More travels

© Joselito Briones

Noel drove me to the airport today, after I drove Ate Uding to work, and after the post office thing to mail Alex's photo CD. I guess that's about it. Bye bye California again, until next time.

Photo above is of Eric, around the block where he lives in Roosevelt Ave, in Queens, taken last month.


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Japanese in East Village

© Eric Olivarez

I didn't have anything planned yesterday. Eric and I ended up going to East Village, just to walk around, and take loads of photos, like the past couple of days. We had lunch at the Japanese hole-in-the-wall that sells octopus balls, in 9th Street. On the same street, we passed by Hoshi Coupe, the place where I used to regularly have my haircut, and decided to have one before flying to California today. It turned out that Regina, my usual stylist, doesn't work there anymore. A girl named Miki did my hair this time, and she did it really well. The photo above was taken by Eric.


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Comically interwoven lives

© Joselito Briones

It's raining here today, so Eric and I decided to go see a show in Broadway, with Jane. Unfortunately, the shows we wanted to show weren't available on a discount at TKTS, so we decided to watch a movie instead (yes, we're THAT cheap). We saw Spiderman 3. It's as comic-y as anything can get, silly plot, silly acting, but very expensive execution and special effects. The sandman sfx was really good. We watched the movie in Astoria, in Queens (Steinway). After the movie, we went for a coffee (starbucks, photo above) and then dinner (pizza, quesadillas, mozzarella sticks, ribs, etc.) around the area from the cinema, spending about 4 hours just sitting and eating and chatting and laughing.


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Stop!

© Joselito Briones

It's come to a full stop. The iBook I brought with me for my travel this time died. Just like that. Kaputz. What does that mean? I won't be able to process and show you photos I take regularly. Not until I get back to Germany. After a month. Until then I'll have to just show you oldish photos.

Photo above is one such photo. This is a broken pedestrian traffic signal, taken in New York during my previous visit.


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Carrie lives here

© Joselito Briones

Eric and I were walking around New York and taking photos yesterday when, just when I was done taking photos of a neighborhood, an older man, probably on his way home, carrying grocery bags, told us that the actress Sarah Jessica Parker (that's) Carrie Bradshaw to you) lives on this particular house (photo, above).

Today we went to Century21 and DSW for bargain shopping, unfortunately I wasn't very much into it because I had a headache. It didn't help that it was dark and drizzling the whole day.

We then went to a computer repair shop in Elmhurst, one that Eric knows to ask if they could repair the notebook, unfortunately, they said they also need time to at least diagnose the computer, time I don't have, so we didn't leave the computer there.

In the evening we just stayed in, even as we were planning to go out with Jane.


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Hi from the Apple store

© Joselito Briones

Hey there Jimbo - am right in your 'hood today, and I'm sending it straight from the Apple Store in 5th Ave., not far from the place in the photo above, taken last March. The hawks in the photo, Pale Male and his companion are celebrities, of course, they've caused so much press coverage a few years back when the owner of the apartment whose balcony they decided to nest on tried to evict them.


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The city that never sleeps

© Joselito Briones

Another photo from the New York trip. This one was taken in Broadway. I just like that it reminds me of those lunar landing photos.


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Church-going people

© Joselito Briones

This is one of my favorite recent photos, taken in New York, in 5th Av., last March. The subject, of course, is about as hokey as one can get, but I do like that I managed to get the exact picture I wanted with what was already there, what with all the tourists and the fact that I can only step back so much or I'd be roadkill.


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It's a wrap!

© Joselito Briones

Well then, today's the day we flew back to Germany. Pretty uneventful, which is pretty much how I prefer it. We got to the airport (Jane drove us) really early, and I had plenty of time to kill, so I decided to edit some of the digital pictures with the iBook that we brought with us on this trip. I used the software from Olympus, called ”Olympus Studio". Pretty good. The most useful feature is the exposure adjustment, and the distortion correction and the fisheye lens distortion correction. I continued editing pictures during the flight, and got very little sleep.


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to JFK

© Joselito Briones

I was thinking of a sappy song to put here, kinda like the one I did last year on my way to the airport, but I couldn't think of any. There wasn't anything to say about the drive either, except for a brief traffic congestion. I guess the only thing remarkable about this morning is that we had pizza for breakfast, while watching "Legally Blonde" on TV. Here's "Drive" anyway, an oldie from Incubus, about making decisions.


DRIVE

Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much
I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
It's driven me before, and it seems to have a vague,
haunting mass appeal.
But lately I'm beginning to find that I
should be the one behind the wheel.

Whatever tomorrow brings,
I'll be there with open arms and open eyes, Yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there..I'll be there.

So, if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive?
Aah-ah-oo-o-o.

It's driven me before and it seems to be the way
that everyone else gets around.
But lately I'm beginning to find that when
I drive myself my light is found.

Whatever tomorrow brings,
I'll be there with open arms and open eyes, Yeahhh
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there...I'll be there.

Would you choose water over wine....hold the wheel and drive?

Whatever tomorrow brings,
I'll be there with open arms and open eyes, Yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there..I'll be there.


-Incubus




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The end of the Affair

© Joselito Briones

By the time Jane, Mati and I walked towards Chinatown, it was already drizzling. It's a signal as good as any (there were a few) that this short holiday has ended. No complaints. I guess I can't really expect every thing to go smoothly. Everything else from now until we fly back to Germany (in 2 days), I'll just chuck together as extras.

From Bowery we walked south towards Soho, through Nolita, to Little italy, pass Canal Street towards the south end of Mott Street, to the default place we always go to whenever we go to Chinatown, Hop Kee. The place is newly renovated, and the staff a lot more friendlier than the last time we were there, the food was pretty much the same as before.


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In Harmony

© Joselito Briones

We dropped by Jane's work in the afternoon, "Hom + Goldman", in East 20th Street, to pick her up so we can go for dinner together, and also to say hi to David (they work together again). We also picked up the extra suit bags that my mom made, my dad brought to California, and my brother Noel sent to Jane's office address in New York (we always seem to go through such great lengths to avoid paying excessive shipping fees). We also met her bosses and some of her colleagues. They all seemed to be excited with their forthcoming company trip to Berlin. It's good to finally see Jane contented with her job - she was really unhappy with the previous one.


© Joselito Briones

Before dinner, we decided to go to the other Osh Kosh address that Diana gave us, to see if they have the overalls. We walked south through Broadway (photos, above, were taken along Broadway - on top is a window dressing of a furniture shop, and above is Grace Church), passing by DSW to see if they have any new shoes (they didn't). When we got to the address, just north of Houston Street and south of Bowery, It turned out that the place was the company's design office.


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5th Av.

© Joselito Briones

There was just something about the bright light today. We walked down 5th Avenue from Central Park South to Times Square and along the waywe took so many photos, mostly street scenes. It helped that most of the crowd didn't care at all that they were part of the pictures, and some, although subtly, even posed upon seeing that he might be part of the picture.


© Joselito Briones

Since we were already in the area, we also took the chance to drop by Sak's, just so I can see what I can expect to buy next year. Such is my shopping pattern now. I wait for everything to be on sale before buying what I want. I guess it's not too bad. Last year's fresh fashion here in New York is still pretty advanced when I wear them in Erlangen.


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Park Weather

© Joselito Briones

I thought we might have had been running out of luck, it was grey and cloudy in the morning, but early in the afternoon it started getting bright again. We decided to do the rest of the shopping that we needed to do, friends' requests from Germany. After having lunch at the Filipino place (Renee's Kitchenette in Queens: enormous squid grilled to perfection, king prawns in tamarind soup, grilled fish), we went to midtown, via Central Park South, to Bergdorf Goodman's to get the La Mer creams Arun asked us to get for his wife.


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Jackson Diner

© Joselito Briones

Conveniently located close to Jane's is the Jackson Heights locals' favorite, Jackson Diner. It's a buffet restaurant serving Indian food (I know... didn't I just have buffet food last night? But, hey! I'm on holiday.) They have an a la carte menu, of course, but we just wanted to try as many variety available. Food was good, the price cheap, and, as a bonus, this guy (photo, above) who was so nice to let me take his picture, will make fresh vegetable-filled dosa for you, included in the buffet! Yummm!


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Apple Store

© Joselito Briones

After the heavy dinner, the three of us walked up again by 5th Avenue towards midtown, where we passed by the Apple Store (photo, above). The dramatic entrance (the only thing that can be seen from the street level) is a sleek swirling glass staircase surrounding a see-through elevator. This is the first time I've been to this store, right in front of the legendary F.A.O. Schwarz building, across the legendary Plaza Hotel.

And then it was time to go. Tomorrow we’ll probably do some shopping, and Jens in a few days will take his Chinatown-Boston bus adventure again (at one time, I read on the news, one service had spontaneous combustion, just like that - *snap*).


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Search & Destroy

© Joselito Briones

This is one of the most interesting shops in the East Village, called "Search & Destroy". What's on sale are actually, literally, junk. Interesting junk. The junk that some collectors look for. The junk that somebody else's granny threw away that young girls (or boys) might be interested to wear. The kind of junk that you'll never think of finding in a shop. This is one of the shops that make East Village what it is. Don't expect to be buying anything wearable though, unless you're a hardcore hipster, the prices aren't exactly cheap.


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Astor Place

© Joselito Briones

Missed this one. I've told you all about this one, of course, when I took pictures of it last year, I just thought I'd take more photos of it under different light.


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One more

© Joselito Briones

Last Union Square photo, promise. Also taken from DSW, I like how the place is covered with snow, and the atmosphere complete opposite of what it looks like in spring and summer (doh) where the place is full of skateboard kids. This photo was post processed, there was way too much difference between the highlights properly exposed (buildings in the background) and the shadows (the whole park) so I had to tweak it a little.


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Views from DSW

18 March

© Joselito Briones

While shopping in DSW, Jane pointed out to me the awesome view from the open windows of the store on the third floor. Above is the view looking northwest, with the Empire State Building on the left, and below is the view looking north east. Naturally, I was too busy looking at the merchandise to notice for myself what's going on outside the building.


© Joselito Briones


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