes. Never a dull moment in my life.

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 - Off to Boston

 
The view from my office as the sun was setting tonight. It was a lot more spectacular than my little point-and-shoot could capture. Oh well - can't carry the big guy everywhere.
 
Anyway, today was the one-month anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, and you'll never guess where Kristina and I are going for the weekend hehe. Not because of this obviously, but because Boston was on our radar for when the weather warmed up anyway. I hear it's a pretty cool place, so we're making a three-day weekend out of it.

Friday, 17 May 2013 - Always filming something

 
I've lost count of the number of times I've seen film crews set up around my office in Manhattan. This lot have been here all week, and there is a heavier police presence than usual but I'm yet to spot any celebs (I guess they're kept well hidden). Anyway, keep an eye out for the Secret Life of Walter Mitty in cinemas around Christmas time, directed by and starring Ben Stiller.

Monday, 20 May 2013 - Back from Boston

 
 
The weather was a bit average, but regardless we stayed in this funky old house...
 
Kristina pondered why she never made it into Harvard...

 
 
We checked out the Boston Marathon bombing site...
 
We hung out with the locals...
 
And we downed a few at the real Cheers bar. Photos and stories of our 48 hours in Boston to follow :)

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 - Oklahoma Tornadoes

 
It may sound gruesome, though I'm sure I'm not alone: I would love to see a tornado! Preferably not one that produces fatalities (including children) however. This is the third such tornado that Moore, Oklahoma has copped in 14 years. The first of those three back in May 1999 produced the highest ever recorded wind speeds on earth (over 300mph / 500km/h). This one was somewhere around the 200mph mark, and you can see the concentrated line it followed through several neighbourhoods. Experts claim that three mega tornados destroying the same location in such a short period of time is just an unlucky coincidence, but I do wonder why people take the risk of living in America's so-called "Tornado Alley". Kristina and I have certainly ruled it out!

Saturday, 25 May 2013 - Boston pics

 
The location of the first of two bombs that exploded at the finishing line of the Boston Marathon last month. All the pics and stories from our weekend in Boston last week are here :)
 

Sunday, 26 May 2013 - Dear diary, today was a good day

 
Kristina and I spent today wandering through Manhattan and breathing it all in. So I'm a huge fan of Krispy Kreme doughnuts (not sure if I've mentioned that before or not). In the UK they seem to be everywhere, and given it's an American outfit I assumed they would be everywhere here too, especially in New York. However, there's virtually none! I knew of one in Penn Station (one of New York's major train stations), but I was never able to bloody find it, until today! Ahhhhh, yum :)
 
While we were out, we stopped in at Adorama - a major professional photography store down the bottom of Midtown. I turn 31 next Saturday and so we picked up a few early birthday prezzies - new toys! Mostly flash accessories and some other bits and pieces to tick off a few more essential items for the discerning photographer ;)

Monday, 27 May 2013 - Hoboken

 
It's Memorial Day in the US today, an annual public holiday to honour the memory of Americans killed while serving in the US Armed Forces (consisting of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard). The weather was stunning, so we headed across the ditch into Hoboken, New Jersey. I was here on the bike last year, but Kristina was yet to visit it. It's a little gem of a city in an area that is otherwise pretty uninspiring. As such, it's a popular residential location from which it's a fairly easy commute into New York City. Fun little titbit that I don't think I mentioned last time: Hoboken is the location of the first recorded game of baseball, so there you go.
 
 
Nice day for a spot of this.
 
Yay, cliché shot.

 
 
Hoboken is part of the so-called New Jersey Gold Coast, better known as the Hudson Waterfront - an urban area of north-eastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River. Along here we did our good deed for the day. We found a cell phone just sitting on a bench, clearly left behind or fallen out of a pocket. Long story short, we found the owner's husband in her contacts, got a hold of him who was with her at the time, and she came found us later to pick it up. If it was an iPhone, we'd have sold that sucker in a flash! Nah ;)

 
Along Hoboken's main drag.
 
Sometimes one exhaust pipe just isn't enough. Or big enough.

 
 
Suburbia (very leafy). Kristina and I are looking to move out of our apartment towards the end of summer, and ideally into somewhere in Manhattan. As nice as this is, it just isn't Manhattan (too quiet - not ready for that yet :)

 
The apartment buildings here are pretty cool though.
 
By the way, ever seen Garden State - Zach Braff's 2004 comedy-drama? Ever wondered why it was called Garden State? Probably not, but it was set in New Jersey - known as the garden state. Another useless little titbit.
 
 
And that was that really. Good times.
 
A memorial on the waterfront to locals killed in World War II, dressed up a little for Memorial Day. So while today was dedicated to those who kicked the bucket, Veterans Day in November is dedicated to those who are still kicking it. I'll be looking forward to that day off work too!

Wednesday, 29 May 2013 - Manhattanhenge

 
 
Bit of a gathering on Park Avenue in front of Grand Central Station overlooking 42nd Street below in Midtown Manhattan.

 
 
And this is what we're all here to see - the so-called Manhattanhenge. Occurring twice a year at the end of May and the middle of July, the sun sets in perfect alignment with the east-west streets of the main street grid in Manhattan. Unfortunately it was really hazy today and so the sunset was fairly muted. Still a cool sight though! I'll try again in July.

Friday, 31 May 2013 - Going to the courthouse and we're...

 
...going to get married! Yes indeed, Kristina and I fly out to Tampa, Florida today, originally to attend her cousin's high school graduation and catch up with her family etc. I popped the question to Kristina back at the start of April and we were intending to tie the knot some time next summer. However, in the interest of getting the US Immigration Department off my back and enabling me to remain and work in the US, we're going to take care of the formalities now while we're with her family, and then continue to plan a proper ceremony for some time next year. So, that's happening today - wish me luck! :) Oh and it's my 31st birthday tomorrow. Yeah.
 

Tuesday, 4 June 2013 - Hitched!

 
 
We made it back from Florida late last night, exhausted! Kristina and I married (more photos and video to come) just in time for my 31st birthday the following day.

 
On top of that, Kristina's cousin Rachel graduated from high school over the weekend (good excuse to test out some of my new photography kit), and we got to enjoy some of Florida's spectacular summer storms! All in all, there were plenty of reasons to drink and party it up, and I could barely keep my eyes open today hehe. All the stories to follow when I find the time and energy to put it together!

Saturday, 8 June 2013 - Wedding, birthday, and graduation
The photos, stories and video from last weekend, and our big-little day, in Tampa are here!

Sunday, 9 June 2013 - Coney Island

 
This is the boardwalk of Coney Island, a seaside resort along the southern edge of Brooklyn. Coney Island is in fact a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. Once upon a time it was a completely separate island, but became partially connected to the mainland by land fill. The boardwalk was built in 1923, stretches about 2.5 miles (4km) along the shore, and got pretty messed up during Hurricane Sandy last October. A lot of repair work by the city was needed to get it reopened in time for the summer season.

 
 
Coney Island is well known for its amusement parks. Between about 1880 and World War II, Coney Island was the largest amusement area in the United States, attracting several million visitors per year. At its height it contained three competing major amusement parks. The island's popularity declined after World War II, however. In April 2011, the first new roller coasters to be built at Coney Island in eighty years were opened as part of efforts to reverse the decline of the amusement area.

 
 

 
 
After you've been on a few of those rollercoasters and are on the verge of enjoying your lunch a second time, you can stagger down to the beach.
 
Hmm, "Gorgeous". I'll let you be the judge.

 
 
No matter what direction we looked, one word constantly sprung to mind: Latino! They were out in force, and easily out-numbered us whiteys. The bulk of them seemed to be Puerto Rican based on the number of flags flying around. There were even dudes walking along the beach selling mangos and the like - a familiar sight from our time in Central America. It never ceases to amaze either of us how you can emerge from the Subway in any given part of New York and feel as though you've stepped into a completely different country. Right now we'd stepped into Puerto Rico.
 
Ay, caramba!

 
 
According to Lonely Planet, the hot dog was invented in Coney Island in 1867. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but different sources claim that German immigrant Charles Feltman began selling sausages in rolls on Coney Island around 1870. Either way, eating a frankfurter is practically obligatory here.
 
Further along the boardwalk, further evidence that we'd somehow ended up in Puerto Rico. Video here.

 
Further down again is Brighton Beach - a lot more low-key by comparison.

 
 
And so it was that we stepped out of Puerto Rico and into... Russia hahaha! Brighton Beach is known for its high population of Russian-speaking immigrants. Again, we really did feel like the only native English-speakers around hehe. Here we are at Tatiana's enjoying an oversized beer, while the table next to us orders a whole bottle of Smirnoff for afternoon tea hahaha! So that's Coney Island. We ventured into Puerto Rico and Russia, then returned to our own neighbourhood which may as well be Greece, all in one day.

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Page Comments


Big hugs back from New York :)
- Aaron

Happy Birthday Og! And congrats to you & Kristina on your wedding. Big hugs from NZ
- Elizabeth