Leaving New York: part 2

Hello from US! What's up with you? Missing me?

This post is not really about NY, well, it doesn't talk about NY at all. This week I've been to Boston where I spent 3 days. Some of Michele's relatives hosted us in their place, thanks to Katia and Giorgio. They are both immigrants from Italy, two amazing person that made me feel like at home: they took care of me, they cooked for me (when I talk about me, I mean us, Michele included). We eaten so much and everything was so good... Giorgio is a former chef in many restaurants, so you can imagine. He also cooked for us some great lobsters... amazing!

About the city: Boston is simply breathless, one of the most beautiful city that I've never seen. So quiet (also compared to NY), so full of green and water (there's the ocean and a river), it's not high (very few sky grapes) and it's full of brains: consider that there's Harvard, MIT, UMASS (University of Massachusetts) and many more great universities. While you walk around you can breathe fresh air that is something that I was actually missing. I'll never forget this city, I simply love it. There's not much to see (the JFK museum is super) but it's the perfect place to relax. You can see some pics of the travel below.

About the current situation: I've 4 more days in US, I think I'm going to miss many thing. The experience so far was beyond expectations with many learning points and experiences. If you have to choose something similar in your near future, go for it, you'll never regret.

Cheers and peace!

Leaving New York: part 1

The rent is over, this weekend we'll move back to Gianpy's place in Union City where we are going to spend the last days of our experience.

Next week we'll probably go to Boston to visit the city in order to see something different then the "Think Big and Be Big" of New York. So we are going to have few ore day in the city, still looking around and learning, because we should never stop to learn! Today we had the last laundry and in the afternoon we'll go again to Manhattan to buy the last things (touristic stuff mainly). We also expect to have a lounge night tonight in some particular cool place that Gianpy knows... we'll see!

Cheers and peace!

New New York: final part.

Here we are changing again the track of my travel. I still have around 10 days in the city in order to get the most out from the city. I've discovered a New New York during the last weeks and I saw many wonderful things, but it's time now to wrap up the experience: what did I learn?

Thanks to the Cranberries for having being the inspiration of the past 15 days, here you're the lyric of the song.

Cheers and peace!

New New York by The Cranberries

New, new new, ah, ah-ah ah
New, new new, ah, ah-ah ah
New new york skyline
Wounds they heal in time
Dont crawl and dont despair
Its a new new york today

------

I look across these city streets
My heart is numb, it still beats
Nothing to say
Theres nothing to say

I look across this empty room
My heart is still in bloom
Theres nothing to say
I only can pray

(chorus)

I look across these city streets
My heart is cold it beats
30th of may
Ground zero today

(chorus)

I get down on my knees and pray
For the heroes of the day
And no comfort I can find
For the loved ones left behind

They wont tear us apart x4
No way
New day
New day

New New York: part 3

More then a month here... wow, time had passed soooo fast that I can't believe. this experience is giving me a lot in term of experiences, personal development and self awareness.

The funniest is that after so long time in the city I'm not impressed any more. What am I talking about? Well, I'm not impressed by the girls (believe, they are beautiful), I'm not impressed by the sky grapes, by the skylines; i'm not impressed by the language and the size of the city. I'm not impressed by the 2 hours daily trip that I need to get to Manhattan and go back. All these don't impress me anymore, I'm completely used to it. I don't know if it's good or not, what I know is that I'm going to have a big shock once I'll be back in Pisa in 10 days! That's 100% sure! well, I can prepare to it during the next weeks.

Few flash news: we finally visited all the most turistic places in the city. We went to MoMa (Museum of Modern art), to the top of the Empire State Building, we went to Liberty Island (where the statue is) and to Ellis Island, we visited all Central Park and for sure much more that I can't remember. The city is continuing to show in front of our eyes with all it beauty and sometimes we still get surprised. There are a lot of wonderful views (looking NY from the top of the Empire is breathless) even if I definetly see that US is a country with a small history even if they are trying to pump it as much as possible.

This is also the good time to feel how Americans are leaving to important moment:

• Olympics. Even if they are over now, I didn't see any celebration, anything. The event passed by very fast, the only thing that attracted a bit was the basketball team (of course I would say). Honeslty I was expecting something more.
• Presidential run: here the theme is deeper. Obama vs McCain. Citizens are devided, are changing their minds pretty often from one side to the other. After Hillay Clinton speech and the attempt to Obama life of few days ago, I guess that the black candidate got many percentage points and now he is clearly leading the run, even if I guess McCain will now play some good cards. You can see people here going around with Obama's t-shirt... can you imagine soemthing lke that in Italy? People with Berlusconi's t-shirt... mmmm I don't think so! The mentality is very different and the run (at our eyes) is very fair. We should learn!
  

Well, that's all from the Big Apple. Below some more pics.

Cheers and peace!

New New York: part 2

It was simply incredible. Sunday morning we woke up at 7 (we went to sleep at 4) and we went to the beach. You know what? 4 hours trip to get to the seaside and it's still in New York! In 4 hours trip I can arrive from Pisa to Milan! That sounded incredible scaring to me: how big is this city??? By the way the beach wasn't anything so special, our are definitely better, especially in the south. In any case that was the Ocean and it changes everything. We went there with a nice group of international friends and we had a lot of fun: thanks guys!

On Monday it was working time: we went to the Giant Stadium (yes the temple of American football) for a football match. Few considerations about this sport:

• Americans get absolutely wild for this sport and I don't honestly understand the reason! There are a lot of pauses (that's good for the vendors as I am) and it seemed to me to be more a show then a sport.
• I didn't really understand the rules but I don't feel bad for it. The more interesting fact is that people look more at the videos inside the stadium then at the field and this is pretty strange: why are you going to the stadium???

New York is not as much expensive as I thought. Food is pretty cheap if you know where to buy it, and pretty tasty, even if it's poor of vitamins. What is very expensive is hanging out the night for a drink: you can see flying out of your wallet at least 50 dollars every time easily. In New York it's common to drink a lot, more then in Italy. People love to get drunk and have fun with friends and don't really care about money. Gianpiero was telling me once, that after a whole day working you don't care about preserving few dollars because you're so tired and stressed that you just want to have fun. I saw that it's definitely true.

About my New New York experience: I saw yesterday one of the most amazing view of a skyline in my life. Unfortunately I don't have pics of it. I was (with Michele of course) in Brooklyn just over the other side of the sea looking Manhattan during the sunset. All the sky was red and the skygrapes lights were turned on. It was amazing and breathless. I'll never forget about it. I felt to be in front of one of the most amazing places in the world, looking to an incredible city and I really felt, maybe for the first time, that in this city there's always, at any time, someone that wake up while someone else is going to sleep. That's really the city that never sleeps.

Cheers and peace!

New New York: part 1

In Italy we use to say that when something is wet (I mean because maybe it's raining), well, this thing is lucky too. Sorry, but that not always true. Yesterday night I was working during Almond Brothers concert and it started to rain: as I wrote you previously here when it rains it's not just water falling, it's a complete storm and yesterday I was below it! In the end I found myself completely wet and I didn't sell so much and that means that I'll have less money for the weekend: that's so bad! Fortunately (maybe this is the luck) on of our colleague brought Michele and me back to New York with just a support of 2 dollars (or 2 boxes as they call the dollars here) instead of 11 dollars needed for the train. We almost worked without westing any money for traveling and at least that's good. The guy has a old fashioned Volkswagen's wagon like in 1980s: it was very nice as travel!

Today we were real housewives: we went to the laundry and to shop food for the week. Considering that we went to sleep at around 2:30 last night, we also slept a lot. I think that now we are going to see a romantic sunset from the top of the Empire State Building: two guys there... well, actually not so romantic!

Cheers and peace!

New York, New York: final part

Here we are at half of my trip. So far the music surrounding me was extremely nice and helped me in learning and understanding this city. Now I want to go further in my discovery, and this is why I need a new soundtrack. Here for you the words that inspired my past two weeks in New York, enjoy it!

Cheers and peace!

New York, New York by Frank Sinatra

Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - New York, New York

I wanna wake up in a city, that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill - top of the heap

These little town blues, are melting away
Ill make a brand new start of it - in old New York
If I can make it there, Ill make it anywhere
Its up to you - New York, New York

New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city, that never sleeps
And find I'm a number one top of the list, king of the hill
A number one

These little town blues, are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it - in old New York
And if I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere

It up to you - New York New York

New York, New York: part 3

In the close room there's a kind of concert: my house mate Joaquin decided that it was the right moment to pump the music as it is in a disco. Madonna is now playing.

Many things to talk about. Michele and me are finally citizen of NY (without the citizenship of course) because we are really in the mood and lifetime of the city. That is what I was mainly expecting from this travel and experience and I'm happy to have achieved it. Working and taking care of the house, cooking and making the laundry,... it is as living alone and it reminds me the time in Milan even if now it's extremly different.

What I've discovered of people here: they are very noisy especially when they laugh and I don't like it at all (sorry US friends..). I know that laughing is healthy and it's great to share this feeling with other people, but there are limits of it!

I now see how much the life here is expensive! If you want to have a "nice night" with something to eat and drink, well, you should "invest" about 100 dollars! Toooooo much!

US people are extremely proud of their nationality: there are US flags everywhere and they play the national item every time before concerts, sport events,... All the Americans know the words of the song. Well, this is something surprising for me because in Italy it's the opposite: no one knows the national item (it's not taught at school) and we put it just for the national teams matches and that's it. I think that this one of the reason why people here are so proud of their nationality and this is something that I love and that we are missing in Italy where people remember of being Italian just during the world soccer championship.

Anyway: yesterday I went to Metropolitan museum and I discovered my deep ignorance for art, especially paintings. I saw many famous artists (Gauguin, Monet, Manet, De Gas, Van Gogh,..) but very few of them impressed me: maybe Van Gogh (I saw the original Cypress paint) but nothing more of it. I also do not completely understand the modern art, even Picasso (there were many paintings there). I felt bad yesterday and I decided that I've to find someone that introduces me to the art!

Two days ago I went to the United Nations building: in front of it there was a demonstration from Georgian people living in NY against the war there. It was very touching and made me think about how people can be so stupid to move a war without thinking at the consequences that it has on the population. I hope that the voices of the people that I saw there will be listened now and in the future.

Well, I think that I wrote enough. I hope that you're all fine and enjoying your life at least as much I'm doing.

Cheers and peace!

New York, New York: part 2

This is mainly a post of picture.

Few news about us: we finally found a job, we are vendors! You know, the people that are running around selling foods and beverages during concerts and sport events. That's a very funny job: you get money and additionally you see concerts and sport events! So far we have been to The Police concert; today we are going to the stadium for the soccer match Barcelona vs New York, tomorrow Maroon 5 and on Sunday Cirque du Soleil!

We've also met the first group of people not italian: these are some collegues, all nice and funny people. we had a beer together after The Police concert.

Well, below some pics of these days in NY. The one that you may not understand is about ground zero.

Cheers and peace!