Blogs from Queens, New York, New York, United States, North America - page 4

We arrived at Newark Intl Airport after a pleasant day in the air, and found a bus that took us to Port Authority. That 16-mile trip took longer than driving from Portland to Seattle, because the Holland Tunnel was closed and all traffic was rerouted through the Lincoln. We went so slowly through Wehauken that I think I could write a travel article about it. At Port Authority, a cabbie gave us a good price to take us to our home for the next two weeks, a basement apartment in Astoria we found through airbnb.com. Our host was warm and welcoming. He and his wife provided all the amenities to make this a comfortable place: good beds, a fridge and microwave, storage space for our stuff, and local menus and maps. They also have a beautiful, ... read more

Ok, now I'm writing this for the second time, grrrrr! Anyway, we're now about a week and a half from takeoff and are in pretty good shape. We just discovered that Qantas limits the weight of carry-ons to 15 lbs. That means we'll have to check our roller bags and hope they show up in Queenstown like they should. Connie got her new iPhone which should work in NZ and Australia. The next big things are getting the house closed up and the actual packing.... read more

It's been a while since the last post... In the meantime, I had to say goodbye to Mimi, one of my flat mates for the past six months. Not too long and it'll be bye bye to Ni, my other flat mate. It sucks to see these two ladies go back to Switzerland because over the period of the last half year, they've grown very dear to me. But that's how the program works, other people should get the same opportunity to dive into New York City Life like we can or could. Thanks ladies for an unbelievably cool and sexy 6 months! :-) Needless to say, we had several goodbye parties for the girls, Mimi's last one turned out to be at the legendary Surfbar in Brooklyn. Being a favourite for NY interns for quite ... read more

Thanksgiving 2011 - New York City! What should one do to avoid the nigh unbearable masses hitting the streets for the Annual Thanksgiving Parade? Correct, you head east! (Of course only after watching the Parade for 5 entire minutes.) The East Village - my cozy living room with soft, colourful and inviting armchairs for me to fall in, to relax, to enjoy life where it really happens. Just like in every living room, there is the odd one out, say a bizarre carpet that completes the room without really appearing to fit in to the picture. Maybe it's dear to you because it reminds you of the good old days, maybe you got it as a present and can't force yourself to toss it away...Anyway, of course the living room stands for quite a big and ... read more

This summer was a stubborn one, it lasted until pretty much the end of October. Then it was hit by a sudden and unexpected snowstorm right before Halloween. As unexpected as it may have seemed, New York has long been ready for the cold season. Bryant Park and Rockefeller Plaza have both already been transformed into ice skating rinks and the street vendors now sell gloves and weird animal beanies rather than "I love NY" shirts and fake sunglasses. All that's missing are stores that sell Gluehwein. Thanks to federal law, no drinking of alcohol is allowed neither on the streets nor in the parks...legally. After spending most of the windy and rainy snowstorm day inside Macy's (a huge department store that stretches along all the way between two avenues) and shopping a ridiculously expensive (but ... read more