Banksy’s Home
I found Banksy’s home! Well, his home city, at least. It’s Bristol in the UK. I was there in Jan and just happened to stumble upon some of his works while I traipsed the city in search of beer. They had his distinctive style, and a little Googling proved my guess correct. They’re scattered all … Continue reading
Cymry of Cymru
I was in Cardiff for a few days recently and did my best to explore the city. I sampled the pubs and museums, ran a half marathon around the castle, ate their famous Welsh cakes (they’re like compressed scones that still feel airy), and I pondered over the local accent, which seemed to me to … Continue reading
2 Castles for the price of 1
2 Castles for the price of 1 I saw Cardiff castle recently and it was pretty neat. They mentioned that it’d been owned by Earls and defended by Kings. So in the back of my mind I wondered … could I live there? The outer castle is a large, stone, medieval wall with fancy rooms … Continue reading
Poe speakeasy show
Once upon a work night, weary,I journ’d Boston, damp and dreary,To glimpse a stage of Poe recitals,Each paired with a potion. 4 elixirs sweet and brightly,4 entrancing tales so frightly,Capturing his Heart, Cat, Raven,And Masque with dark emotion. A troupe with only 1 to greet,And 4 to bring emotion.Just these and their devotion. -Nato Links:
No dance for me
The unmistakable throb of pop music grew louder as I walked down the wooden hallway. I rounded the corner and there they were … flocks of them … spinning in unison … or dancing in squares, to be precise. My American auntie was in their midst, too. I’d made this trek to see her and … Continue reading
Real steel
The swords clashed and clanged against each other, hacking and slashing mercilessly until one knight lost his balance. He dropped his blade but now he was nothing more than a sitting duck or cantankerous kettle. His assailant’s sword now started raining down against his armoured body. It struck his chest, his helmet, and his arm … Continue reading
Sculptures hither and thither
I took a jaunt to the deCordova sculpture park in Lincoln, Massachusetts and it was exquisite. I haven’t enjoyed a sculpture park this much since Vigelund in Oslo. Imagine a big lawn with varied patches of gardens, meandering paths and grassy knolls, sprinkled with various sculptures hither and thither. There’s no common thread; they’re big … Continue reading
Conquer or die
It lay on front of me in a glass case to protect it from humidity, tampering, and even natural light … like some sort of ancient, fragile vampire. In the dim light I gazed upon that tattered, pink square of silk known as the Bedford flag. It looked dashing and heroic. The artisanship displayed a … Continue reading
Cop Slide
Kay visited for a day and we found the Boston Cop Slide – famous for a local cop who rocketed down and banged himself up. We had to politely push some kids out of the way, but you can see the delight on all the adults’ faces when we had a go. Why should kids … Continue reading
Muse for the day
A young woman handed me a piece of paper in a bar. Turns out it was a sketch of me that she’d been scribbling from across the room, while I was reading a book. I was quite impressed because it captured my profile pretty dang good. By popular demand, here is the sketch:
Macbeth in the night air
I recently watched Shakespeare on The Common, at the main park in the heart of Boston. It did not disappoint. The place was absolutely packed with people on blankets and lawn chairs. The best spot my friend and I could manage was a dodgy spot way back, but at half time heaps of weak people … Continue reading
No poop on the poop deck
Imagine being stuck in a creaky wooden boat for 3 months. Imagine no compass, no steering wheel, and narry a toilet in sight because they hadn’t been invented yet! That’s what it was like on the Mayflower for the 102 pilgrims who sought religious freedom in North America in 1620. I recently saw the re-built … Continue reading
April Pools
I went to my first American pool party and it was great fun. We had beer, snacks, conversation, and frivolities. I fell asleep on the couch and the dog trusted me until I woke up and looked at him. Then he scarpered.
Fear the Ivy League
It started innocently. I had a couple of beers with a friend down by the river. The birds chirped, we dipped our feet in the cool water, and we chatted on the bank. It was beautiful. But 2 days later we each had a few small red lumps on one arm. I suspected a bedbug … Continue reading
Somerville Porchy
I hit Porchfest in Somerville recently and, as expected, it was a blast. Porchfest is when an entire neighbourhood offers up their porches, verandahs, and backyards for local bands to perform on. You can follow the schedule/map online, or just let your ears do the walking. It’s a celebration of community and music and anyone … Continue reading
Big blue wave
Everyone knows Hokusai. You may not realise it, but you do. His most famous print is ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’, pictured here in a brilliant Lego scene. I saw his exhibit at Boston’s MFA (Museum of Fine Art) and it was divine. They did a splendid job of marrying his varied art with all … Continue reading
Bowl of ‘Zole
I found a pozole and mezcal festival in Boston and it was wonderful. I put it all in my mouth and chatted to every man and his dog about weird and reclusive agave spirits. Pozole was a totally new experience for me. It’s like a meat and bean soup, so it’s both filling and hydrating, … Continue reading
Wines constantly
One doesn’t even like wine that much, but when one is offered free tickets to the Boston Wine Expo, one doesn’t hesitate. My friends and I are pros so we met for lunch at a cafe to carbo load, like professional athletes. When we entered the expo hall, it was abuzz with excitement. People were … Continue reading
Big Paddy’s Day
St Paddy’s Day is a wicked big deal in Boston, as it’s the biggest Irish city outside of Ireland. This year sported the first full parade since covid struck, so it promised to be a big ‘un. Indeed, even on my subway ride over, the floor was already littered with empty nip bottles from kids … Continue reading
Bigger than Ben Hur
I raced in the Circus Maximus. I felt like Charlton Heston. My life was in mortal danger. Well … almost. But I did play a giant board game that simulated the ancient hippodrome and covered the floor of a whole room. Grown-ass men knelt down in their socks and roared at each other while their … Continue reading
Bad art
I recently discovered the MOBA (Museum of Bad Art) and it was enthrallingly … bad. It’s a project that somehow locates, curates and publicly displays bad art to the masses. I think they find their pieces in garage sales and rubbish heaps, left behind by the semi-educated masses who still know which end of the … Continue reading
Tequila is a place on earth
I think it was late last year when I found out that Tequila is a place on earth. It’s a town that lies in the shadow of the Tequila volcano, in Jalisco, Mexico, and it’s this volcanic earth that gives it the taste we love. I love getting to the source of love, so earlier … Continue reading
Irrestricted magic
I was in the backseat of a car full of Mexicans, speeding through the night, allegedly to sample some beer in a private venue. I’d only met them 15 mins earlier, so anything was possible. “If you want my kidneys, please leave one for me”, I jokingly offered while subconsciously clutching at my organs. This … Continue reading
Eat what bugs you
I was sampling bebidas in my favourite pulqueria when I spotted a nice queso platter that seemed to be looking at me. Or rather, a bunch of tiny faces with bug eyes were looking at me. The bartender explained that the dish was called chapulines and made of little roasted grasshoppers. I’m usually a vegetarian … Continue reading
The lucky pucky
Tlaquepaque might be the most magical neighbourhood in Guadalajara. It feels like stepping back in time. There’s vibrant colours everywhere, the most trendy arts houses, and scrumptious morsels at every turn. For the grammiest photos in GDL, it’s a must-see. Links:
Pulque, I love you.
A young Mexican woman was sitting with me on a park bench, as we discussed all the parts of the city and culture that I needed to explore. We chatted about art murals, religious festivals, neighbourhoods, tequila, and agave. Somehow pulque came up, and I knew I needed to put it on my tongue. Pulque … Continue reading
Lucha Libre
For my first day in Mexico, I wasted no time in heading straight to the home of sweaty, oiled up men with bristling muscles and even bright tassels – the Lucha Libre! I’d heard that the best way to go on ‘Glamour Tuesday’ and to see it with locals, so I joined an informal tour … Continue reading
Don’t Dream It, Be It
It was astounding. Time was fleeting. Madness took its toll… And in that moment of madness, I said yes to the random couple at the bar who’d just invited me to a live cast, midnight screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I don’t even know how we got onto the topic, but I try … Continue reading
Water is life when it’s marathon day
It was 2am and I got up for a quick pee and a chug of my water bottle. The alarm woke me at 3am again and I repeated this water ritual. Same thing for the next few hours – pee, chug, repeat. I needed my hydration levels up because water is life when it’s marathon … Continue reading
In the footsteps of rugged men
Covid drove me to whiskey, or rather, the pandemic gave me a chance to try new things and I developed a taste for it. But it’s an expensive hobby and difficult to try everything. Cue my excitement when a ‘Whiskeys of the World’ festival turned up in Boston recently – the perfect chance to test … Continue reading
Brothers in Harms
I was recently at a hot sauce festival, tasting the finest fiery condiments on offer. Up on stage, “Mike Jack (Eats Heat)” was attempting a Guinness World Record of eating 200 Carolina Reapers (officially the world’s hottest chili right now, at 2+ million Scovilles). He was failing badly, and we could tell just by looking … Continue reading
Taco Escobarr
This is a funky Mexican bar/restaurant I found in Portland, Maine. It’s called Taco Escobarr and yes, all those fairy lights are shaped like little chili peppers. What a fine, happy place for a margarita.
Raving nerds
This tale might best be seen, on this small, epic vid – https://youtu.be/9p-V-HUI4NY Things started slowly, with a few mates having a pint. While we were drinking and chatting, a DJ was setting up in the corner. The lights were dark, but he had a trippy visual playing from a projector. A young lady started … Continue reading
Rocking the porch
Porchfest is a type of event that I’ve just learnt about in America. It’s a day when a whole neighbourhood opens up their streets and porches for local bands to play at. It’s all scheduled and mapped out, so you know where to walk to find whatever tickles your fancy. It’s full of kids and … Continue reading
Pintastic
My work mate took me to the Pintastic pinball expo in Massachusetts, and it was pretty neat. The rooms were wall-to-wall full of pinball machines, grouped roughly by era. I was never a huge pinball fan, growing up, but as I walked through and tried a bunch, I gradually started see and appreciate the progression … Continue reading
Ring Around the Ponies
Just when I thought I’d seen all the henges, along comes … Ponyhenge! We don’t know who does it, but these rocking equines apparently shift every night. It’s in Lincoln, MA, near my customer in Boston. The racy gallopers are all pretty old, but they hail from a variety of eras and styles, so they … Continue reading
Visit to Vizcaya
I was in Miami recently and visited the renowned mansion-turned-museum Vizcaya. Named after a province in Spain, and built by a wealthy socialite (James Deering) in 1916, it was later turned into a museum by his surviving family. His goal was to create a place that felt old, despite being quite new and in a … Continue reading
Fake Stonehenge
I’ve seen a few henges in my time. The real McCoy in Britain is monolithic and impressive because it was somehow built by primitive people ferrying and hoisting massive stones. They probably used alien bulldozers or some other mysterious technology. New York has Manhattanhenge, which occurs twice a year when the sunset lines up perfectly … Continue reading
Reach for the Mars
I recently competed in a Massachusetts tournament for my favourite board game, Terraforming Mars. Tournaments aren’t usually my jam because I don’t want all the pressure and time commitment; I just wanna play the hotness. But Terraforming Mars is my current love, so the mood took me. The game is about colonising Mars … a … Continue reading
Watering Hole
This photo was my last beer in Australia, at Bine (which is apparently the word for a hops vine). Bine is beneath Magic Mountain, for those of us who were around the Goldy back in the day. It attracts a mixed crowd in a lowkey area that has somehow avoided the latest fancy developers, so … Continue reading
Obscurity is forever
Just before I left Australia, my folks and I uncorked this swanky bottle of Camus Napoleon Vieille Reserve Cognac. For all we know, it could have been thousands of years old. We think it had been in my dad’s cellar for my whole lifespan, and we’ve mentioned it every few years but this was the … Continue reading
Angelic perfection
As I rounded the corner, she was kneeling by the water. The room was dark and eerily silent and I dared not disturb for she commanded awe. Even so, I needed a closer look. She was beautifully poised … frozen in natural motion … like a Caravaggio. Her body was a perfect simulation, with arched … Continue reading
Reach for the toy chest
He kept glancing at me from across the room, then back down to his tablet. I was chatting to my sister, so I was pre-occupied and sitting fairly still. This was Christmas night, so my family was all about, enjoying food and drinks as we caught up on life. But this person across from me … Continue reading
Lost Dogs Disco
I found this outdoor art exhibition called Lost Dogs Disco in my hometown, at the appropriately named HOTA (Home Of The Arts). It featured a bunch of huge, colourful, inflatable canines arranged in a unique sort of mini-maze or play land. The balloons were rugged enough to survive people bouncing into and onto them like … Continue reading
A Midnight Visit
We stepped through the doorway of a darkened house and shuffled into an antique and demure antechamber. A deathly pale woman stood gazing at us eerily while an empty coffin lay before us. I was a little unsure of whose death we were about to celebrate … or witness … or precipitate, but if Poe … Continue reading
Rescuing Princess Peach
My nephew recently uncovered a supreme treasure when he was helping clean out an old house. This “treasure” wasn’t a chest of gold or a collection of baseball cards, but was in fact an old school Nintendo, complete with an original Super Mario Bros. cartridge and controllers. “One man’s trash” … as they say. With … Continue reading
Life-size Mario Kart
A few weeks ago, I went go karting with my family. It was pretty ace. I hadn’t done this since high school, so it was like a walk down memory lane … a very fast and loud memory lane. There were 4 of us racing together for about 20 mins, with the obvious goal of … Continue reading
Just Swell
Swell Sculpture Festival just happened in my hometown, and it was pretty swell indeed. It’s a whole week where modern local art pieces are displayed right on the beach. It’s like going to a modern art museum, but there’s no museum. You can trudge around in bare feet, holding a beer, while dogs and families … Continue reading
Brezel fangirls
At a recent beer fest, I made these pretzel necklaces for my posse. As you can see, they were a hit. I think they made us look like distinguished beer professionals and it was a pretty handy way to carry around a snack. This might become a new staple in my festival prep.
In the Arms of Morpheus
The lights were dim except for a bright spotlight around the man. He lay on the ground, ostensibly in slumber; his chest chiseled and bare. As he slept dreamily, a white parachute slowly frolicked and puffed it’s way over to him like a billowing cloud. It soon enveloped him and he awoke as in a … Continue reading
Dodo stew
I recently became beer friends with couple in the pic. Actually only he loves beer, but she loves the company and is completely down to hang while he samples suds. Her patience with us never ceases to amaze me. If I was accompanying a woman to something like a nail polishing evening, I’d probably lose … Continue reading
Victory or death
I was wearing thin running shorts at 6am on a mid-winter, Brisbane morning, surrounded by fit, healthy people. There was an air of excitement in the air. A siren sounded and we all lurched forward like a herd of harried wildebeast. We’d just begun a long dash around the rivers and streets of Brisbane. We’d … Continue reading
Free beach vinegar
I recently joined my folks on a li’l holiday to Port Douglas, QLD. It’s one of those idyllic small towns that Aussies retire to because it’s small and warm. If you look on a map, it’s way up there. The national highway ends an hour south of there, in Cairns, so it feels like the … Continue reading
Winning cocktail
Behold my recently perfected cocktail, the pisco sour. It comes from Peru and is made with pisco, egg white, lime, sugar, and bitters. The trick is to dry shake it, then add ice and shake again. The dry shake makes the egg fluffy and adorable. For the garnish I painstakingly hand-sliced and oven-dried various citrus … Continue reading
Flambe baby
This photo shows my glorious success at bananas flambe. There were past failures but this time the bananas, sugar, and brandy came together in a ballet of dancing delight to tantalise the taste buds. The ice cream was ingloriously plopped into the middle of the hot pan, like a majestic but ultimately doomed iceberg in … Continue reading
Pirates of Italy
One of my family members had a birthday recently and we decided to mark the occasion with a pizza and rum tasting night. I made the pizza from scratch due to my complete dearth of cooking expertise at every other non-pizza food. Given that we were having a night of rum and pizza, we named … Continue reading
Twin rummy
My twin and I sat across from each other, at a trendy wooden table. Before us were 2 rows of small, tulip glasses, with a different flavoured rum in each. We felt like elegant connoiseurs at a fine establishment, or discerning beavers in a forest of ancient trees. It’s easy to fall in love with … Continue reading
Australia Day on a boat
This year, I celebrated Australia Day with my old man’s old mates. This was my first Australia Day on home soil in 13 years, so it was a good occasion to do it right. And right we did. We rented a pontoon boat and beached it on an unnamed island in the Broadwater, which is … Continue reading
Should’ve stopped at one
GABS (Great Australian Beer Spectacular) was right around the corner from my sister’s house, so I had the perfect excuse and opportunity to go. There was food vendors, bands, activities, and most importantly heaps of craft beers to fall in love with. The weather was goldilocks perfect. The beer was cold. The choices were numerous. … Continue reading
Outback Spectacular
I went to the Gold Coast’s Outback Spectacular show with a few family members recently. It was certainly interesting and different, but I’m still a bit confused about what exactly it was. The foyer was like a fine country pub; the kind of place you could have a barn dance or a fancy shindig. The … Continue reading
Magic puzzling
I leant over the wooden dining table, craning my neck to view the small, upside-down diagram that we were all following. My Dad had it in his hand, and he’s not much of a sharer. He likes to study it closely to figure out where the jigsaw piece in his hand will fit, and he … Continue reading
Snip with a sip
Have you ever had a beer at your barber? I can proudly say that I now have. I’ve been clippering my own hair for years, but Christmas was coming up and my Corona-mane was getting unwieldy, so I figured I’d go for a trim at my local barber. They were modern and trendy and, best … Continue reading
The Shape of Vegemite
Here’s to all my Vegemite lovers! This is a photo of a new snack I found in Aussie supermarkets. It’s the taste of our most beloved and iconic condiment … in a biscuit … in the shape of our fair island. What more could you want in your mouth? It seems we left out Tasmania … Continue reading
Would quarantine here again
Quarantining in Sydney last month was one of my most unique experiences ever, and certainly a tale for the times. I recently came back to Australia to wait out the pandemic, which necessitated a mandatory quarantine for 2 weeks in a Sydney hotel. That might sound dull and restrictive, but I actually enjoyed the chance … Continue reading
Worthy detour
… because sometimes, it’s worth making a detour.(yes, they spell it wrong over here, but hey ho) Ramsay origins – https://one-name.org/name_profile/ramsey/
Fake news at the watering hole
In lower Manhattan recently, I went looking for a beer at Fraunces Tavern and was surprised to find that I’d stumbled into a historical site with a rich history. Fraunces has been a watering hole for most of its 301 years, and it served as an unofficial meeting point for American revolutionaries like the Sons … Continue reading
Small joys in Covid times
It’s been 6 months since I was in the office, but last week I took a much needed trip up to Boston for some onsite work (and to reconnect with the chocolate in my desk that I’d abandoned when Coronavirus rudely upended our lives). It was also the perfect opportunity to join my workmates in … Continue reading
Coming out … for pizza
I recently had the joy of coming out of my Covid safety-hole to eat some pizza at a happenstance, cute, little Italian restaurant in Connecticut. It was quality pizza too; up to my exacting standards. Covid-19 has seen me mostly sitting in a small room for the past few months, hiding from the world, so … Continue reading
Beer baby
It was Labor Day in the US, so I celebrated by giving birth to a 5 litre mini-keg of Oktoberfest. OK, that’s a lie. I drank it. I drank it all. But then it exited my body, so it was sort of like being in labour. I chose Breckenridge’s Oktoberfest because I didn’t want to … Continue reading
Big Jesus
It’s Big. It’s Jesus. We called him Big Jesus. My sister and I made a pilgrimage to this big fella during our few days of lounging on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Big Jesus chalked up our 2nd Wonder of the World for this trip, and my 4th total … yes, everything is … Continue reading
Hanging out over La Paz
When we visited La Paz in Bolivia this year, my sister and I discovered that the best way to see the city was to dangle over it, via Mi Teleferico. It’s a cable car system that reaches the far corners of the city, just like a subway. In fact, it’s apparently the highest and longest … Continue reading
Cholita Wrestling
She let out a furious yell and charged at the other woman across the ring. Her nuggetty opponent managed to spin and hip toss her so that her frilly dress made a colourful arc in the air as she fell. They both slammed into the mat with a reverberating thud. The 1st woman started moaning … Continue reading
Twelve-sided stoners
This photo shows a famous “12-angled” (or 12-sided) stone in a wall in Cuzco. The Incas bashed their stones into shape to perfectly fit together without mortar. My guess is that they’d started building this long wall from both ends and painted themselves into a corner in the middle, and this “12-sided” stone was the … Continue reading
Machu Pikachu
My sister and I went to Machu Picchu for a day and I was blown away by how picturesque the ruins looked. It’s normal to see Insta-perfect photos in travel brochures, but I never expected the reality to be anywhere close to that, and it was! Everything has been maintained and preserved quite nicely, and … Continue reading
Handsy animal glyphs
My sister and I took a flight over the Nasca Lines, in Peru, to check out all the handsy monkey and bird glyphs. It was pretty epic to see, and flying is certainly the way to do it. Our pilot expertly weaved around in gut-wrenching circles so that both sides of the plane got to … Continue reading
Trust in the tamale
My sister and I spent an epic month in South America, over the Xmas/New Year holidays. We saw the sights and had delights on every foreign shore. I’m usually game to try anything once, so we ventured into plenty of random Peruvian restaurants with more optimism than was warranted, considering our woeful ability to read … Continue reading
Siberian Tranny Orchestra
One of the great bonuses of traveling for work is when my travels coincide with a band that I’m keen to see, often in some random, small town nearby. Earlier this year, it was Weird Al Yankowic, in Boston. Recently, it was the Trans Siberian Orchestra, in Worcester, Massachusetts. TSO is a semi-Christmas themed rock … Continue reading
Pretty pretty punkins
I was walking along a dark path with figures wandering around me. Gazing at me from the right was a buck-toothed bozo with big wide eyes. A little in front of me was a face with a scary scowl and tight, angry eyes. To my left was a round head with an extremely wide smile … Continue reading
Peepin’ pimpin’ Fallin’ foliage
I was recently introduced to the phenomenon known as peak foliage. I thought I was just going on a hike with a buddy in New Hampshire, but as the day progressed it became more and more apparent that he was somewhat obsessed with looking for colourful leaves. And he’s not the only one. There’s a … Continue reading
Called by Cthulhu
I went for a run in a strange city, got lost, and stumbled upon the only landmark in the whole city that I knew. It was as though some unseen force had drawn me there. This is the Fleur-de-Lys Studios featured in H. P. Lovecraft’s most famous story ‘The Call of Cthulhu’, and as you … Continue reading
Beyond The Streets
My old mate, Reenster came to NYC recently, so we ate a bunch of food and went to a graffiti exhibition called Beyond the Streets. This huge exhibition had all types of “street art”, from the initial surge of punk kids in Brooklyn’s ’60s up to today’s fancy and respected works. It was eye opening, … Continue reading
The Pops heard around the world
The Pops heard around the world I was working near Boston during this year’s Independence Day. We didn’t get attacked by aliens, but I did get to go and see the “Boston Pops”. No, it’s not a bunch of old grandpas in tweed coats. It’s a Boston orchestra that goes wild and plays “popular” music. … Continue reading
Mustang Sally for a week
Avis upgraded me to a Mustang Convertible recently because it was the only car they had left when I picked up my work rental. Yeah baby! That makes me cool, right? This is the first time I’ve been upgraded to something sporty. They sometimes try to tell me how pleased they are to offer me … Continue reading
Hacking at the head
I was in a darkened auditorium with a simple stage before me featuring a pond, a lake, and 3 school girls. They squealed a little and took a selfie, like regular young folk. They seemed naive but within minutes they were mumbling something about hurley burleys before uttering that fateful name … “Macbeth”. For the … Continue reading
Everything for the Wookie
There’s a famous Australian burlesque show known as ‘The Empire Strips Back’ and, when it recently came to NYC, I simply had to see it. Picture all your favourite Star Wars characters and scenes, reproduced with high quality props and costumes. Now picture it more sexy. There was: Twi’leks dancing lithely, a sizzling storm trooper … Continue reading
The Last Dab
I recently checked out the NY Hot Sauce Expo, just for kicks. It was like a marketplace of vendors displaying a range of hot sauces to try, plus related parafernalia. I saw a hot sauce fountain for chip dipping. I saw expensive, intricate leather hot sauce holsters for traveling in safety while packing heat. The festival … Continue reading
Helping Elon Musk
I was seated in a high school athletics auditorium, surrounded by hordes of chanting kids. They were chanting for blood and victory and pneumatic controllers. Before us lay a scene of competing factions trying to assist mankind’s deep space ambitions by demonstrating their robots for quickly loading cargo into rocket ships. Highly skilled pilots stood … Continue reading
Feeling the Bern
I went to my first ever political rally recently because it was happening nearby, and I wanted to see what they were like. It turns out they’re sort of like going to a football game, but everyone’s rooting for the same team. Everyone wears team colours and waves signs, while high-fiving each other and feeling … Continue reading
The OG of pierogis
I recently went with some friends to a Slovakian pierogi restaurant named Baba’s Pierogis. I think Baba was the OG (original Grandma) in their food story. What’s a pierogi? I didn’t know either, until I encountered them in New York. They’re usually thought of as Polish and are basically the same as dumplings. Sauerkraut and … Continue reading
QWERTY for eating
I recently noticed that Wagamama had opened a new restaurant in Manhattan, so I wanted to check it out. It’s a Japanese restaurant chain from the UK that is popular for communal dining on long tables, with decent food and decent prices. I love the concept, and I went many times while I lived in … Continue reading
Hearts and minds and poetry
Do you known what it feels like to have poetry whispered to you through long pipes by random actors in black? Me neither, but a lucky few folks at the Brooklyn Library do. If that isn’t a selling point for curiosity then I don’t know what is. I witnessed this activity from the mezzanine during … Continue reading
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Someone recently asked me if I’d been to Atlantic City and I had to confess that I hadn’t, even though it’s quite close to NYC. I figured it’d be a shame to one day leave here without seeing AC, so I booked a long weekend trip and jumped on a bus. As Springsteen instructs, I … Continue reading
Safety first
When you’re drinking an advent calendar of beers with an old mate … safety first.
Candy Cane Lane
I went home for Chrissy, and a few of my peeps suggested that we go see the Christmas Lights. I was down. It turned into a wonderful little excursion like those I remember from childhood, but the game has changed so much. There’s a competition every year for the best street for Christmas lights (likely … Continue reading
Woe to cold turkey
Last year, I participated in a special treat that is occasionally offered to random lone wolfs across America. They call it … Friendsgiving. It’s like Thanksgiving but with friends. It makes sense in big cities like NYC because a lot of folk don’t have family nearby to eat with. Most Yankees plan ahead and travel … Continue reading
Lovecraftian terrors
Late last year, I joined a bunch of other Lovecraftian fan at NYC’s annual Lovecraft Festival, Arkham Asylum. A handful of actors narrated his stories with extreme levels of panic and creepiness, inside a darkened church. This is undoubtedly the best way to immerse oneself in his terrible tales. Everything feels so much more real … Continue reading
Living Shrek’s life
My buddy and I recently caught a bus to upstate New York. (Local lingo alert: “upstate” is basically anywhere that us city folk can’t point to on a map. We’ve heard there’s other so-called “New Yorkers” up there but in a vaguely northerly direction, but probably without access to running water or the Subway). We … Continue reading
West Indies flock
The West Indies parade happens every year in my neighbourhood (Crown Heights) in Brooklyn. It makes sense that it’s here because the neighbourhood is quite black and you can barely walk more than a block without crossing a jerk chicken store. Apparently the festival moved here from Harlem 50 years ago. It’s been ours ever … Continue reading
Melting moments at MilkMade
I had my first ice cream flight recently. What is a flight? Yeah I was confused too, the first time I saw one on a wine menu. The wine flight was a few small wine glasses with a different flavour of wine in each one. In the years since then I’ve drunk many a beer … Continue reading
Shakespeare under the heavens
On a recent evening in Central Park, I joined some friends in the Delacorte Theater to watch some good ol’ Shakespeare. The theatre was gorgeous, surrounded by trees and the nearby Belvedere Castle. The atmosphere was buzzing and reminiscent of my fond memories from the Globe Theatre in London. Amphitheatres always seem to lend a … Continue reading
Carpe Urbe 