Street Art and my attempt to notice it

Lets start with a bit of history that will allow you to apprieciate the cartoon below

In the beginning Manhattan Began it's life on the southern most tip (now known as Downtown) the growth was sporadic and random creating a series of spider like road systems eminating from the tip only a few roads cart track's existed like the broadway and the tracks along either side of the island

As the City grew it was clear that the development needed a new direction. Hence City Planners in all their wisdom decided to create a grid system and split the island into "Blocks" formed by a series roads known as Avenues (Up down) and Streets (across) with the odd exception (Diagonal roads like Broadway)

THE PUNCHLINE

This regular road system created almost entirely of right angles in my eyes created "The City of Cross Roads" so much for the "Big Apple"

all these cross roads lead to repetition so much so that on ever corner you can expect to see three things almost without question they are

1. The legendry Trash can or "bin" to us Brits
2. A Bus stop or Parking meter
3. A post box or newspaper box

Such repetion has leads to a lack of Character

However with time this lack of Character is lost and replaced by......




This is my example....




...when I saw this on the street, it made me smile.

Volunteer work in my local park

As promised here are a few pictures to prove I actually did do the work



Above: a very tired Andrew after a 6 hours of shovelling soil and mulsh and wheel barrowing it all around the park



Above: The fruits of our labour including the inaugural drink in guess what a British Pub in the (East) village!! I had a pint of Young's..... ....I hadn't had a proper English pint in over 5 months and it taste like the tears of angels! other word fantastic!

(So that one less reason for returning to England) only kidding I will see you all sooner than you think!!

Spring arrives in the East Village

True Happiness makes itself known in so many ways but not as often as it can in NYC (or so it seems)

a few Sundays ago I took a long stroll around the East Village (My neighbourhood) the sun was shining people where playing ball, keepee uppee, Badmington, frisbe and believe it or not! body beautifuls where showing off in there bikinis!! whist sun bathing. You could go as far as to say it was as a

HEEAT WAVE!

I would go as far as to say the first day of spring had arrived in the now very crowded Tompkin Square Park.

I could knew it was a small sample of things to come!


TOMPKIN SQUARE PARK

The Park is about two blocks Square. The Park itself is split into zones come take a stroll with me I'll show you around.... ...imagine

Old men where playing chess (when they where not admiring the bikini girls playing volley ball).
Kids selling lemonade and cookies from a make shift stall

A market set up on Avenue A selling home grown / farm produce

A group of local musicians strumming gitars, double base, Sax, trumpets, volins etc A kind of eclectic mix of street performers all playing Jazz and improvising amoungst themselves. There may have been a hint of mexican inspiration in there at some points too!

People where playing with there dogs in the dog run

………I was care free soaking in the vibrance

One of lifes perfect days

Not to mention the volunteers all gardening, planting out beds and cutting back overgrowth (I asked one of them if they needed any extra help next weekend Boy was that a mistake)

Well that weekend has just been and gone. I can still feel every muscle aching but understand that I have contributed to the immense sense of comunity that exists here and I feel better for the exercise

I will post some pictures next week of my endeavours.

Frank

I saw this and Thought of you Frank....We know where you are! Will you be coming come back next winter?



We all miss you!

Please write back

Photo Blogging

My photo Blogging is still not working so I will have to rely on Hugh posting pictures for me which is a pain in the neck but at least I can publish again!

heres a collage of madoka for those who haven't meet her

Nice eh?

Madoka's gone!

Well Im back in business and boy have I got news for you lot back home. I have been having soo much fun since my last blog (I just dont know how Im going to catch up)

In fact its been so long that my Web photo publishing has gone a bit Pete Tong ("Wrong" For my American Friends) So your just going to have to put up with my writing!

まどか Madoka

My girlfriend just phoned me from the airport, she still hasn't made it back to England! get this a 7 hour delay! far too long to be waiting on your own in an air terminal!

Note to all visitors Dont use Swiss air they suck!

I'm already missing her imagine what it will be like in a few weeks. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting my girl friend. heres a few words that sum her up and a picture for you to gawp at, of her in a bikini.

(Oh dawn....

......I am sorry my Web photo publishing is out of order)

Looks like you will have make do with a few words:

• セクシー
• じょしょく
• 日本 or here ý
• かんがえぶかい
• しきしゃ

Other words just dont do her justice ( Jason if you can read this keep it to yourself! see the end of blog) I hope the My dictionarys right! Or I may not have a girlfriend after she reads this!

まどか

xYx

We had such a great time in NYC we took a romantic trip around central park in a horse drawn chariot thingy, we chilled in Central Park sunbathing on the granite stone outcrop and chased after the squirels Not to mention the cafes and a long walk to Brooklyn hiehgts over the famous Brooklyn Suspension Bridge. where we saw a Mercedes photo shoot on the pier overlooking Manhattan (I will post picture in this Blog when I sort out the problem) It was breath taking and a real clear day for sight seeing I may write about it some time

Not the Bikini one dont worry Madoka! "Not that that photograph exists anyway!" (Still friends?)

We ate in Expensive restaurants (And cheap ones!) introduced her to my friends (Including Grace) Boy was that a mistake too Oriental girls competing for my attension. Ofcourse Madoka Won!

We did shopping and other things that are of no real interest to you back home you know washing the dishes, doing grocery shopping and cleaning the apartment (Yeh right!)....

........Oh I forgot we also pecked each other on the cheeks a couple of times

(Which cheeks.... ....I leave up to you!)

Acconting has never been my strongest subject (you can ask Chris about that he's training to be an accounting Excutive you know!). The monday after Madoka left I had a look at my checking account (Current acount to those in England) You would never guess how much I had left after both Hugh and Madoka had drained my cash (Thank you both for returning the money)

GO ON GUESS...

A. $2000 + (that's about £1075+ (for you guys back home)

B. $1000 - $1999

C. $500 - $999

D. $4.30¢

Place your bets please!.......

............If you chose A. Nah I wish, do you think Im made of money B. Getting warmer C. Almost there!! D. We have a winner!!

You could have guessed couldn't you! It turns out the only winners are English

My mate Hugh who now owns a very sexy Digital camera (Better than Chris's even! newer model sorry mate!) My sister who now has the perfect gift for her beloved "God bless America's exchange rate" ...

...and last but not least my English Bank Manager "Hi by the way do you miss me? or my dept?"

Love アンドリュー (Andy)

PS I apologise to the Non-Japanese speaking friends but you can get extra points for those who can creativly translate the words to describe Madoka (Be nice or I may never speak to you again!) Im off to celebrate Jasons Birthday party At "Pieces" the Gay Karaoke Bar in Greenwich Village.

See you there! (PS Im scared by that place)