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Published: August 28th 2011
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As I'm writing these lines, Irene is knocking on my windows like a maniac! The media warned everybody in the world with never seen catastrophe scenarios to the extent that we all had a laugh about it. You know, just like that time when SARS was a big worldwide issue. As a weird side effect of the alarming media coverage, people start to no longer take the warnings serious.
However, when the city started to close down the entire public transport system including ferries, subways and buses at noon on Saturday, there was this feeling in the air that something big and aweful might be about to happen. A crazy night at our mansion in Rego Park later, we found ourselves on the safe side of the world. Reportedly, one million people were out of electricity in New York that sunday, and all we were really worried about was how that bottle of Jack got empty so freaking fast.
That weekend was weird because there was a lot of uncertainty about what was going to happen. Thus we stayed in Queens, exploring the mall in Forest Hills, a place formerly known to us only as the entry to the subway to
Manhattan. But I do have to admit it's quite a cute little neighborhood with little shops, nice restaurant and the awesome Martha's Country Bakery. The Americans however have a different idea of a bakery. You won't find any fresh bread in there, instead the joint is filled with delicious cheese cakes, pies and pralines (One of the explanations for America's widespread obesity).
Last week, Fabio and I took two days of work, which made a nice 4 day holiday. Finally some time to really explore the city. We started off by visiting the American Museum of Natural History. You may know the movie "Night at the museum"; the outside shots were filmed there. We didn't find out until three hours later that the actual movie was shot in a set in Hollywood so that was a bit of setback (I was wondering where Roosevelt on his horse might be hiding or that egyptian pharao...). It's all fake!! Ah well, still the museum is definitely worth visiting, they have an IMAX theatre and the biggest dinosaur exhibition which is really impressive. After the museum we wanted to take the tour of the Brooklyn Brewery but didn't get there in time
because the subway line to Brooklyn was running with heavy delays (can't rely on those damn trains, where is the good old SBB when you need it?). But it's New York, so something great always follows...and it did. From the other end of the subway station at Union Square we heard some jazzy music, so we had to have a look. The brooklyn band Moon Hooch was playing among all the commuters, the group featured a drummer and two saxophonists. The sound could be best described with jazzy drum n bass and it was fantastic! We ended up listening to the band for half an hour. Crazy concert in the underground of NYC: Check!
Day 2 was a little more quite and sophisticated as we went to a wine tasting course (the basics of course) at New York Vintners. The people there were really laid back and young which made a great atmosphere. I know a little bit more now about the wines but there is soo much more to discover. Day 3 was memorable Brookyln day. The neighborhood Brooklyn Heights has become a place for richer people and it's easy to imagine why. The place is beautiful, a
lot of trees and old brick houses with a lot of history. Real lousy tourists that we are, we got totally lost in Prospect Park looking for the Botanical Garden (turns out that it was the greatest thing to get lost). We then asked a guy for directions. Smiling he said: "Guys you are going in the totally wrong direction. I can't explain where the gardens are so walk with me." He's lived almost his entire life in Brooklyn which made him a great person to find out more about the borough. When we arrived at the library where he intended to have a read, he quickly changed his mind and showed us around Brooklyn the entire day. We went to a Jamaican food place, a cuban bar that is operated (almost) entirely out of renewable energy, Park Slope, Little Arabia - just to illustrate the diversity of Brooklyn. We also met his 87 year old mother who lives in Brooklyn Heights and has a rooftop with a view to die for. All in all, a fantastic day and an affirmation of the out-going character of American people. Such a thing would never have happened in Switzerland, the way people
think and live is just so much different than it is here. Finding a true American family; Check!
In other news, the US Open is about to start in my backyard Flushing Meadows, so I'm very excited about the quarter finals where we got tickets. Go Fedi!
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