11th of August 2015
Dear Diary,
well I am back in town. After three years. But this time not as a tourist, this time as a short-term inhabitant of NYC. Still can't believe it. The first days and still now I feel like a second me put the first me into a suitcase and took me to the USA.
I walked along the 5th avenue where the central park is in order to visit the Guggenheim Museum and invented a little life story for every supposedly rich person passing by. Then I thought maybe they do the same and maybe everyone on this street is thinking of all the others they live here but actually no person living in this street would walk along it.
By the way, i found the perfect way to not get bothered by all the tourist attraction people in Manhattan. Just carry a Yoga Mat with you around (which I only did because I bought one) and no one will talk to you about hop on hop off busses.
I found my favourite Coffee Shop again - Triple Shot World Atlas (left picture). The longest name ever for a coffee shop but this place has the nicest atmosphere and the best snacks I found so far in Brooklyn. On one wall there is a huge world map and you just feel like you are somewhere in south america when you're sitting there. The picture on the right shows the restaurant Juliette, also in Brooklyn. I just took a picture in order to remind me to go there soooon :)
I live in Queens this time. Before I signed the contract for my room I put in Google "Queens safe?" and what I found was: "If you are scared of an Greek Grandma, punching you with her bag, then nope, it is not safe" - I signed the contract immediately.
And it is true, Queens Astoria is a Greek area. In my street small town houses with USA flags, flowers and two sitting chairs (for grandma and granddad) are next to each other. Yesterday a very old lady with an traditional Thai costume went past me and smiled at me. I was about to follow her in order to find more of her kind. In this city former foreign communities tend to stick together.
Love. C.
Stay in touch ! On my Facebook Page I will upload pictures frequently,
like it here and you will never miss any news.
You can also add me on Snapchat and see
New York with my eyes ;) It's 'Spencerstb'
Dear Diary, August, 20 2015
Do you see that little apartment in the second floor? Just behind the tree. Yes that one. Imagine you would live there.
You would feel like in the
apartment of Ted and Marshall
in How I met you mother or
like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
You would wake up every morning
with the sun tickling on your nose
through the wodden blinds.
It smells of Indian curry as your
neighbour likes to cook early in the
morning, the window is half open and the cat from next door is sneeking in, walking on your sheets and yawning the exhausting night away.
The sound of a built up area prevents you from falling asleep again. You brew yourself a watery coffee which contents no coffein at all, but you drink it every morning cause it tastes good.
You take a cold shower which washes all the morning heat of the city summer away.
The Puerto Rican couple next door is having a fight again. You are used to their fights.
You get ready for work and put comfi shoes on while you have your office shoes in your bag. On the way to work you grab a bagle and a coffee at the coffee shop you go every morning. “ I wish you a very nice day, my dear.” You wish the cute guy serving you the coffee a nice day, too.
Or in my case a sweet old Greek lady.
When you let yourself fall into the walking crowd in the metro station you grab yourself a free newspaper, try to find a free seat and read through the news of the city. Or you don’t and you enjoy watching the people in the tube and invent stories where they might come from and where they might go.
For lunch you take something with you from last night and sit yourself down in a little park in Manhattan. Surrounded by buildings high as mountains, feeling the fresh brize from the ocean which is not far but not visible either.
All these important looking people chatting, laughing, calling, running, eating. In the middle of the park on the only part with gras – a homeless sleeping all these people away.
How much the value of one Gucci shoe of that man there may be? And how much this single shoe could help the homeless sleeping on the ground? A city full of contrasts, that’s for sure.
Rocked by the swaying of the train you are gently falling asleep in the metro. Everyone is. When people sleep, they look they children again. Surrounded by sleeping people in the noisy and shaky metro, I feel like in Kindergarten again. Everyone is sleeping. The homeless next to the mother and her child, on her shoulder a business guy exhausted from all the numbers, next to him an old lady with lots of shoppingbags and in the corner that girl.
When you arrive home from work, you slip out of your business clothes and into comfi ones. Feel the wooden floor underneath your hurting feet.
You go to that little grocery shop next door. The Asian looking lady is greeting you friendly like every day when you leave. At home you cook your favourite meal and listen to your favourite music, the cat is walking around between your feet. Waiting for something to drop down.
Before you go to bed, you sit on that very fire escape. Maybe you read something and enjoy the mumbling voices from the street underneath. Just imagine…
Love C.
Stay in touch ! On my Facebook Page I will upload pictures frequently,
like it here and you will never miss any news.
You can also add me on Snapchat and see
New York with my eyes ;) It's 'Spencerstb'
Dear Diary, 25.08.2015
did you ever think I would do a one hour Yoga lesson in a group of 500 people? A tiny little detail is that this happened in the middle of Manhattan in New York City and it was for free!
The mats were provided and they even had 21 helpers wandering around and helping the sporty city people trying to relax inbetween traffic noises and the smell of Burritos and Waffels, well and the sweat of your neighbour.
But it was great, everyone was chatting with each other until the loudspeaker voice of the yoga teacher started the lesson.
In Bryantpark, next to the Public Library they offer free Yoga lessons every Thursday at 6pm during the summer. No signing in in advance, just dropping by whenever you want.
Check out the video of the "Mass Yoga Session" on my Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/spencerstravelblog
Love C.
