New York in Pictures

First jaunt - Cricket above some train tracks in the Bronx

We were in the Bronx to go here! Cricket complained about the schlep out there, why such a gem is so tucked away (multiple train lines plus a walk) and "schlep" subsequently became the buzz word of the trip. Luckily some lady from a wedding party gave us free tickets back on the Metro North

Close up of Monet's garden. I made sure the little green sign was in there to prove it's from Monet's Garden and not some random lady's flower bed.

It wasn't until later I realized this is THE bridge, the one he painted.
btw This is the TPOD ©  (tool pic of the day) hence my arm positioning

The first in my Cricket-reflected-in-Monet's-lily-pond series, in where she is also known as "an androgynous child mercenary" 

This is the outdoors lily pond. Cricket was into the coy fish and the lilies. Then we accurately traced the life cycle of a lotus flower (not pictured)

Everyone left because it was closing time so we sneaked back in to have Monet's garden all to ourselves. Cricket maintained we could have spent the night there. 

The ONLY documentation of the meeting of the lawyers

To commemorate Colin Bean (they have his table ready)

Revising haikus to help Phil get girls at this dive bar in the East Village called The Library (wut wut) -- I am Phil's  Cyrano de Bergerac for real. Cricket and I also got our drinks for free!

This is where I learned about the no normal white people in Bushwick thing. Cricket took me to what she called a hipster cafe and she was right. Hipsters in SF are total posers compared to what's going on here. I can't really describe it except it has a lot to do with "artists" moving into cheaper neighborhoods that are populated with low income minorities and then it gentrifies blah blah blah. Rebecca Solnit was right (Hollow City) even though I never saw it in SF. Anyway this is a pretty dang good grilled cheese with spinach that gave me life 

Then we walked to a park and stopped in this small gallery. After taking this picture I went on the nod in an office chair while Cricket sketched the resident dog (not pictured)

Walking home from the park

On my move from Bushwick to Hell's Kitchen the next day. This was taken from the M line

Haha. It was SO HOT and I had my backpack (i.e. everything I think I'll need for a year) and I was making my way down West 43rd St and I came to what I thought was Phil's apartment. The key wouldn't open the lobby door so I started crapping my pants then this helpful old dude came up. We compared keys and they looked the same then he told me to tell my friend to have his spare keys filed down with an emery board at the hardware store and he let me in. I started going up the stairs and yeah I had been at Phil's on Saturday and things didn't look right. All of a sudden it hit me: I was at the wrong address! I bolted out of the building hoping to avoid the helpful old dude, but he was sitting on a stoop down the street. He was like "???" and I was like "Wrong address!" By the time I did make it to Phil's and up 4 flights of stairs I was DYING. I was drenched in my own sweat, shaky, out of breath, embarrassed, and relieved. This is the photo to prove it. 

Thundercaps over some building -- taken from the NW corner of Central Park around 5 pm. The heat just was breaking then.

Along West Side Highway. Nearby there was an NYPD impound lot. At the end of the night Cricket rescued these teenagers who only had learners permits and had gotten their car towed by using her license to get them out.

I liked this night because as Cricket and I sat and talked for hours, many strange and not so strange people came and went past us. With each passing I jumped a little bit, scared a crazy was gonna come harass us. Cricket taught me that in NY, people don't want to talk to you at 4 a.m. on West Side Highway, or anywhere. Peeps mind their own business. That's when I realized living in SF for basically 11 years has conditioned me to expect EVERYONE is crazy and wants to hold court with you. I am sick of the crazies! Crazy has definitely become normal for me. Wow, thanks San Francisco. 

Sunrise as I waited for Cricket to rescue the teenagers and their car

Sunrise over the Hudson and Hell's Kitchen or whatever

Coney Island. I'm so large and white compared to Cricket.

We had sunrise together then sunset together. Poor Phil was practically working this whole time.

So in my estimation NYC is essentially living in a police state thanks to 9/11. There are cops everywhere, or park rangers (we got kicked out of the park between West Side Highway and the Hudson the night before, and witnessed many patrollings). Before this a NYPD helicopter relentlessly flew mere meters above the water, up and down the coast. The lifeguards got off work at 6, so swimming was prohibited after that point. This park ranger drove through the water to get everyone out, then as soon as she passed everyone got back in the water. New York is the only place where the citizens' lack of faith or respect for the police force is so apparent. Everyone just has this look on their face like "You stupid cop, why are you blocking traffic" when they pull someone over. And in some places, the cops standing guard even looked sheepish or anxious, like they even doubted their own agency. 

Some weird vulture set up freaky shop on the breakers to the delight of the surrounding children.

I don't know why Coney Island's Luna Park had a Halloween themed display set up, but the dummy in the crashed hearse looked a whole lot like Sharon Needles! (winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 4)

Waiting for the train, enjoying a nice long summer twilight 

My attempt at compositional photography 

On my last full day it was SO HOT I was almost literally DYING then the weather broke with this huge thunderstorm. Cricket predicted a killer sunset and she was right. Again we're at the Hudson, on the West side. Phil is still working :( 

For some reason there was a freaking aircraft carrier docked next to our sunset vantage spot.

A sign for my future, I suppose

Sun burning behind row of colonial houses in Jersey

Cricket rushed us away from the sunset before it got good (haha, just trying to make her feel bad) so I got this one through the cityscape. And thus completes the photo diary!