Super Fag: Fly Boy Adventures!

0 New York, New York (New York)

Yo!

Welcome to New York! One again it's been a while since the last blog so I may have to gloss over some smaller details, but they'd probably be boring anyway... Here we go!

The Greyhound arrived on Sunday afternoon and i bundled up my bags and headed for the subway. I'd been told this was an incredibly easy and comprehensive system and being a veteran of the London tube i figured i'd have no trouble. Although not being too difficult i spent some time catching the wrong train and changing at a number of stations, backpack in tow, before i made it to my hostel in Brooklyn. A number of people have asked what part of Brooklyn i stayed in, i tell them the bad part. I'm not sure if my area was actually dangerous but it was probably the largest culture shock i've had since arriving in the states. The hostel itself is alright, although two bathrooms catering for four floors has been an interesting situation.

The next few days i spent wandering around Manhattan trying to get to know my way round the city. When i first stepped out of the subway i was amazed! High rises literally as far as you can see. I think it's crazy that Manhattan is only 3 miles wide and 11 miles long and yet it has the population of Queensland and seems soo much bigger, i think, just because you can't see where the high rises end. It's very impressive. In my wanderings I've seen the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station, Broadway, 5th Avenue, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall... It goes on... Times Square was also one of the first places I visited. It's crazy! Like super busy all the time, neon lights everywhere, even the police station has a flashing sign. I wonder if it's a rule in Times Square. I also caught a glimpse of Will Ferrel exiting the theatre where they shoot the Late Show with David Letterman. New York so far is massive and has a distinctive energy, i understand why some people never leave this island.

On Tuesday the Super Fags were reunited when Justin arrived in New York. He stayed in a different hostel in a nicer area of Brooklyn. We went out into the city and had a walk around and then hung out in the park and discovered the joys of bouldering!

That night Justin headed home and i met up with James and Jake (for those who know them) we hit up some bars in the East Village, known also as Alphabet City because of the streets Avenue A through D.

Next day Justo skated into the city and we checked out Soho, a really kool area, a little more built up then the East Village. We looked at a bunch of little galleries which was interesting and also a great way to get out of the heat. It's soo hot here right now and humid to the max! That evening we headed back to the East Village and visited a couple of cafes (we walked past but haven't stopped in yet at the Life Cafe from Rent) and had dinner in a kool little Italian joint where the waitress sat down with us to discuss 4th dimensions and hypercubes... Oh, i forgot to mention that we saw a movie (Friend with Benefits) filming a fake flash mob in Times Square that evening starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, who were there amongst the crowd of dancing extras...

Next day i headed off by myself and spent some time in the park. Then i headed down towards the West Village. The more suburban areas are lined with brownstones and trees. I even wandered past Carrie Bradshaw's stoop, where they filmed Sex and the City, apparently they had to pay $60 000 every time they shot there. Her fictional address is actually on the Upper East side. The West Village, also home to Washington Square, is a little more upmarket than the East, but still sooo many little bars and restaurants. I love it here... Is that obvious???

Next few days we hung around in different areas eating at number of places and we even went out one night in the West Village. We visited to Stonewall Inn which is important, as it is the birthplace of the gay rights movement after the Stonewall riots occurred...

sometime. Another highlight so far has been the Bethesda fountain... It's in a few movies and things and is really pretty and quite tranquil, it's become one of my favourite spots. I also explored the High Line, a park that has been constructed on old raised railway lines. Also fun places are the Hershey's store and M & Ms World, the latter is three floors of shopping most of which is merchandise and not chocolate.

On Monday we both checked out of our hostels and made our way to our new place in Woodside Queens... This area seems a lot nicer and we spent the afternoon exploring. That afternoon Julianne arrived! The official hag of the super fags! We had dinner at an Indian restaurant in the area and then had a small day out in the city the next day, where we visited F.A.O Shwartz toy store home of the famous 'big piano' from the movie Big... So many places that I've seen in movies, which as I've said before is how i know what to look at when being touristy. Our new place is nice enough although a little cramped and very warm... Now that everyone is here we can finally start doing fun touristy things... New York is ridiculous in the best way and I can't wait to start seeing shows and visiting museums and eating at lots of kool places... That i'm sure you'll hear about...

It's a hell'uv'a town...

Josh... (w. Justin and Julianne)

0 Mr. Potato Head: A Travel Journal

Hello!

Here I am in Boston with my old friend Christopher Columbus... and sporting some rather suave facial hair!

Toodle-oo

Mr. Potato Head

0 Vine Draped Walls and Hallowed Halls (Boston)

Ahoy!

I think i mentioned towards the end of the last blog that i was sleeping on a boat, that's correct! I arrived in Boston at 8 in the morning feeling sufficiently groggy and sleep deprived. I'd arrived in yet another time zone and was now keeping track of four different ones, which is slightly confusing. I got my luggage and managed to find a bus to the trains. The office for the boat is was staying on didn't open til 10 so i sat and waited trying to catch up on some sleep. I finally checked in, left my bags in the office and headed off. This boat situation was interesting. Because the boat sailed during the day so people could take cruises, the overnight guests weren't allowed on board during the day unless they'd paid for the cruise this meant being out all day until the boat docked usually at 9 in the evening. Couple this with tiny cabins, showers in closets and no wifi, i'm not sure if the boat adventure was the right choice. But it was at least an adventure.

My first day in Boston i mostly wandered around trying to get my bearings. The city is quite old worldly, i think the idea of Boston is mixing the old and the new. Old town and national heritage meets high rises. This is pretty much the vibe of Boston. It's the most condensed city-like place i've visited so far and unlike Seattle and San Fran is not a grid city. This makes getting around a little more difficult. The old architecture is really pretty, lots of red brickwork, churches and vines. There are two major parks in the middle of the city. The Boston Common and the Public Gardens. The Gardens are well kept with a pond and the commons are more expansive. I stayed in the common for a little while before heading on. I wandered through the theatre district and inside the public library, which is huge and has painted ceilings and lion sculptures. They had an exhibition of old tourism posters that i had a look at. Probably the tallest building is the John Hancock tower.

This massive high rise made entirely out of reflective glass so when you look at it from certain angles it almost looks like a continuation of sky, weird. The end of my first night in Boston, i sat at the pier and literally waited for my ship to come in.

On my first day in Boston my camera battery was dead and so i had to spend some time retracing my steps and taking photos the morning of my second day, i also had to stop into Starbucks for free internet to blog. Today i also ventured down to the Charles River and walked along the promenade. That night i watched a really god production of Othello in he Boston Common, it was free and really good. Also Othello is an idiot and the guy playing Iago sounded a lot like Jack from Will and Grace, which was kind of hilarious.

Day three and I was off to Harvard!! It's only a short train ride from the city. I wandered around and looked at the library. There's a sign on the door stating that only those with Harvard student ids will be et into the building, i guess otherwise it would constantly be filled with tourists. The campus is smaller then i expected it to be, but with some awesome old buildings. I'd removed it from my iPod but i distinctly felt like listening to Legally Blonde while i was there... Cambridge, the area around the campus itself is very kool. Similar college town vibe with lots of little shops and a good place to sit down. I think i had lunch but i can't remember. That night i walked some more and unknowingly stumbled into the North End. I had no information about this area but it must be highly populated by Italians because there are heaps of little Italian restaurants and today there was a festival happening in the streets. I bought some pasta andwandered. These guys were lifting a statue of the virgin mary on poles and dancing to a marching band, strange but entertaining.

On my last day in Boston i started the day exploring the Quincy markets. I ate Chowder! Which is really good. And watched a bunch of buskers. These two guys with guitars who called them selves Cahill were really good and this guy was juggling swords on a tightrope held up by audience members, petty kool. Possibly the most exciting thing about the market was finding a Christmam store. It's open all year round and sells Christmas decorations and plays carols! Best idea ever! I also walked down to the end of Pearl St, supposedly (according to Wikipedia) the site where the Boston Tea Party is suppose to have happened... I dunno. I hung around in the city til late trying to soak up the atmosphere, also because the boat didn't dock til 11pm that night, sigh. When i got back on I had a surprise roommate in my cabin. I probably won't stay on the Liberty Tall Ship again. I enjoyed Boston although I'm glad i wasn't staying any longer i sort of ran out of things to do very quickly and couldn't find a bar i wanted to go into... oh well... The next morning i de-boated (?) and headed for the bus terminal where i hopped on a Greyhound headed for New York!

Josh...

0 Mr. Potato Head: A Travel Journal

Hello friends.

Recently while my kidnapper was pre-occupied I attended a soiree in Seattle... With an old Australian friend.

And i discovered the legend of the red and blue plastic cups at American parties was actually true!

Cheerio!

Mr. Potato Head

1 Tours and Teepees (Seattle/Whidbey Island)

Hiya!

Remember how we left off last Sunday (i.e. more than a week ago)? Well here’s what been going on… Monday morning I caught a bus North, out towards Bothell. Here I met up with Spencer, a friend I met in London just before leaving, who is friends with my English cousin’s American girlfriend… We hung out some and caught up and then drove to the Snoqualmie Falls, this epic waterfall right in the middle of the pines. So beautiful and so much mist! It’s about the height or taller than the Niagara Falls only not the width. We took some time to wander the gift shop and marvel at the ability of such places to sell completely unrelated objects including a very suggestive deer/lollipop combination. That night I was introduced to a Dairy Queen blizzard, the pre-cursor to the McFlurry and sooo much better!

Tuesday was slow during the day but in the evening I met a bunch of Spencer’s friend who were all amazing at the Pike Place Brewery right inside the market. I’d walked past it but didn’t realise down a flight of stairs there was a whole restaurant/bar and down another an entire brewery! The beer and food were great and from there we drove to Fremont to a bar called Tost (said ‘toast’) and we watched a girl sing and then this amazing guitarist who sang into his guitar and did al kinds of trippy stuff. Wednesday I moved out of the City Hostel and checked into a private room about a block away. So nice to have a whole room and bathroom! Needless to say I spent the afternoon/evening in watching numerous episodes of NCIS (that’s why Wednesday doesn’t get a whole paragraph).

Well rested I managed to do some washing on Thursday morning, this may seem insignificant to you but it was kind of vital at the time. In the afternoon I headed out to the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, just North of Seattle, where Spencer gives tours. I met up with one of Spencer’s friends, David, who was also taking the tour. One of the other Redhook employees thought it would be nice to offer us some free beer before the tour and it was very much appreciated. The tour was really interesting and very entertaining and also every segment was punctuated with a new beer! We left the tour very happy. That night at the brewery was the first night of moonlight cinema so we were staying around to watch the movie. This meant having a number of hours to kill. Having enjoyed the tour so much we decided seeing as it was free (for us anyway) that we might as well take it again. This time we had a different tour guide with a more brutal approach to crowd control then Spencer. We enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. Also the movie was really fun, it was Step Brothers and I don’t remember much of the movie except that I was really excited it had Mary Steinberg in it.

The next morning I had to pack up my private my room and Spencer and I headed out to Whidbey Island. We caught a ferry, which reminded me a lot of the movie The Ring. Apparently that was because they were the same ferries used in the movie, hehe. Whidbey Island is where Kate (Dorian, Spencer’s friend’s mother, right?) lives and I was going to stay with her for a few nights.

The coolest thing about this however was that her guestroom is actually a teepee!!! With a fire in the middle and everything! Kate cooked an amazing bbq lunch and told us she had a friend who needed help with an errand. I assumed she needed heavy things lifted because what else would you need two young men for? When we get to this ladies house there are two cages with a total of six kittens in them. The

kittens were found under a house and were feral and needed socialising. This meant our ‘errand’ was holding kittens!!! A number of them! So cute! From the kittens we headed to Double Bluff, an awesome beach covered in drift wood and dead tree trunks. I should also note here that everything onWhidbey Island has the coolest name, like Forgotten Lane and others. We found an epic seesaw (or teeter-totter) that someone had made out of logs and a plank and we had super fun on it!

On Saturday and Sunday I explored the Island (Sunday I was accompanied by Kate and her grandson Gabriel who is a wizard and really sweet. Coupeville is a small town on the water and very old-worldy quaint. Langville is another town on the island and is a little artier and a little less touristy. The also have the koolest shop where they sell masks and magic wands and swords and leather bound books with eyes, oh my! Gabe really like lighthouses, so we visited one that was at the top of an old army barracks. I took Gabe up to the top and enjoyed counting the stairs on the way down, apparently 6 comes after 13… ? We finished up the day in the park and I spent my last night in the tepee. Oh I didn’t mention the amazing waterfront view from Kate’s house, spectacular!

Monday I headed back to the mainland and Spencer and I drove to this awesome tall bridge called Deception Pass. It’s actually two bridges built over these amazing rock/cliff structures.

Also down one of the bridge are these beaches covered in pebbles so we had a walk and looked at the pebbles and by the time we headed back the tide had risen and we had to walk in the really cold water to get back. It was a long drive out there but it was so amazing! That evening one of Spencer’s friend was having a birthday party so we attended and brought wine and… side story: Spencer’s mum (mom) went looking for vegemite for me and found it and then liked it when I made her try it, win for Australian culture! …vegemite. It was a really fun night made especially so by a balloon that if you tap it it sings ‘Happy Birthday’ in Mexican, which is feliz something.

Wow this is a big one… I’m exhausted.

Thursday was my last day in Seattle :(. It started well with an excellent breakfast with everyone who stayed at the party venue and then Inception on the Imax screen at the Seattle Centre(omg!) and then to the brewery again for more free beer, which flowed even more freely because we took a private tour because there were birthdays involved. I’m really glad I got to see the Space Needle and a bit of the city again before leaving but I also really enjoyed having some time away from cities on the island. I really enjoyed my time in the North West, so pretty and the people i met/caught up with were amazing! Spencer dropped me off at the airport on Tuesday night and I caught a flight to Boston… which is where I am now! Sleeping on a boat…

To Be Continued…

Josh…

0 Trolls and Chickens (or More of Seattle. Lame title.)

Howdy!

It's been a good few days since my last post and not a whole lot has happened, although some things have indeed occurred. I think we left off on Wednesday when i had to change rooms in the hostel. This seemingly painless task was made kind of painful by a rather abrupt girl who works at the hostel. I had to sort of pry information out of her as to the procedure while she seemed pretty annoyed that someone would expect, i don't know, hospitality in a hostel. Weird, so i gave in my key and was told to come back at two. Which proved to be an issue because you need a key to get back in and i hadn't been given a new one. Oh well... I spent my hours away from the hostel walking into Fremont. This kool area just north across a bridge that's know for being arty and very pretty. It sure was. There's like a different sculpture or installation on every corner, the buildings are all nice brickwork and it's very leafy and green. I think it's also the home of Google, or they at least have an office building there. Fremont is probably most known for the Fremont Troll, a large concrete troll that was built under the bridge and was used in the film '10 Things I Hate About You,' which i guess was set in the area.

My new room is nice, the art isn't as interesting and i've had the same room mates all week, although haven't spoken to them all that much.

Thursday was my Birthday! As many of you would probably know. It was kind of weird being all alone but i spent a good portion of time, credit and battery power talking to parents and friends which was super nice! I took myself out to see the Experience Music Project (EMP and also the science fiction museum that's in the same building.)

Although kind of short on content the building itself is very interesting and the North/West tunnel, which is actually a hall timeline-ing the progression of music produced in this area, is really informative. One of the most exciting moment in the science fiction section was seeing the Donatello suit. Although i was slightly disappointed to learn that it was the suit used in the third live action movie which i haven't seen but is by all accounts dreadful. Side note: did everyone know there was a new live action movie coming out next year or maybe the one after??? Yay! I spent the afternoon in Borders reading Scott Pilgrim comics (the last one is released on the 20th!) then eating Thai food and i took myself out for a beer in the evening. Below is a picture of my birthday cake. It's actually a cake batter flavoured frappe but it was none the less enjoyable.

So funny story... I have no idea what i did on Friday, I know I woke up and did stuff but there aren't any photos and that's how i remember things... Oh, i did go and see Inception on Friday night and very much enjoyed it, please see it.

Details are kind of blurry for the latter part of this week because i've spent a lot of time sitting and writing stuff or reading in bookstores without making purchases or just strolling around enjoying the city. And that's pretty much what the weekend was, except for Saturday morning where i had a wicked craving for pancakes and when they proved illusive endeavoured on a massive hunt to find them and was duly satisfied! I also visited the Bite of Seattle festival which was being held in the Seattle Centre. Massive crowds, bands, free Dr. Pepper and lots of food stalls. Today i ate from the pan-asian type stall and had fried rice some kind of cabbage noodle thing and a chicken kebab. One of my favourite things it burnt meat on a stick at festivals, can't be beaten. I have some random photos from this week including: inflatable salt water plumped chickens floating...

And a wall of gum!

That's all...

Josh... (Justin is good and having fun in San Francisco and planning to camp in Oregon in the coming week/s, i'm sure if he were here and i told him what i was doing he'd say to say hi!)

0 Food and Beverage (Seattle cont.)

Hey,

So i think we left off on Friday night. After having blogged I went out for a walk and had a beer at a place in Pike Place Market where i had a great view of the Puget. Then i head closer to the water and had a salmon burger before picking a spot on a pier and watching the sun go down behind the mountains. Seattle is like surrounded by nature there's mountains (including Mt. Saint Helen to the south) and water and forests. And the view from the pier was awesome. I headed back to the hostel and chatted with some girls from Atlanta, Georgia who were going to a wedding the next day. This hostel is a little strange: whenever i head home in the afternoon there are people sleeping at like 4, and most other lodgers only stay one or two nights. It's weird but it makes me feel like i have some ownership of my room because i'm there constantly, which is nice; i've nested.

Saturday started with coffee down at the market and then a rendezvous with Justin in Capital Hill. Capital Hill is a really neat area: lots of interesting and arty shops, food and bars. It's also the gay district. Justin had come up from SF with three girls: Linda, Vanessa and Kat (or Cat, didn't ask). Together we wandered and looked in some shops, found some sweet ties and waistcoats but didn't buy anything. We looked around the market again and because it was Saturday it was packed and we ate at Pirosky Pirosky, which is apparently a famous pastry shop (bakery?). They made a mean Cheddar, onion and chive scroll. Linda's brother lives in Seattle and invited us all to dinner which was lovely. The food was great and the weather was still amazing. Also he lived just up the street from Lake Washington (the big one to the west) so we saw the Lake and the worlds longest floating bridge which crosses it. Justo and the girls were staying in the guest suit of an up market apartment building in Bellvue which is across the river and we went back there to drink a little and freshen up before heading out. I also popped home to change. We headed out on Capital Hill and visited some amazing bars, specifically one called Unicorn which is done up with candy striped wall paper and ornate chandeliers, and a club called The Cuff where dancing occurred. That night i slept very comfortably in a closet of the guest sweet.

The next morning we headed down to a large viewing room in the building to watch the soccer. I'd decided to barrack for the Netherlands, which turned out to be a bad idea. We had some good Seattle coffee and Mexican for lunch. We then visited Molly Moo's, an ice cream parlour with amazing flavours and generous portions. One scoop of Scout Mint almost killed me. While the others visited the Space Needle i went home to freshen up and i met them at the Seattle Centre and we caught the monorail back into downtown. That night we ate at a great restaurant called Barrio and i tried my first chilli relleno (i think that's how it's spelt, pronounced re-ano) only it was a crab relleno and it was food heaven! Later on, same evening, we visited a bar called the Chapel, it was formerly a mortuary and known for it's cocktails. Cucumber is esspecially good. After that we visited Linda's, a grunge bar where Kurt Cobain was last seen alive. A guy who worked there invited us to a pool party in a hotel but we didn't quite make it.

Monday morning didn't really happen. But in the afternoon we set out on a culinary mission. We started with coffee at Vivace, then hot dogs at Po Dogs. I ate the Chicago dog which had relish and pickles and lots of sauce and was very good. The next stop was Cupcake Royal (i think was the name) really good cupcakes (i had peppermint) and I bought a badge: it's rainbow striped and says 'Legalize Gay Cupcakes,' cute and funny! We also wanted to find buffalo wings, and try Dicks, a drive through burger place. We didn't manage to achieve the latter but i will get back there. A friend of Kat's who lives up here told us about this event he was organising. So we stopped in at a bar called Shorty's that is decorated like a carnival and has a room full of pinball machine in the back and then headed to Cine-oke! The concept is karaoke but you choose from movie musicals and they play the video with sound behind the singer. It was hilarious and fun although there were too many guys singing songs from Glee. Vanessa sang Mien Heir from Cabaret and I sang Origins of Love from Hedwig; these two guys who took it quite seriously shook my hand after; it was very fun! Then we went to a bar called the Funhouse where Vanessa's boyfriend's band were playing a gig. The bar was very kooky and the beer was cheap. The bands were pretty good too. We finished up at a 24 hour cafe called 5 Points where buffalo wings were had (and also a chilli burger). Very full we strolled back to my hostel and said our goodbyes. The girls were super fun and it was a little tear jerking to say goodbye. They all went home this morning and i headed to Lake Union Park to rest up, only the park was under construction so i found another park before heading home to do some much needed washing.

Tomorrow i have to change rooms because i booked the two weeks here separately and then i think i'm going to wander into Fremont...

Gots to go...

Josh...

(Also i feel like i just listed a whole bunch of cafes and bars, sorry if it's boring!)

Super Fag: Fly Boy Adventures!

0 New York, New York (New York)

0 Mr. Potato Head: A Travel Journal

0 Vine Draped Walls and Hallowed Halls (Boston)

0 Mr. Potato Head: A Travel Journal

1 Tours and Teepees (Seattle/Whidbey Island)

0 Trolls and Chickens (or More of Seattle. Lame title.)

0 Food and Beverage (Seattle cont.)

Super Fags!

Stalkers

Old School