29th Floor.

Mom came into town to hang out for the weekend.
We are staying at a hotel roughly 20 yards Herald
Square/Macy's. We are staying on the 29th floor
of a Hilton that sells Dr. Pepper in the lobby. By
far the most Luxe (and by Luxe I mean there are
not factions of rats and pigeons engaging in battle
in the wall inches away from where I sleep) thing
I have done on my stay here in NYC.

Their TV had Inglorious Basterds on Demand.

and this view.

Thanksgiving.

Brendan, Sass and I went out to Sylvia's in Harlem
for Soul Food. It was a pretty long wait and worth
most every second. While we waited we walked
around Malcolm X Blvd and then over to the Apollo.

Basically we all agreed that we were thankful for
each other and our friends and family that have
supported us through this remarkably awkward
year.

and we were also thankful for the food.

Ford F250 Turbo Diesel

Funny thing is, this was actually in a decently
nice neighborhood. The majority of the interior
was gutted, as were major elements of the
exterior, but the easy to sell stuff (i.e. wheels,
catalytic convertor, various power train comp-
onents) were still present on the vehicle. Perhaps
it is a project vehicle or a totaled car someone is
trying to bring back to past glory. Whoever owns
it certainly was proud of it.

Proud enough to put it on display.

Queens.

This is the canal between Queens and Brooklyn. The
picture was taken from the Metropolitan Ave. draw
bridge.

I thought the Mary H looked pretty rad.

Abandoned Couch

"Hey Brendan, go sit on that, I'll take your picture"

"Alright, so long as I don't get bed bugs or AIDS"

Squatterville.

Brendan and I found this awesome looking
house. It's semi-reminiscent of the famous
Heidelberg Projects in Detroit

Only by accident.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

The Gull Sees Farthest Who Flies Highest.

False Alarms Kill

Relic from a bygone era.

Urban Exploration.

Today Brendan and I took a walk around Brooklyn
and into Queens to see what we could see. The
next 4-5 blogs will just be images from our walk.
This one happens to be all about graffiti.

The majority of our walk was through industrial
parks that looked fairly abandoned. I am certain
they are all actually still functional, they just
appeared to be completely dilapidated.

Good Walk.

Ben Townsend

This is Ben. I am going to live with him for
the last two weeks here in New York. He
lives in Clinton Hill and feels as though the
places he has lived define him as a person.

He recommended, to me, a book about being
from Michigan.

Brendan made me Indian Food: Part Deux

Fried Stuffed Potato Dumplings with Lentil Curry

I really envy Brendan for being able to cook this
ridiculously delicious food that I have never heard
of before.

Now, if you will pardon me, I feel a starch coma
coming on.

Nike Air Zoom Tiempo CTRS Paris Edition.

One of the first shoes designed by urban cyclists for
urban cyclists. The shoe has been adapted from a
cleatless soccer shoe. The sole has been stiffened
for greater pedal control. The lace guard was carried
over from the soccer application to keep them out of
drive train. The proprietary "Air Zoom" insole keeps
the riders feet from experiencing irritation over longer
ride.

All those features are well and good but the conversation
piece with these shoes is the fabric. The Paris Editions
are coated in 3M fabric which appears black in daylight,
but when car headlights shine on them at night, they
appear to glow a reflective white.

Cannot wait to get back home and saddle up.

H&M

Ever since I set foot in NYC I have been in awe
of how well put together everyone in the city
looks. This starkly contracts the very "college"
look I have been sporting since, well, high
school. I felt as though I should go out and
invest in the "Industrial Designer" image a
little.

Having said that, I am an intern and making
a (small) allowance every week, so I would
be relegated to a very small percentage
of stores and their clearance section.

So, I got this Jacket, Button Up, Tie, Sweater
and Hat for $102.00, which I though was a
remarkably decent deal.

Thank goodness for H&M. Even in Manhattan,
Its value surprises me.

Strand Book Store.

Pretty rad book store on Broadway just south of Union Square.
It is apparently remarkably well known because it was packed
for when I went to visit.

Terrible Poetry Section.

The Jungle Book was only 2 Dollars, though.

James Franco.

"The thing about college is, it takes minds

into space, like a rocket"

-James Franco

Guggenheim.

I was way too tired to go inside you,

but mark my words, I will be back.

Apple and Grids.

Apple just gets me.

I don't want to grow up.

I'm an FAO Schwarz kid.

Facts:

There was a stuffed bear for $1249

They have a "Build-a-Muppet" Station

Workers approached me, asking me to play

with remote controlled toys.

Public Bathrooms.

Giant Piano Mats. (It's True)

Coincidence?

This small business owner was seen wandering

around "People with A.I.D.S. Plaza".

What he does may not be easy, buy it sure is

necessary.

People with A.I.D.S. Plaza.

Not AIDS Awareness Plaza

Not AIDS Prevention Plaza

People with AIDS Plaza.

Where do I sign up to be on the Plaza

naming committee? I've got a few ideas

for Plaza names that are equally as

hilarious.

None of which shall be written on my

relatively wholesome blog.

Ground Zero.

8 Years, 2 Months and 3 days and all

you guys have to show for it is a small

foam-core model and weird pseudo

museum/gift shop?

I guess when Rudy encouraged us to

"Never Forget", he thought he might

help us out by leaving a gaping hole

in the middle of the most desirable

real estate in North America.

Helvetica.

You make me stand up and pay attention.

Coincidentally, you also make me burn

calories and take the stairs.

GMT 900.

Homeland Security Suburbans are almost

as prevalent in Manhattan as Police cars.

I am not a huge GM fan, but I have to admit

that the GMT 900's in Homeland Security

livery look straight mean.

Battery Park.

Navy Memorial. The southern tip of

Manhattan, directly next to the Staten

Island Ferry. Beautiful view of the

Statue of Liberty.

No Parking.

Active Driveway.

Stop.

Keegan and Holland (not pictured) went

for a walk yesterday that began at our

apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The walk took us from Williamsburg,

over the Williamsburg Bridge to Battery

Park. From Battery Park (the southern

tip of Manhattan) we proceeded to walk

north up Broadway past ground zero,

Union Square, Central Park, Columbia,

Harlem and Spanish Harlem into the

Bronx at the northern most point of

the island of Manhattan. I calculated our

route later to discover we walked over

20 miles (6 and a half hours) total.

But I feel like I conquered NYC and am

now much more intimately familiar with

its neighborhoods.

The foot pain is more than worth it.

New York City:

The city that sleeps.

Brooklyn Bridge.

For Sale. Inquire Within.

Solar Powered Flower.

Yet another carry over from my previous internship in

Shanghai. I cop'd one of these from Shanghai and donated

it to Mickey's new Honda Fit.

Granted, the one I got Mickey was already broken as all

of these are made in China and only cost 20 RMB.

3 Dollar Solar panels are not notoriously well constructed.

Shanghai Crushin' Part Deux.

This street sent me into flashbacks of my

last internship. I was, however, proud of

my ability to decipher several traditional

characters.

I knew that 6 months would pay off in a

completely trivial way.

S. Ryan Shop.

If they don't have it, you don't need it.

Williamsburg Bridge.

Grids and Rust.

Recycling Initiative.

I am not sure what the initial purpose of

this rather ornate fixture was, but it is

definitely a trash can now.

Reduce.

Reuse.

Remarkably Dirty.

Hey Keegan,

I am going to throw you into my DeLorean and gun it to 88.

Atlantic Ocean,

New York Skyline.

Go up!

And tell it from the Mountain.

Attention:

Girl who left cardigan at my house last

night: I have it and it is slightly stretched

out.

See Keegan for retrieval.

Kirkwood "Kip" Adams

The most photogenic person I have met

since coming to Brooklyn.

His poems were titles and excerpts from

pop culture and references to academia.

Rad dude.

640 Grand St. Brooklyn, NY 11211

Home is where my iPhone charges.

Texture: Williamsburg.

Maybe I am not totally over texture, yet.