Saturday, November 17, 2001

Dateline: Bayonne NJ

1am, asleep on my feet - I walked outta the Internet Cafe and wandered down 42nd Street.

Warm all day, the wind had turned, and now was chilling the bone. The clubbers, not yet ensconced at the clubs were briskly walking to their destinations.

Even the Dunkin Donuts I tried to score some coffee from was bare and closed. No joy on the chocolate bits even.

Time to go home.

Stepping off the bus in Bayonne, the emptiness at 2:30am doesnt compare to an empty New York at 2:30am - I felt the difference in energy with only a river seperating the two.

You take a vacation to step out of your environment.

Maybe I felt enlivened partly because I had a little change in my pocket - but nah, it was the energy of New York.

Simply no place like it..



















Nuttin like it.

Friday, November 16, 2001

Dateline: NYC
Internet Cafe, Times Square


JPennant: Heh. I havent slept since 5am yesterday.. well hardly anyways.. and I feel like Ive been on frikkin vacation this last few days. :-)
allgeorge: Vacation?
allgeorge: That's odd.
JPennant:Yeah, it feels like a vacation, cause I feel like Im indulging in New York
JPennant: Fuck, I feel this LOVE for New York coming over me. :-)
allgeorge: Ew.
allgeorge: Heh heh.
JPennant: heehee
JPennant: youre feeling it too. Dont even try to front :-)
JPennant: How crazy am I?
On my limited funds, Im feening for starbux and pastry.. in fucking Times Square.
allgeorge: Yum.
JPennant: youre not helpin'. :-)

Yeah, Im really feeling the love fer this place, although .. hey, still a Chicago boy.

Must be the weather.
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Breakfast this morn...




43rd and 7th

Dinner this eve....










Nostrand and Sterling, Brooklyn
In case anyone is wondering..

I went with the jerked chicken over the fish, and added the peppered veggies and flour fried dumplings..
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In the cacophonic train tunnels underneath Times Square there are many a world-class musician playing their balls off.

Such was the case when I stepped off the number 2 from Brooklyn tonight...

A grizzled Mississippi Bluesman, a cousin of Johnnie Lee Hooker, and an asian brother was rocking the tunnels. I stayed an hour catching this show...

























Wish I coulda captured the sound.

Yeah, Im lovin my little vacation in NY.


Dateline: NYC
Crown Heights, Brooklyn


The Cappy doesnt understand why I come to Brooklyn to get a haircut.

Why I cant simply get a haircut in Bayonne or Jersey City, where there are any number of barbers within walking distance.

She thinks Im being overly racist, or bigoted - like there arent any local barbers that can or will cut 'black' hair.

Yes. There are millions of barbers, and an uncounted number are good.

But the frustrating part of being the itinerant soul is FINDING good barbers, which is nigh impossible if youre always on the move.

But, less than a block from Ma's place - is this Haitian owned barbershop. And these guys are wizards with shears and scissors.

No, I dont speak Creole - but all I havta do is walk in, sit down - say to ANY of the barbers "even" to designate just a basic trim, and indicate a pinch to show how high I want my hair.

And my hair and mustache will be trimmed perfectly. Every. Single. Time.

In the last 20 years - yes, 20 - they have been the only people to give me haircuts that I am happy with.

There are few sure things in life, and when you find perfect arrangements like this - you dont go searching for alternatives.

This is why I get my hair cut 15 miles from where I live.
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I do need to get my hair cut more often.

If you know me in real life, you know exactly why I say this.
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Thursday, November 15, 2001

Dateline: NYC.
Internet Cafe, Times Square.


I finally scored a little bread, so I used some for bus fare into the city.

Man, its been so long..

I went fuckin' nuts taking pictures on my walk from the PATH station on 33rd to 42nd.

I was happy. :-D

Thanks to good ol George, Im able to offload these at the Internet cafe.

Enjoy :-)

(Long load time.. wait.)










Heh. Cyn and I were reminicising about bagels and coffee from these morning breakfast carts.

The best bagel *Ive* ever had was from a cart that operates on the corner of 50th and Broadway. Always a long line.

Cyn reminices on the coffee. Im wondering if she's high on nostalgia.. the coffee from these carts .. damn.. watery, weak. Fuckin' awful.
"Vaguely tastes like coffee". Thats all the praise I'll give it.
No, unless I was in a hurry - I never got my coffee from these carts.



Amazing what you'll find in a garbage can.


JPennant: waitaminnit. I see a nipple in one those pictures!
JPennant: I'll be damned.
katwoman: dirty dirty
katwoman: get your head out of the gutter
JPennant: you see the picture Im referring to?
katwoman: yeah
JPennant: Man, I never expected to see risque on a telophone ad.

I honestly didnt see it when I snapped it.





Maybe lower prices????











Cant get anymore plainer than that. :-)





For you cyn. :-)





For you Clint. :-)








Whoo. And that was a 20 minute 10 block walk.

Gotta love it.

NY, aint nothin like it.

Ok, Im out.. taking more pics. :-)
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